D’fhreastail mé ar thórramh Ian McKeane ag Hamilton Memorial Church, Penbedw, Glannau Merswy ar an 9ú Meán Fómhair i mbliana. Ministir Preispitéireach ab ea a athair (nach maireann) agus tháinig a shinsear as Tír Eoghain go Sasana, isteach trí Learpholl, tuairim na bliana 1850.

Ní raibh Ian ach 66 bliana d’aois, ach bhí sé ag éileamh le galar croi ar feadh tamaill. D’éirigh sé as a phost mar mhúinteoir Francaise le dochtúireacht a dheánamh in Institiúid Léann na hÉireann, Ollscoil Learphoill, áit a bhfuair sé post mar léachtóir i Stair agus mar Oifigeach Idirchaidrimh Acadúil. Rinne sé an Ph.D. ar an dearcadh a bhí sa Fhrainc ar Éirí Amach na Cásca, ábhar a raibh spéis aige ann i gcónaí. Is cuimhin liom go raibh sé i láthair nuair a nochtadh leachta ag Frongoch i Meitheamh 2002 (Beo, eagrán 14). Scríobh sé caibidil don leabhar ‘The Impact of the 1916 Rising’ (in eagar ag Anthony Coughlin) agus scríobhadh sé corralt don Irish Democrat, nuachtán an Connnolly Association.

Ba cheoltóir é fosta. Bhí sé ina bhall den Extra Stout Band, agus bhí sé an-mhórtasach nuair a sheinn sé ar a chonsairtín os comhair Mháire Bean Mhic Giolla Íosa nuair a thug sí cuairt ar Learpholl.

Nuair a mhol Conradh na Gaeilge i Learpholl cuimhneachán cuí a eagrú ar an Drochshaol i 1997, bhí Ian ina rúnaí don choiste agus nochtadh dealbh iontach de chuid Éamonn Uí Dhochartaigh sa chathair i 1998. Cuireadh plaiceanna suas in áiteanna a raibh baint acu leis an ‘Ghorta’ ar fud na cathrach, ag an Clarence Dock Gates ina measc. Shiúil níos mó ná milliún Éireannach tríd na geataí seo idir 1845 agus 1852, sinsear Ian ina measc. Is cuid den tSlí Oidhreachta trí Learpholl iad na plaiceanna anois.

Na Sherwood Foresters

Ní raibh drogall orm labhairt le Ian faoin ócáid a bhí beartaithe ag Conradh na Gaeilge anseo nuair a bhí Learpholl ina Príomhchathair Chultúrtha na hEorpa 2008- léacht le Hilary Pyle faoin leabhar a scríobh sí: Cesca’s Diary 1913-1919- Where Art and Nationalism Meet. (Beo eagrán 82). Rugadh an Conraitheoir seo i Learpholl i 1891, áit a raibh a athair ina eaglaiseach. Mar Oifigeach Idirchaidrimh Acadúil, d’eagraigh Ian seomra maith don léacht in Institiúid Léann na hÉireann, áit a dtáinig slua mór ann.

Mar chuid den togra céanna, nocht Anthony Fletcher, scríbhneoir agus staraí as Oxford, leacht i gcuimhne Cesca Trench (1891-1918) ag an teach inar rugadh í i Learpholl. Reggie Trench, deartháir Cesca, ba ea a sheanathair, taobh na máthar, a fuair bás sa Fhrainc i 1918 mar oifigeach sa Sherwood Foresters, Arm Shasana.

Throid an reisimint seo i mBaile Átha Cliath i 1916 agus d’eagraigh Reggie Trench buíon lámhaigh, deirtear.

Agus mé ag caint le Ian McKeane faoin scéal casta seo, thosaigh muid plé ar an dealbh nua le Tom Murphy (ealaíontóir áitiúil) a bhí crochta taobh amuigh d’Institiúid Léann na hÉireann. ‘Liverpool Heroes’ an teideal a bhí air agus deir an inscríbhinn air: ‘This sculpture commemorates the life and deeds of Captain Noel Godfrey Chavasse VC and Bar, MC, RAMC, Medical Officer to the 10th Battalion (Liverpool Scottish) Kings Regiment, and 15 other recipients of the Victoria Cross who were born in Liverpool and whose names appear around the base. Captain Chavasse, son of the second Bishop of Liverpool, was the only man to be awarded two Victoria Crosses during WW1 and died on 4 August 1917 of wounds received in Flanders. .....Erected by the Noel Chavasse VC Memorial Association 17 August 2008.’

Shíl mé go raibh sé ait gur roghnaigh siad suíomh os comhair doras na hInstitiúide, cé go raibh Gunner William Connolly VC (Bengal Artillery) 1857 agus Captain Paul Kenna VC (21st Lancers) 1898 ar an liosta ag bun na deilbhe.

