Irish Days of Ororbia: A Cultural Bridge Between Navarre and Ireland

PAMPLONA, 30 (EUROPA PRESS)

The Irish Days of Ororbia, held between July 21 and 23, had the participation of 1,200 people, “a great reception and interest, exceeding public expectations”, according to the director of this initiative, David Alegría.

Alegría has valued this reception “very positively” and “more so if we take into account that it was a somewhat strange weekend, after Sanfermines, with holidays from the Santiago bridge, an electoral date”. Visitors from Pamplona, ​​towns in Cendea de Olza and other regions such as Valdizarbe and Etxauri have traveled to Ororbia. In addition, Irish people living in Navarra, the Basque Country, Aragon and La Rioja have attended.

Both Alegría and the Ororbia Council itself have made a “very satisfactory” balance and have therefore announced that they are already working on new proposals for a future edition.

During the three days of celebration, Ororbia has become the Irish ‘O’rorbia’, with a program of activities that has sought to bring the culture of this country closer through an encounter with history, music and gastronomy as protagonists.

A conference given by Francisco Javier Caspistegui Gorasurreta; a walk guided by David Alegría Suescun; harp and flute performance with Alicia Griffiths & Zuberoa Aznárez; folk music concert with The Eclectic Celtic Band; memorial act with the pipers John Stewart and Oriol Rebull; and Irish beer tasting.

In addition, it has been revealed who John Scannell Taylor was, an Irish soldier buried in this town 150 years ago. Scannell was a young law student at the University of Cork, in the south of Ireland, who died at the age of 24 in the battle of Ibero that took place on July 23, 1873, at the beginning of the Third Carlist War.

According to the chronicles, he launched himself heroically over the liberal defenses. He received three shots. In Ibero there were 9 Carlist deaths and 80 wounded and on the Liberal side, one dead and 8 wounded. At least three Carlist officers died, two artillerymen (Captain Domingo Nieves Ascanio and a lieutenant) and one infantryman, John Scannell Taylor. The Carlist wounded and dead were taken to the field hospital then operated by a newly created Red Cross and which was installed in Ororbia. The following day the Carlists led by the pretender Carlos VII himself entered Ibero triumphantly.

Scannell was buried in the Ororbia Cemetery. Alegría explained that “we have discovered that his last name is really Scannell and that the Ororbia stone is the only one that bears the Irish patronymic O ‘in front of it, precisely to reinforce his Irish identity and character.” “In Spain his death went completely unnoticed, but it mobilized the press in the United Kingdom, France and Germany. And we have also learned that he came with more Irish compatriots such as Joseph Smith Sheehan, William Nash Leader, James Casey and Francis O’Flynn, some veteran soldiers and each of them with a particular story”, he added.

In addition, as Alegría has pointed out, “we have learned that Scannell was from a wealthy family and with relations with Spain.” “His father was a director of the Cádiz Trasatlántica Company, and his mother belonged to a good Cork family. Family relations with General Lizarraga are also attributed to him. He was undoubtedly influenced by the deeply mobilized environment of the Ireland of his time. In his first fight, recently arrived in Navarra, he died. Although he has a mausoleum in his hometown, we know that his mortal remains are in Ororbia. A delegation from Ororbia left some flowers a couple of days ago in the cemetery from San José in the center of Cork”, he explained.

David Alegría has highlighted that “we have turned the renamed ‘O’rorbia’ into a small emerald island during these days, creating a cultural bridge between Navarre and Ireland as a springboard for future events”.

The organization has appreciated the support received from the Spanish ambassador to Ireland, Ion de la Riva, who participated in the presentation of the initiative to the media on June 12 in Ororbia. He also highlighted the presence of the honorary consul of Ireland in Bilbao, Rocco Caira, who spoke at the opening of the conference and read a letter from the Irish ambassador in Spain, Frank Smyth.

2023-07-30 16:21:09
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