Addergoole Titanic Society's shipshape Centenary Plans for April 2012

Preparation in Lahardane village for the centenary commemoration of the sinking of RMS Titanic at 2.20am on 15th April 1912 after hitting an iceberg has been hectic.

Mayo County Council is erecting new “Titanic Village of Ireland” signage in Lahardane village; and has provided the Addergoole Titanic Society with a grant of 10,000 euro.

Visitor numbers to our website www.mayo-titanic.com have increased exponentially in the past year, especially visitors from Ireland, USA and UK and worldwide.

A beautiful, Titanic-themed, stain glass window will be installed in St Patrick’s Church, thanks to donations from USA relatives of the Addergoole Fourteen.

A limited edition book, ‘The Addergoole Titanic Story’ was published last November. Copies are available through the website. GMTV is researching a documentary film on the ‘Addergoole Fourteen’. Addergoole Titanic Society speakers have given talks to many interested audiences in Ireland and memorable trips were made to the Belfast Titanic Society, the Boston Mayo Association, and the Manchester Irish Festival.

An Post recently informed the Society that our stamp suggestion for the 2012 Programme of Special and Commemorative Stamps is among those that have received final Government approval. In our submission the Addergoole Fourteen are depicted standing on Scots Quay, Queenstown eagerly awaiting a tender to board RMS Titanic.

Through fundraising activities like the Mayo Titanic Time Capsule, we secured matched funding for a Memorial Park to be completed in time for next year's 100th Anniversary Cultural Week and the [b]Mayo Titanic Ball, 8th – 15th April 2012.

Dr Paul Nolan, Chairman of the Addergoole Titanic Society, said;
“Titanic was launched in Belfast and the last port of call was Cobh. When it sank the largest European passenger loss from a small locality was from Addergoole Parish. It is only right that we strive to take our place alongside the great Titanic cities, including Southampton, Cherbourg, Halifax and New York. Ours is a very sad human story, still remembered here."

Visit Lahardane for our Titanic cultural week in April 2012.