His Memory Lives on 100 Years Later
On May 3rd Suffolk County unveiled a beautiful granite monument at the Cohanlan Court Complex. It commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Easter Irish Uprising that was the beginning of the end of English rule after centuries of oppression by the British.
Maureen Allen of Kings Park knows the history well, her beautiful home is reminiscent of an Irish cottage and it is filled with memorabilia from the uprising. Allen’s grandfather was killed one day before the English surrendered. His name and the others who perished because of the Easter Uprising appear on Suffolk’s monument. Suffolk is home to many of Irish decent, some statistics say just about 25% of residents have Irish roots.
Allen’s grandfather Ltn. Tomas Oh Allman (pronounced Ha-loon in Gaelic) was part of the 1st Battalion of the Dublin Brigade. “It was the beginning of the end of English rule and the country was eventually emancipated from England,” said Allen. “It was a Godsend for the Irish.”
The medal bestowed upon her grandfather’s family is within in a beautiful antique frame – it and the medal he won traveled by steamboat in a trunk that went along with the hero’s son through Ellis Island.
Allen’s own father also named Tomas came to America when he was nineteen. Her mother also came through Ellis Island and did throngs of Irish, Italian, Polish and German immigrants at that time period. The gallantry of serving one’s country’s followed the young Tomas Allen to America and he served in the National Guard.
When Allen shares her family history, like many Irish, it is with enormous pride. “My grandfather was shot by a sniper on April 28, 1916 a day before the surrender in the four courts,” she explained. She is enormously proud of her grandfather’s part in Irish history, despite his loss of life.
The late Tomas Allen was an only child as his mother died in childbirth. He worked as a shoemaker in Dublin. His own son Tomas, (Allen’s father) had four children, Maureen being one of them. Her parents met in an Irish enclave of the Bronx, at the turn of the 19th century and well into it, there were throngs of Irish enclaves. Today just a few exist.
Allen adored her father. “He died on his first trip back to Ireland in 1972,” she said.
Some can say it’s ironic, some can say it was fate, some will even say the Mother Land called him home.
Allen contributed to the non-profit set up to create the Suffolk County monument at the Cohanlan Complex. She says she is committed and always will be to preserving Irish history.
This week Suffolk County joined her in preserving that history – with Belfast born Legislator Kate Browning at the forefront and Chris Thompson as the lead of the 501 3 © set up to do so.
Many dignitaries showed to honor the famed Irish Uprising of 1916 including Allen. Allen says we as Irish must never forget those who fought – those who perished and those who began was the beginning of the end of English rule. The Easter Uprising of 1916 was the very beginning of Irish becoming its very own country, governed by itself.