George Clancy “We’re mindful of what happened but we can always build better relations with our neighbours in the future”

100 years ago, sitting mayor George Clancy and former mayor Michael O’Callaghan were murdered by British Auxiliaries during the War of Independence.

To commemorate the centenary of that tragic event, Limerick GAA will host an Evening of History in partnership with Limerick City and County Council on March 7th, the date on which the murders occurred.

Former Rugby referee George Clancy is a great grand-nephew of his namesake as he recalls a childhood greatly influenced by the murdered mayor’s memory and the pride that still surrounds the family to this day.

“I was very much aware of that growing up, The name George has been in the Clancy family for seven generations now. And I suppose its an unusual name in our parts and I was made aware from a very early age to George, the murdered Mayor.

“He was a Grange man and lived close enough to where I was brought up so naturally he was a big presence in our lives and history growing up.

“We were naturally proud of the murdered mayor and it kept us going in school projects for years! I took it a step further and I did my Thesis on George Clancy and it gave me the opportunity to explore more and dig deeper.”

“Every time you walk up there, (Clancy’s Strand) you’d be casting your mind back to what happened on that particular night. Its nice that his name is honoured in that way. I work in Limerick city and I have an office that overlooks that part of the city. So it’s something that would always a presence and something you would always be remembering as you go along.”

Clancy was to meet the Queen in advance of the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England as part of a ceremony to mark the beginning of the tournament and had contemplated whether he should go or not.

“I reflect on the fact that I got to meet the Queen of England back in 2015 when I was there, invited as part of the World Cup squad of referees and I contemplated should I even go. I suppose things move on and it is 100 years, we remember what has happened, we are always mindful of that but we can always build better relations with our neighbours in the future”

A compelling panel of speakers will discuss what occurred that night including, Professor Gearoid Ó Tuaithaigh, Dr Brian Murphy, Sharon Slater and Thomas Toomey with Mark Foley to chair the event.

Afterwards, Limerick secretary Mike O’Riordan will unveil a special edition 2021 commemorate jersey. The event will be streamed live on Limerick GAA TV Facebook page on March 7th, free of charge.

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