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Dublin GAA county team praised for showing 'respect' at the Ulster Tower war memorial

Members of the Dublin senior football team visiting the Ulster Tower memorial in France.
Members of the Dublin senior football team visiting the Ulster Tower memorial in France. Members of the Dublin senior football team visiting the Ulster Tower memorial in France.

The Somme Association have praised members of the Dublin GAA county team who visited the war memorial museum at Thiepval Wood at the weekend and laid a wreath in memory of the Irish men who died in the First World War.

Around 20 members of the Dublin GAA including some of the senior football team visited the Ulster Memorial Tower on the site of the Battle of the Somme near Thiepval in France, and Thiepval Wood, from where the 36th Ulster Division launched the attack on the German lines on July 1, 1916.

The Ulster Memorial Tower was the first official memorial to be erected on the Western Front and was dedicated on November 1921.

The Tower is a replica of a well known Ulster landmark, Helen’s Tower, which stands on the Dufferin and Ava Estate at Clandeboye, Co Down

Thiepval Wood is the actual front line battle ground for the 36th Ulster Division, the original trenches have been carefully uncovered and are continually undergoing preservation.

The Connaught Cemetery is at the edge of the wood and is a popular attraction for people visiting the battlegrounds from Northern Ireland

The Somme Association, who look after and preserve the site posted pictures of the visit stating "Dublin Senior GAA Football Team visited the Ulster Tower and Thiepval Wood on Saturday to pay their respects".

The team were praised online for making the journey to the site with supporters praising them for showing "respect".