>From The Kingdom Newspaper June 2007 Proud community to commemorate death of freedom fighter By: Derry Murphy THE parish of Lispole is to commemorate the death of one of its most famous sons, the patriot Tom·s Ashe, whose 80th anniversary will occur on September 15 next. A local committee has been established to commemorate the death of the proud republican who died on hunger strike in 1917. Ashe was born in Kinard, Lispole and was the sixth in a family of three daughters and six sons. He attended the local Ardomore National School when the one-roomed building catered for 350 children. Having completed his national schooling successful-ly, he was appointed as monitor in the local school and the training course lasted for five years and he was later selected to attend De La Salle Training College in Waterford were he became active in the Gaelic League and the GAA. On completion of his two-year training course, Ashe was appointed assistant teacher in Minard Castle School in his native parish and a year later he became principal of Corduff National School in Lusk, Co Dublin. He joined the Irish Volunteers and was to play a major role in the 1916 rising as Commandant of the Fifth Battalion. He was imprisoned in Kilmainham to await court-martial. He was later sentenced to death but the sentence was later reduced to one of penal servitude for life. After a term on hunger strike, Ashe, de Valera and Thomas Hunter were released in June 1917 by order of Prime Minister Lloyd George. He was re-arrested two months later and transferred to the Curragh Military Camp before being transferred to Mountjoy. When his demand for republican prisoner status was refused. Ashe again went on hunger strike on 20 September 1917. His condition quickly deteriorated and he was transferred to Mater Hospital in Dublin where he died on Tuesday, September 25. He was laid to rest in Glasnevin Cemetery after tens of thousands of people had travelled from all part of the country to pay their respects to the great freedom fighter when his remains lay in state at City Hall.