A man who believes the dead deserve respect has created and erected a monument in memory of those who have been forgotten.
William Olaf Sorensen has created and erected a 58 foot cross as a monument to the forgotten dead buried in a site known as a pauper's graveyard at Carr's Hill in Cork.
They are the poor, the derelicts, buried on a hill overlooking the city in a cemetery for paupers, once known simply as Carr's Hole.
The overgrown site was not known to many as a graveyard, as there were no markings or separate graves. Many people were buried there.
Civil servant turned taxi man William Olaf Sorenson decided to honour their memory by putting a large cross on the site. He has fought a long, dedicated campaign to awaken public interest in the old, forgotten famine graveyards. No matter the cost he was determined that a cross should be put in place for the poor people. He managed to raise £350 from the people of Cork the overall price was £500.
William Olaf Sorenson built the cross entirely by himself in his own garden. Made from tubular steel it took eight months to complete. He is now planning a campaign to raise awareness for other forgotten graveyards as a mark of respect for the dead.
This episode of 'Newsbeat' was broadcast on 23 March 1966. The reporter is Bill O'Herlihy.
'Newsbeat' was a half-hour feature programme presented by Frank Hall and ran for seven years from September 1964 to June 1971. 'Newsbeat' went out from Monday to Friday on RTÉ television and reported on current affairs and issues of local interest from around Ireland. The final programme was broadcast on 11 June 1971.
