Calls for statue to be erected in honour of one of the ‘most significant politicians’ to come out of Wexford
Wexford PeopleCalls have been made for a commemorative structure to be erected in honour of one of “the most significant politicians” to have been produced by Co Wexford. Born in Tomcoole, James Ryan was involved in the Easter Rising in 1916 and was one of the last people to leave the GPO in Dublin as it came under attack from British forces.
Although he was subsequently elected as a Sinn Féin candidate in 1918 and attended the first meeting of Dáil Éireann in 1919, he eventually left the party to found Fianna Fáil with Éamon de Valera in 1926. James went on to serve in government for the next 39 years, holding ministerial positions in the departments of health, finance, and agriculture.
And, following the publication of a book entitled James Ryan and the Development of Independent Ireland, 1892–1970, Councillor Lisa McDonald has said it’s time James Ryan was properly honoured in his home county.
“He is one of the most significant politicians we have ever produced,” she said at the monthly meeting of the Rosslare Municipal District (RMD).
Accepting that James Ryan wasn’t technically from Wexford town, Cllr McDonald said the onus was still on the county’s biggest urban area to commemorate him.
“In the borough district they tend to commemorate politicians of a certain ilk but this man deserves a plaque, at the very least,” said the Fianna Fáil councillor. “If we can have a statue of Nicky Rackard, who was from Killane, in Selskar Square surely we can have something for a Tomcoole man in the town too.”