One of Armagh’s most instantly recognised ‘ladies’ is set to mark her milestone 100th birthday.
But the occasion will not be celebrated with a card from His Majesty The King. Rather, a special ‘birthday’ parade through the streets of Armagh — culminating in a fitting church service — is on the cards instead.
The ‘lady’ in question stands atop a plinth on the Mall in Armagh, an enduring and majestic figure of remembrance.
The War Memorial, or Cenotaph, on the Mall was officially unveiled on 3 December 1926, by James Hamilton, the 3rd Duke of Abercorn and the first Governor of Northern Ireland.
Now the Armagh Branch of the Royal British Legion is preparing to mark what is a significant anniversary with a special parade and service, to be held on Sunday, 29 November.
According to the now defunct Northern Whig newspaper, the figure on the pedestal is intended to personify ‘Peace with Honour’, as described in an editorial published just days after the unveiling.
“She holds in the left hand a palm leaf, which is symbolical of peace, while in the right she holds a wreath of laurels, towards which her head is turned in thoughtful contemplation.”
When the Duke and Duchess of Abercorn made their first official visit to the ancient city of Armagh back in 1926, “flags fluttered and waved their welcome”, while “long before the hour of the ceremony townsfolk had taken up their positions in the Mall”.
Addressing the crowds at the unveiling eight years after the end of the First World War, the Duke told all present that setting up memorials to those who fell in the Great War was “a duty of this generation”.
“Our thoughts today inevitably turn towards those who lost their lives in that great struggle, but I would ask you at the same time to remember that there are many amongst us who are suffering and many who are in need.”
