Construction Phase of County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden Completed

Photo: @CarlBrennan

On May 24th 2022 the construction phase of The County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden was completed. Lest Sligo Forgets, the steering committee who developed the project were delighted to transfer the memorial fully into the care and ownership of our project partners Sligo County Council.

LSF gratefully acknowledges our Lead Funding Partners: European Union’s Programme for Peace and Reconciliation (PEACE IV), Sligo Local Community Development Committee (LCDC), Atlantic Technical University, Sligo Tourist Development Association, Sligo County Council’s Decade of Centenaries Programme (Supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture , Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012 - 2023 initiative), The British Legion Republic of Ireland Fund and Hamilton Young Architects.

The project also received significant sponsorship and benefactor contributions from supporters in County Sligo and from around the globe. All Sponsors along side hundreds of personal Name Benefactors of the project are listed here, on our Benefactors Page.

Details of the official opening ceremony for the memorial garden will soon be announced

Photos @CarBrennan

County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden

Project Partners

The Lights Are on! We are almost there!

Sometimes it’s the smallest things that can mean so much. Today was replete with lots of small details that indicate we are getting close now to completion. And as the evening drew in the automatic lighting around the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden … it was a special moment for us all.

More of those affirming details, when the decorative gravel is laid over the foundation works.

Corten Steel Gate and Information Podium. Further Key Developments at the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden.

Above: Corten Steel gateway panel that introduces the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden to its visitors was placed today.

Below: Corten Steel Information Podium is now in place as well. This will carry information informing visitors about the history of County Sligo’s involvement in The Great War 1914 - 1918 as well as the development of the Memorial Garden.

And of course we are thrilled to see the the pathways up to the garden now fully laid with tar macadam.

With much of the structural work now complete the sentinel stones which form the centrepiece of the memorial garden have been unwrapped from their protective sheets and are being given a final burnishing

Sculpted Threshold Paving by Martha Quinn is placed

Another significant week in the creation of the County Sligo Great Wart Memorial Garden as the contractors work with Sligo sculptor Martha Quinn placing the individually carved limestone tiles formed around the sentinel stones.

Martha Quinn also sculpted the pill seats featured around the memorial garden, which are carved with the same water and wave features.

The limestone floor of the memorial was carved at Martha Quinns studio. Here are the limestone floor panels arriving on-site

“Memory laid down like bedrock, the lives of those going before us echoing like waves, rolling through time and place, countering the landscape of our endless now. “ - Quotation from sculptor Martha Quinn concerning her work on the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden.

Significant Milestone in the Development of The County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden

THE SENTINEL STONES ARE PLACED

March 30th 2022: Today was a truly significant day in the development of the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden. The eight sentinel stones carrying 621 names of people lost to Sligo during The Great War 1914 - 1918 were put in place.

If you would like to support the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden please consider becoming a Personal Name Benefactor for one of the 621 names that will be inscribed on the garden Sentinel stones

Stunning Drone Footage of The County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden work in progress.

We are thrilled to bring to all those following our construction blog, this stunning drone footage of progress to date on the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden.

The footprint of the garden and how it is beautifully set in its Cleveragh Road site in Sligo town is revealed.

A massive thank you to Joe Hunt, videographer and multi-media designer who created the footage for us. It is an absolute delight to have it, to show everyone how the work is progressing and for the archives as this piece of Sligo history is taking shape.

If you would like to support the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden please consider becoming a Personal Name Benefactor for one of the 621 names that will be inscribed on the garden Sentinel stones

Site ground work now well advanced on the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden

As the foundations settled throughout week 4 of of construction work, the contractors were able to fully shape and sculpt the surrounding pathways and the Memorial Garden site. Its is wonderful to see the full sweep of the Garden and memorial embedded in its serene setting.

Very short clip of the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden on week 4 of the construction.

Click on the button below to become a name benefactor for someone named on the sentinel stones of The County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden.

The foundations are poured and pathways set for The County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden

Pictured Above: The footprint for the heart of the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden is in place following the good weather this week. These are the foundations for the structures that will carry the eight Kilkenny Limestone Sentinels bearing the names of those lost to Sligo during The Great War 1914 - 1918.

Pictured Below: On a sunny Friday afternoon you can really begin to get a feel for how the memorial garden is going to be contained by the sculpted banks around it.

Foundations for the pathway. This is looking down from the memorial garden.

This view is the pathway leading up to the memorial garden.

Support the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden Campaign

Ground Preparations Continuing on Sligo's Great War Memorial Garden

The foundational work starting to take shape after two weeks of site clearance.

It was a great pleasure during the week to have our first on-site construction meeting with our partners Sligo County Council our design architects Hamilton Young Architects, and the construction contractors Feely Stone.

On site meeting as work advances on The County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden. L-R Michael McGinty Senior Executive Architect Sligo County Council, Barry Cannon of Hamilton Young Architects, Memorial Garden lead architectural designers, Simone Hickey Secretary of LSF, Cllr Paul Taylor Cathaoirleach, Sligo County Council, Tommy Higgins Chairman LSF and Shane Feely of Feely Stone.

Getting ready for the foundations

The path up to the memorial

Support the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden Campaign

Site Work Begins on the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden

On-Site construction of The County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden commences

We are delighted to announce that from February 7th 2022, ground works have commenced on the site of the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden at Cleveragh, Sligo.

