PLANS are being drawn up to mark the 125th anniversary of the Armagh Rail Disaster, in which 88 people lost their lives.
And the Portadown Armagh Railway Society will be holding a public meeting next Tuesday, April 16, to seek opinions on the way ahead.
It is due to be held in the Market Place Theatre in Armagh at 8pm.
The meeting is to consider the plans of the Society and Armagh City and District Council to Commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the Armagh Railway Disaster.
There has been considerable interest in this forthcoming anniversary in June 2014. The disaster had a massive impact on Armagh, killing 88 of its citizens.
Many of the dead and injured were children, as the collision – on the outskirts of the city- involved a train carrying a Sunday School excursion to Warrenpoint.
The disaster featured in the recent BBC 2 series ‘Locomotion’ and included an interview with Daphne Weir, granddaughter of a survivor.
PARS is examining the following ideas and wants to hear your ideas on these and other suggestions:
A memorial provided by Armagh Council on the Malll; Commemoration events and dedication of memorial; a walking tour of the site of accident, former station, former hospital, St Mark’s Graveyard, Methodist Church and County Museum, with an ‘app’to give background information; Exhibition of the disaster, with photographs and background information to be held in June 2014; Reprinting and updating of Damian Woods book on the disaster; staging of a special play on the disaster; Parade of school children, led by a band to commemorate the event; Production of appropriate signage at the site; and the development of a walkway along the line of the former railway.
The public are urged to come along and take part in planning the commemoration of this significant event in Armagh’s history.
