Proposal to honour Cumann na mBan in the name of Macroom's new bypass roundabout

Fianna Fáil councillor Gobnait Moynihan got a lot of support from colleagues when she asked that the roundabout at Coolcower be named in honour of Cumann na mBan. 

She said many women living in the Macroom area who joined Cumann na mBan between 1917 and 1921 smuggled guns for Volunteers under the famous Macroom Cloak.

“These women were an integral part of the battle for freedom, carrying dispatches, collecting funds, and providing support for the Volunteers,” said Ms Moynihan. 

“They took care of men on the run and helped heal the wounds. They also did valuable intelligence work on the enemy’s movements and helped save lives. Their names are rarely mentioned and not recorded in our history books.

My hope is naming the roundabout in honour of them will keep their memory alive. 

Fianna Fáil councillor Deirdre Kelly said: “This would be a fitting tribute to acknowledge their efforts.”

Fine Gael councillor Michael Creed said he had no problem with the motion but that it would be a good idea to put it out for public consultation. “But no matter what we call it, it will always be known [locally] as the Coolcower roundabout,” said Mr Creed.

Fianna Fáil councillor Gillian Coughlan said the men who took part in the struggle for freedom are being commemorated all the time, but the women are not.

Fianna Fáil councillor Gearóid Murphy said the motion was worthy and should be done, “as it’s very important as we are in the decade of commemorations.”

Fine Gael councillor Susan McCarthy, who chairs the county council’s commemorations committee, said: “The role of Cumann na mBan has been very much underplayed. 

We need to start recognising the role of these women at a very crucial point in our history. 

The council’s director of roads Pádraig Barrett said he believed any proposal should be put out for public consultation, while council chief executive Tim Lucey said TII will have to be consulted as it oversees the road.