Our April talk was about a figure many are more familiar with after the 1916 Commemorations in Fingal last year as he was the leader of the Fingal Brigade, whose success at the Battle of Ashbourne was one of the few in 1916. But there was much more to Thomas Ashe’s life when he moved from Kerry to Fingal and taught in Corduff National School and founded the Black Raven Pipe Band as well as Round Towers GAA club.
This talk was presented by Brian Arnold, a native of Corduff, Lusk, where he attended Corduff National School. Ashe has a personal interest for Brian as in 1908 Thomas Ashe became a Principal of this small two room school, his first introduction to Corduff and Lusk. Brian is now the Chairperson of Lusk Community Council. The Community Council has highlighted the importance of Ashe in the community and on the national stage for many years and it is planning a series of events in 2017 to commemorate the legacy of Thomas Ashe. Brian designed an exhibition on The Life and Times of Thomas Ashe in 2010 and edited a special 1916 publication titled “Lusk and The 1916 Easter Rising”.
