Centenary of prisoners of war departure from Oldcastle to be marked

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the closing of the Prisioner-of-War Camp in Oldcastle and to commemorate the occasion Moylagh Historical Society will this Sunday re-create the scene as the internees left the camp. Having spent anything up to four years in the former workhouse turned POW Camp, the German and Austrian internees were marched to Oldcastle Railway Station where they commenced their journey to the Isle of Man for a further period of internment.
On Sunday 1st July local people will assemble at the Oldcastle Library and walk the route through the town. Over the course of the event there will be readings by Myles Dungan, Carlo Gebler and Tom French. Historian Myles Dungan will read newspaper accounts of the prisoners leaving Oldcastle and on their arrival to the much harsher conditions at the Isle of Man. Author Carlo Gebler will speak about how it affected families of prisoners. Poet Tom French will read from the commemorative publication ‘Oldcastle Camp 1914-1918: An Illustrated History’ which will be launched at the cinema and will be available for sale.
Descendants of eight families who had relatives interned in the camp during the First World War will attend and anyone wishing to participate in this commemorative walk is invited to assemble at Oldcastle Library at 3.30pm on Sunday 1st July. People dressed in clothing from the period are especially welcome. There will be music and refreshment afterwards in the old cinema.
For further information about the re-enactment event, contact Moylagh Historical Society Chairman Malachy Hand 087 967 2435. Further information about the book ‘Oldcastle Camp 1914-1918: An Illustrated History’ contact Tom French at Navan Library on (046) 902 1134.