While the sentinel stones, carrying the names of those lost to Sligo during The Great War 1914 - 1918 were completed in 2020, the global Covid 19 pandemic caused the deferral of construction work on the site.

We would like to sincerely thank all of our supporters, our development partners, our benefactors and patrons for the generosity, patience and understanding they have shown the project throughout these delays.

All of us engaged in the project are truly delighted that the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden will be now be completed over the coming few months. Please stay tuned to this page for further updates and information.

Pathway ascending to the garden being prepared

Looking east from the site

County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden Construction Update.

Thanks to Feelystone in Boyle for forwarding more encouraging photographs of the main stones for the memorial garden under construction. These are of the preparation work on the fourth and fifth stone.

Stone four includes the towns / town lands of Keash, Kilfree. Kilglass, Kilmacowen, Lissadell, Monasteraden, and Mullinabreena on one side (34 names) with Riverstown, Rosses Point and Skreen/Dromard on the second side (48 names)

Stone five carries the last of the towns and townlands outside the borough boundary on one side. These are Sooey, Strandhill, Templeboy, Tourlestrane and Tubbercurry (40 names). Side two carries the first of the Borough areas, Sligo Town North East, which carries 28 names.

Please do consider becoming an on-line Name Benefactor for one of those names on these panels from today and ur earlier construction updates by visiting the site and following the Name Benefactor steps.

Help complete this wonderful memorial to the highest possible standards by becoming a Name Benefactor.

Becoming a Name Benefactor is a sincere and generous way for families and individuals to acknowledge and recognise someone lost to our County in this world wide conflict over 100 years ago.

Becoming a Name Benefactor costs €50.

  • Choose a name from the Memorial Names Page Click Here This could be a family member or someone from your community, or a simply random choice of a name that has no Benefactor so far.

  • Follow a couple of short Name Benefactor steps . Click Here

  • We will associate your support with the name you have chosen on our Name Benefactors Page.

Stone four ready for the name templates to be applied.

The template for inscribing the names is applied.

First of the Sligo Borough areas. These names will appear on the far side of the Sooey - Tubbercurry stone face

In for deep sandblasting.

Three of the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden Centrepiece Stones Completed

Sligo World War One Memorial Garden Work in progress

Thrilled to bring you some more wonderful progress pictures from our main contractor Feely Stone in Boyle Co Roscommon

Stone one includes the towns / town lands of Achonry, Aclare, Ballinafad / Castlebaldwin, Ballinfull, Ballintogher / Ballygawley and Ballisodare on one side (33 names) with Ballymote represented on its own on the second side (54 names).

The second stone will carry the names of Sligo's Great War dead from Bunninadden, Calry, Carney and Cashelgarron/Ballintrillick on one side (41 names), with Castleconnor, Cliffoney / Mullaghmore, Cloghboley and Cloonacool on the other side (34 names),

Stone three will carry names of Sligo's Great War dead from Collooney, Coolaney, Culleens, Curry and Drumcliffe on one side (54 names) with Easkey, Enniscrone, Geevagh, Grange and Gurteen on the other side (39 names).

Help complete this wonderful memorial to the highest possible standards by becoming a Name Benefactor at this crucial time.

Becoming a Name Benefactor is a sincere and generous way for families and individuals to acknowledge and recognise someone lost to our County in this world wide conflict over 100 years ago.

Becoming a Name Benefactor costs €50.

  • Choose a name from the Memorial Names Page Click Here This could be a family member or someone from your community, or a simply random choice of a name that has no Benefactor so far.

  • Follow a couple of short Name Benefactor steps . Click Here

  • We will associate your support with the name you have chosen on our Name Benefactors Page.

Sentinel Stones Work In Progress

It’s so heartening to receive these pictures from our main Contractors Feely Stone in Boyle Co Roscommon. These are of the main sentinel stones in their early stages of being masked, polished and carved with the individual names of all those known to have been lost to Sligo in The Great War.

Help complete this wonderful memorial to the highest possible standards by becoming a Name Benefactor at this crucial time.

Becoming a Name Benefactor is a sincere and generous way for families and individuals to acknowledge and recognise someone lost to our County in this world wide conflict over 100 years ago.

Becoming a Name Benefactor costs €50.

  • Choose a name from the Memorial Names Page Click Here This could be a family member or someone from your community, or a simply random choice of a name that has no Benefactor so far.

  • Follow a couple of short Name Benefactor steps . Click Here

  • We will associate your support with the name you have chosen on our Name Benefactors Page.

Arrival of the Sentinel Stones

This week the LSF Committee members visited Feelystone Boyle Ltd who are the construction contractors undertaking the building work for the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden.

We were delighted to see first hand the beautiful slabs of Kilkenny Marble that are being used in the creation of the memorial.

Sentinel Stones in Feelys Sept 14th 2020.JPG
l-R Shane Feely of Feely Stone LTD, Tommy Higgins LSF Chairman and David Lawlor LSF Memorial Garden Designer with four of the beautiful limestone slabs that will comprise the centre piece of the garden.

l-R Shane Feely of Feely Stone LTD, Tommy Higgins LSF Chairman and David Lawlor LSF Memorial Garden Designer with four of the beautiful limestone slabs that will comprise the centre piece of the garden.

Help compete the County Sligo Great War Memorial Garden by becoming one of our Benefactors.