The application by the Trustee’s of the Inniskillings Museum in Enniskillen to remove the memorial which is presently located within the walls of St Lucia Barracks in Omagh has been described as an act of ’desecration’ by Omagh UUP Councillor Ross Hussey.  The application for planning consent came before Omagh District Council on Monday 2nd June 2008 and Councillor Hussey and his fellow UUP Councillor colleagues voiced their strong objections to the removal of the memorial from Omagh.  Highlighting the fact that Omagh District Council was also opposed to the removal of the memorial brought a comment from Councillor Barry McElDuff MLA of Sinn Fein that he wanted it recorded that he and his party were not objecting to the removal of the memorial and that the Ulster Unionist Party were stating a Unionist objection rather thn a Council one.  It is a matter of public record that this matter was debated in Omagh District Council some time ago and despite the best efforts of the Ulster Unionist Group within Council to have a Council policy of support for the retention of the memorial within St Lucia Barracks but this was blocked by SF amending the proposal to the memorail being kept in a ’safe location’.  ’Omagh is where this memorial belongs’ commented Councillor Hussey and I would add ’that those irish men named on the memorial were probably better irishmen than either Councillor McElDuff or I could claim to be.  Omagh was their last posting before they went off to overseas service and it is only right that the memorial remain in Omagh.

I appeal to the Trustee’s to abandon their plan to commit this act of sacreledge and leave this monument where it is.