In Ballyhaunis, plans were laid for his homecoming but on the day he was due home they buried him instead. News of this local hero caused great excitement in Ireland. In February 1966, he returned to Ballyhaunis for three weeks but did not tell his family he had been drafted into the US Marines. He also campaigned for senator Robert Kennedy there in 1964. He got a job in property and started at law school. There was, he said, "a powerful and growing chorus of supporters from Ballyhaunis to Brooklyn who are for naming a United States Navy destroyer after the Vietnam war hero from Co Mayo, Cpl Patrick 'Bob' Gallagher, and I am proud today to add my voice to this very worthy cause."Ĭpl Gallagher was from Derrintogher, near Ballyhaunis, and in 1962 he went to stay with his aunt at Long Island, New York. He continued: “Cpl Gallagher’s breathtaking bravery and courage deserves to be memorialised and naming a navy ship after the Cpl Gallagher would be the perfect tribute to recognise this Irish-American hero on behalf of a people who have contributed so mightily to the greatness of our nation.”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |