THE family of Margaret Keane (above), the deceased whose headstone has caused a controversy over the Church of England’s rejection of an Irish language inscription, has launched a gofundme page in her honour, which has already more than doubled its initial £1000 target.
The Keane family hopes that despite the unfortunate situation which has emerged followed the Church of England’s stance something positive may yet come from the focus on their mother.
An active member of the Irish community throughout her life in Britain, it is hoped that funds raised through the crowdfunding campaign can be used to help benefit young GAA members in Coventry while studying the impact such decisions have on ethnic minority communities and exploring the possibility of a legal challenge.
The headstone inscription was rejected by the Diocese of Coventry on the grounds that the simple phrase could be regarded as a political statement if rendered in the Irish language.
“Given the passions and feelings connected with the use of Irish Gaelic there is a sad risk that the phrase would be regarded as some form of slogan or that its inclusion without translation would of itself be seen as a political statement,” the Diocese of Coventry said.
The phrase, ‘in ár gcroíthe go deo,’ means ‘in our hearts forever.’
“We have decided to set up the Margaret Keane Memorial Fund to honour her life and to ensure that, after the battle we have endured to try to make a final statement of love to her, lessons are learned and other grieving families are not put through this,” the family said. “All funds raised will go to three things of particular importance to Margaret and our family.”
The local GAA club, Roger Casements, lead regular trips to Ireland, and it is hoped that a portion of the funds raised will be used to help meet the cost of bringing young members of the GAA across the Irish Sea to play.
To donate, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/6qnk8-margaret-keane-memorial-fund
dan@theirishvoice.com
