For almost 95 years, Michael J Moffatt, who was killed in WW1, has lain in an unmarked grave in Co Leitrim but at a ceremony in his honour on Sunday, a headstone was finally unveiled thanks to the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Born in Cootehall, Co Roscommon, Michael Moffatt fought with the United States army and was killed in action in France on 18 October, 1918.

His body was originally buried in the Somme American Military Cemetery but his remains were later repatriated to Ireland in 1922 and buried in the family plot in Kiltoghert, Co Leitrim.

Michael Noone, of the American Legion in Ireland, and Michael Moffatt's nephew, Eamon Moffatt, were instrumental in organising a US military type headstone for Michael's grave.

The headstone was unveiled by Eamon Moffat at a ceremony which saw the American flag presented to his family and the sounding of The Last Post by a bugler.

Mr Noone, a US airforce veteran, said that in 1922 Michael was buried with little or no ceremony and definitely no honours rendered.

He said that no marker or headstone was erected to indicate that lying beneath was a gallant American soldier of the Great War but that has now been corrected.

Michael Moffatt was the fifth of 12 children of Peter and Eleanor Moffatt.

He emigrated to New York aged 23 and worked as a railroad conductor and later for Western Electric Company before he was drafted in August 1917.

He was part of Company "A", 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division of the US army and was killed less than a month before the Armistice was signed to end World War 1.