RENOWNED Fermanagh actor, Adrian Dunbar, is taking part in a special concert in Enniskillen tonight (Thursday) celebrating the life of a First World War poet who served with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.

The Line of Duty star will draw the event in memory of Francis Ledwidge to a close by reading a poem by Seamus Heaney.

Ledwidge was born in Slane, County Meath in 1887. He was the son of a farm labourer and worked in the local copper mines.

In his early years, the Meath man was a keen sportsman and amateur actor, and began writing poetry where he found an influential local patron, Lord Dunsany.

Ledwidge and his brother were founder members of the Slane corps of the nationalist Irish Volunteers.

A particular friend was a fellow poet, Thomas McDonagh, one of the seven leaders of the Easter Rising in Dublin.

When the First World War broke out, Francis joined the army, saying: “I joined the British army because she stood between Ireland and an enemy common to our civilisation, and I would not have her say that she defended us while we did nothing at home but pass resolutions.”

Ledwidge served with the 5th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in Gallipoli and Macedonia in 1915. In early 1916 he was invalided home, and during this time McDonagh was executed for his part in the Easter Rising.

On recovering, Ledwidge served for a time in Ebrington Barracks, Londonderry before being posted to the 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in Belgium, with the rank of Lance Corporal.

On July 31, 1917, while on a working party near Ypres, he was killed by a shell.

‘Ledwidge; Soldier, Poet’ will be a celebratory concert reflecting on Ledwidge’s life and death as a soldier through readings of his poetry and recitals of music inspired by his words.

The evening concert will start at 7.30pm tonight in St Macartin’s Cathedral, Enniskillen, the home of the Inniskillings Regimental Chapel, and conclude across the street in St Michael’s Church.

Where possible, the performers will be Inniskillings, their descendants or young people from the local area.

The concert will be in two parts; the first will review Ledwidge’s career as a soldier and the second will consider how his military service influenced his poetry.

The narrator will introduce readings of Ledwidge’s poetry, recitals of musical settings of his work by Head and Gurney, musical settings of poetry which influenced him such as WB Yeats and Thomas Moore, and short talks about his military career.

The renowned actor and director, Adrian Dunbar, will draw the evening to a close by reading Seamus Heaney’s emotive poem ‘In Memoriam - Francis Ledwidge’.

John Graham, Inniskillings Museum Trustee and event co-ordinator, said: “Ledwidge’s story and poetry is as inspiring today as it was 100 years ago when he was killed in Flanders.”

Tickets for the concert are free but numbers are strictly limited and may be requested from the Inniskillings Museum by telephoning (028) 66323142.