Members of the Rosslare Harbour RNLI and memorial garden organising committee pictured at the laying of a wreath in memory of those lost at sea in the memorial gardens in Rosslare Harbour. Pic: Jim Campbell

THE NINTH annual Rosslare Harbour wreath-laying took place recently at the Memorial Park in the village, with a large crowd of local people and enthusiasts in attendance.

The memorial, which was built in 2006 and opened on the August Bank Holiday weekend of that year, centres around a stone monument cut in the shape of a wing of the Viscount which crashed at Tuskar Rock in 1968 and a laurel wreath was recently laid by the local committee and RNLI.

Environment committee secretary Vera Fox explained that every year since 2006, the committee has organised a service at the memorial before laying a wreath. Fr. Dermot Desmond was on hand to officiate for the event.

Ms. Fox said: “It’s an important occasion locally and there are plenty of people who have lost people at sea. It’s good that we can remember the people who put so much into our village, county and country. The monument commemorates all those who lost their lives on this corner of the island.”

She added that there were people who had lost family members over the years and it was nice for them to attend an event which remembered those people.

The stone monument includes different plaques for the various groups who have contributed to its maintenance since its building nine years ago. The park was nominated for a Pride of Ireland Award last year.