Francis Ledwidge Society chairman’s Award of Excellence

THE Chairman of the Inchicore Francis Ledwidge Society, Liam O’Meara was honoured with the Award of Excellence by the Pakistan Overseas Community Ireland at their annual Mela Celebrations in Tallaght.

President of POC Ireland Rana Usman Ajmal, alongside Dublin Lord Mayor Daryl Barron, presented Liam with the award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to local history, community integration, and the preservation of our cultural heritage.

Liam was nominated by Councillor Ammar Ali for his dedication to ensuring that local history remains accessible, inclusive, and a point of unity for all residents of Dublin and beyond.

The Inchicore Ledwidge Society, of which Liam is the Chairman, was first set up to keep alive the legacy of the World War One Meath poet Francis Ledwidge.

At the ceremony, which was held on Pakistan Independence Day, Liam spoke a few words in Urdu thanking the organisers for the award and wishing them a blessed Independence Day.

He went on to say that he was deeply honoured to receive this recognition from POC, saying:

“History and Poetry have a unique power to unite people across different backgrounds.”

He also noted the similarity of Pakistan’s struggle for independence from British colonialism and its legacy of partition.

The Inchicore Ledwidge Society entered its 31st year this year and continues to promote local literature, history and poetry through community events.

In 1997. the society’s chairman added 66 uncollected poems to the Ledwidge oeuvre, and since has published his prose, a biography, a play, and brought together in one volume the poems dealing with the 1916 Rising.

This volume, named “Dead Man’s Dreams,” was illustrated by Navan artist Sean Tiernan, nephew of Jackie Tiernan — the young man immortalised in the Ledwidge poem “A Little Boy in the Morning.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.