Madam, - The recent discovery of human remains at Aughrim, believed to be the victims of the 1691 battle there (including decapitated skeletons), once more raises the question as to when this battlefield will be treated with the importance it deserves.
The late Prof G.A. Hayes McCoy, military historian, rated Aughrim as one of the three great battles in Irish history (the others being Clontarf and Kinsale). He further declared: "Aughrim, not the Boyne, was the decisive conflict of the Jacobite War."
On the Sunday evening of July 12th, 1691, the armies of William of Orange and James II met at Aughrim, three miles west of Ballinasloe. Their total forces were approximately 36,000. For both sides, it was a do or die effort. The story of the battle has been told many times. Within six hours, up to 9,000 were killed, even by today's standards an extraordinary carnage. Most of the casualties were among the Irish troops on the Jacobite side.
Aughrim rates internationally with Culloden, Gettysburg or Hastings; it was a defining battle which fixed the course of Irish history for more than 200 years. It was also a European encounter: six nations were represented there, each with its own agenda
A proper appraisal of the importance of Aughrim is essential. Of immediate urgency is the need for a substantial, high-visibility monument on or near the site, a commemorative park and user-friendly information. These things should have been provided long ago.
We owe it to ourselves and to our children to remember and learn from Aughrim. There are many historic sites in Ireland, but none to match the site of "Aughrim's Great Disaster". - Yours, etc,
MICHAEL J. KILGANNON, Woodlawn, Ballinasloe, Co Galway.