Mayo to honour Private Billy Kedian on 25th anniversary of his death
TWENTY-FIVE years after his death on peacekeeping duties in Lebanon, Private Billy Kedian is to be honoured in his native Ballyhaunis.
Mayo councillors have offered full support for a memorial which is to be unveiled in May 2024.
Elected representatives heard of Pte. Kedian's bravery in saving the lives of colleagues in an emotional address delivered by a man who was in Lebanon on the day he was killed, aged 21.
Billy's sisters, Mary and Ann, were also present in the council chamber yesterday when retired Sergeant Liam Carty described how, on May 31, 1999, the peacekeepers came under fire, with mortars lobbed at their post.
Billy, who had just been promoted, was not on duty but asked how he could assist and set to work getting the men into a bunker for safety.
The last three men were going in, with Pte. Kedian at the rear, when a second round landed and he was killed.
He saved 14 men that morning, Rtd. Sgt. Carty recalled. He gave his life for his comrades.
“It is time we stood up and honoured our service men and women for their bravery,” he added.
Cathaoirleach Councillor Seamus Weir said it was past time for Private Billy Kedian to be recognised for his bravery. He had been asked in his capacity as chairman to put the item on the council agenda and was delighted to do that so that Pte. Kedian would be honoured.
Ballyhaunis Councillor John Cribben said Pte. Kedian's bravery should be acknowledged by the council and the State.
It should be mandatory that soldiers are honoured, he stated, and he wanted the council to write to the Department of Defence on that and for them to come on board.
The councillor recalled how Ballyhaunis had come to a standstill for Pte. Kedian's funeral back in 1999 and he hoped it would again stand still on May 31, 2024, to give this man the honour he deserves.
Plans for the day include the unveiling of a memorial near to where he was born.
The councillor recalled how he had previously put forward a motion calling for another Ballyhaunis man, Corporal Patrick ‘Bob’ Gallagher, US Navy, who died in the Vietnam War while saving the lives of three comrades, to be honoured.
In 18 months from now, a US Navy Destroyer, named in his honour, will be on the seas - a ship referred to by President Joe Biden on his recent visit to the county.
Councillor Neil Cruise, a native of Ballyhaunis, recalled the dark cloud of sadness when news broke of Pte. Kedian's death. The mood then changed to a deep sense of pride.
He was one in a long line of people who had given their lives in the pursuit of peace that we all enjoy.
It was fitting there should be a proper memorial to him - a man who gave the ultimate sacrifice, as Councillor John Caulfield noted.
* A Friends of Private Billy Kedian group has been established by family, friends and neighbours of the late private.
They have identified a site for the memorial at the bridge at Kilmannin, on the Dalgan River. A suggestion has also been made to Mayo County Council to name the bridge at Kilmannin out the Private Billy Kedian Bridge.
Follow the Friends of Private Billy Kedian on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092099109628.