Top brass attend donation of Lieut-Gen O’Neill’s uniform
Comdt Enda McDonald, Comdt James Ledingham, Brig General Stephen Ryan and Comdt Jack Fahy at the reception in the Seven Oaks Hotel Photos: Paul Curran
ON 8 October, there was a reception in the Seven Oaks Hotel to formally mark the donation of Lieut-Gen Tadhg O’Neill’s DSM uniform to the Co Carlow Military Museum.
Lieut-Gen O’Neill, who was from Carlow town, entered the Defence Forces in 1946 and over the course of his 43-year career, he rose to be a lieutenant-general, which is the most senior rank. He completed tours of Lebanon and the Congo and worked extensively with the United Nations on several different peacekeeping initiatives. He retired from the Defence Forces in October 1989 and died in September 2009.
The reception was attended by his family, local politicians, including minister Jennifer Murnane O’Connor and deputy Catherine Callaghan, friends of the museum and many military personnel who had known and worked with Lieut-Gen O’Neill.
“I think we had four generals, four brigadier generals, two or three colonels, four or five captains, majors and commandants. A lot of them are still serving and some of them were ex-colleagues of his,” said museum curator Paul Maguire. “The whole thing went off well. It was very well attended. The Seven Oaks did a fantastic job – they pulled out all the stops and everyone had a great evening.”
The uniform was Lieut-Gen O’Neill’s last, which he wore in his most senior position. It will be the most senior uniform on display in the museum and will be part of the permanent collection of items on display.
Alongside the uniform, his family donated a number of presentation plaques that Lieut-Gen O’Neill was given over the years.
“We have presentation plaques from the President of Ireland, American army and British army,” Paul said.
Although Lieut-Gen O’Neill was born in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, he was brought up and educated in Carlow town, where he attended the Christian Brothers school. He then made his home in Carlow town, on Granby Row.
His family chose to donate the uniform and some other items relating to his career to the Co Carlow Military Museum instead of to other military museums that had expressed an interest out of recognition of his deep roots here.
Paul wished to thank all of those who attended the presentation and made the evening a “total success”.
The uniform will be on display until the museum closes for winter in mid-November and will be back on display when the museum reopens in mid-March.
