Shock And Anger As 1798 Rebellion Monument Smashed In Bray

The 1798 monument which was erected in 1998 to mark the bicentenary of the 1798 rebellion was smashed on Saturday night into Sunday morning.

Expressing his shock and anger Deputy John Brady said

“The monument on Castle Street in Bray was erected in 1998 to commemorate the bicentenary of the 1798 rebellion and to commemorate the leading role that the Wicklow United Irishmen played in the rebellion and those such as Michael Dwyer who held out in the Wicklow mountains against the British until 1803, and to remember all the Wicklow men, women and children that suffered in the insurrection.

“When I was informed early on Sunday morning that the monument had been smashed overnight, I was shocked and angry.

“In 1998 a local committee fundraised extensively to erect the monument on Castle Street to mark the bicentenary of the rebellion.  

“It’s hard to know why anyone would willingly attack and destroy an important part of our history and heritage.

The damage to the monument was done in the small hours of Sunday morning, it has been reported to the Gardaí, if anyone has any information relating to the incident, please contact myself, Cllr Dermot ‘Daisy’ O’Brien, or the Gardaí.

“The heroism of the United Irishmen in 1798 and those that lost their lives in Wicklow will always be remembered. I am absolutely confident that the people of Bray and Wicklow will rally to get a monument re-erected as soon as possible to remember all the Wicklow men, women and children who suffered and died in the insurrection of 1798-1803.”

Current Cathaoirleach of Bray Municipal District, Sinn Féin Cllr Dermot ‘Daisy’ O'Brien, was shocked at the news of damage to the 1798 monument.

“This was not the type of Sunday morning phone call you’d expect when a member of the original committee rings to let you know that the monument had been badly damaged overnight and discovered by himself at 8am in the morning as he drove by the location on Castle Street. Huge credit to Chick Reagan and others who sealed off the site and removed a broken section of the monument for safety reasons before contacting ourselves.

“It was hard to discern the cause of the damage but as we stood there so many people stopped to chat and express their own shock and dismay at the possibility that someone might destroy this part of our history in an act of vandalism?!

“An Garda Siochana has been notified and Bray Municipal District has also been informed. While the investigation into how it happened runs its course, we will be exploring all the options for how we can restore this important memorial which is a piece of our history and heritage.”