Muintir Chavasse

Tar éis dúinn an leabhar Cesca’s Diary a léamh, bhí eolas curtha againn ar an sloinne neamhchoitianta Chevasse/Chavasse, mar bhí Cesca an-tógtha le Gaeilgeoir darbh ainm Claud Chevasse: ‘His ancestor Claude Chavasse (son of Claudius Chavasse, owner of vineyards at Dauphiné in France) came to England during the Jacobite Rising of 1715 and settled in Burford in Oxfordshire. Son of an Oxford professor, he heard talk of the Irish movement at home, read Celtic studies at Oxford, and with Scottish students visited the West of Ireland to learn Irish. He wore a kilt, spoke excellent Irish with an educated English accent, and eventually lived at Ross House in Galway...” (Cesca’s Diary Lch 25)

Nuair a léigh muid leabhar Chavasse, ‘Double VC’ le Ann Clayton, fuair muid amach gur rugadh Noel, agus a leathchúpla Christopher in Oxford i 1884.”....descended from a French Roman Catholic who had arrived in England during the early years of the eighteenth century and involved himself in the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion. Within two generations the family had converted to Protestantism”

Ba léir mar sin go raibh siad uilig gaolta lena chéile, agus tar éis roinnt bheag taighde scríobh Ian chugam: ‘Have since found out that Cesca’s friend Claud Chevasse WAS a distant cousin of Liverpool’s Noel Chavasse VC......They were more or less the same age. Both had ‘Oxford’ backgrounds and were a bit posh!’

Ba é an rud ba shuimiúla faoin cheangal seo, ná ba léir ó dhialann Cesca go raibh Claude Chevasse ina phoblachtánach. Cé go raibh sise ina ball de Chumann na mBan, níor aontaigh sí leis an Éirí Amach agus níor glac sí páirt ann. Ach cad é faoi Claude ?

Saoradh

Mar fíorstaraí, nior stad Ian McKeane go dtí go fuair sé an freagra. Agus anuraidh chuir sé liosta chugam ó the Weekly Irish Times Sinn Féin Rebellion Handbook (1917) leathanach 17: ‘Names of Prisoners Released, up to 12th May (1916) The military authorities on Wednesday, 24 May, announced that after fully investigating the cases of the following men they were released.”.........ina measc: Chavasse, Claude, Dublin.

“My feeling is that Claude was released as he was considered by all who knew him as being wildly eccentric and not to be taken too seriously..... Also the Chavasse family had strong military and ecclesiastical (Anglican) connections which could well have helped in getting him quietly released. Also the Dublin military courts-martial were quite arbitrary so his release would have been easy to fix even if he had been tried,” a scríobh Ian chugam.

Tá a lán léaráidí de Claude Chevasse sa leabhar Cesca’s Diary- nach mbeadh sé oiriúnach cóip de cheann acu a chur ar an bhalla san Institiúid i gcuimhne Ian McKeane agus chun cothrom na Féine a thabhairt do gach géag ginealaigh mhuintir Chvasse?

Cúnamh Meyer leis an Chéasar

Is ceist chonspóideach, ealaín agus Éire in Ollscoil Learphoill. Rinne Augustus John portráid daite ola den Ollamh Léinn Ceilteach Kuno Meyer i 1911. Mar a dúirt Seán Ó Lúing ina a bheathaisnéis, ‘His portrait by John which hung in the University Club was threatened with destruction by irate members and was removed to the cellar (1914).....On 26 January 1915 the University Senate resolved : That the Senate desire to place on record their strong condemnation of the action of Dr. Kuno Meyer, lately a Professor of the University and indebted to our country for hospitality and honour during a period of thirty years, in acting as an agent of sedition and in imputing treason to loyal Irish soldiers now prisoners in Germany.”

Tá an piciúir i nDanlánn Naisiunta na hÉireann anois.

Bhí neart Éireannach i Learpholl a d’aontaigh le Kuno Meyer agus throid siad in Éirí Amach na Cásca. Sin é an t-ábhar sa leabhar a bhí Ian McKeane ag scríobh nuair a fuair sé bás agus a bhí le teacht amach roimh 2016. Tá súil againn go críochnóidh staraí eile é go luath.

Ag imeacht as an séipéal tar éis an tórraimh, thug mé faoi deara an leacht, a tógadh i 1922, os cionn an doras: ‘These buildings were erected to the glory of god and in memory of the brave men of our congregation who made the great sacrifice in the war for freedom 1914-1919’.

Tá neart cor agus castaí sa stair !

Ian McKeane 1944-2010 Grásta ó Dhia ar a anam