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The
O.N.E.
Memorial
Monument
is located near the main entrance of the Church in Casement
Aerodrome, Baldonnel. It is a prominent edifice to the
memory of the deceased personnel who have served with the
Air Corps.
In 1987 the
Roger Casement Branch of O.N.E. decided to erect an
appropriate memorial to deceased former colleagues.
Permission for the project was granted by the then GOC Air
Corps, Brig. General B. McMahon.
In 1989 the
late Jack Lynch, Branch Chairman at the time and the late
Kevin Whelan, Branch Secretary spearheaded the project.
With trojan work by the committee and the members of the
Branch, sufficient funds were raised and so it was decided
to proceed with the construction of the Monument. Col. K.
Hogan provided invaluable support to the project.
The sculptor
Joe Sloan was engaged to provide expert guidance and to
design the monument. The stone used is granite which was
quarried in the
Dublin
mountains.
The centre
piece of the Memorial is in the form of a Roman Cross. The
surface area surrounding the Cross and the pathways is
covered with Liscannor Stone. Four pillars placed
equidistant from the centre represent the four provinces.
The general area around the monument is landscaped.
On a warm day
in July 1992 President Mary Robinson unveiled the Memorial
in the presence of a large group which included the
National President of O.N.E. Pat Dunleavy, the Chairman of
the Roger Casement Branch Jim Conway, the Chief of Staff
PDF, Maj. Gen. L. Bergin, Brig. Gen. P. Cranfield GOC Air
Corps, members of the Diplomatic Services, representatives
from the Civil Service and local politicians. A large
number of present and former members who served with the
Air Corps and their families were also in attendance.
Each year on
the second Sunday in October at the Roger Casement Branch
annual Mass of Remembrance a wreath is laid at the Memorial
by the Chairman of the Branch accompanied by the GOC Air
Corps.

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