Historic Dale must be given a chance
TIME FOR A SERIOUS APPROACH TO GREAT AREA
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Wednesday March 10 2010
THEY were two distinctly different men. Today, they rest in places far apart. One, in the soil of the Somme in France, the other in the fields of Swaziland, amidst the rolling African hills.
But there was a time when the lanes and steps and majesty of the Dale were home for Francis Smith and Fr Pat Fleming.
Their stories give just a hint of the type of people this ancient part of Drogheda produced, an area now seriously in danger of being abandoned.
For an area so close to the bustling Scotch Hall centre - and the Dublin Road - it has been untouched in many respects, but has been ravaged by antisocial behaviour, from illegal dumping to graffiti at every turn.
But no matter what words are uttered to describe the decay, the hint of salvation can roar equally as strong, if the moral courage is there.
The place has an historic feel, probably the fact that Cromwell's forces came via here many centuries ago helps. But the problems are obvious. The potholed road is badly in need of repair. The abandoned shopping trolley rests at the side of the street. Litter is strewn about the mighty banks and the remnants of old, forgotten homes, now but overgrown ruins.
You pass the 101 Steps and Patrick's Well Steps and the splendour of Dale Brook Cottages and the little well up on the hill.
In the distance, the shape of the valley stretches on, overgrown, but a place where nature has dominated for so long.
But what of two of its famed sons?
In September 1916, young Francis Smith, a private in the Leinster Regiment, was serving in the Somme. Then, in the blink of an eye, his young life was over. A shell exploded next to him, killing him instantly. His commanding officer, Major Murphy of the 2nd Leinsters wrote to his grieving father, James, in The Dale, and spoke of the courage of his son.
Indeed, that courage would be relived not long after, when - at the local court - his father was presented with the DSM (Distinguished Service Medal) on behalf of his son. Francis had been involved in a selfless action of bravery prior to his death, carrying a wounded officer off the battlefield to a nearby trench.
Many words were uttered about Francis, with his father simply stating that he was proud he had died for 'King and Country'.
Today, Francis Smith is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial in France.
Cruelly, he wasn't the only man with Dale links not to come home from that conflict. Lance Corporal Patrick O'Brien was just 18 when he was killed in 1917, the son of Charles and Bridget O'Brien. Daniel Floody (25) and also the Leinster Regiment, died in 1918, and was married to Bridget Floody from The Dale.
Meanwhile, Fr Pat Fleming pioneered the education system in Swaziland in Africa. A Salesian Father, his work stands as a memorial to him. He died in 2008 at the age of 84.
The Dale will always be a special place. It deserves special care.
