1916 is Unfinished Business
Below is a truly great and inspiring speech given by RSF Vice President, Des Dalton. Speaking at the Republican Plot in Crosstown cemetery in Wexford town on Easter Sunday March 23 the Vice President of Republican Sinn Féin said: “Irish Republicans gather at patriot graves and monuments throughout Ireland and abroad this weekend to mark the 92nd anniversary of the 1916 Rising. We do so to mark the heroism and sacrifice of the men and women of Easter Week who took on the might of the British Empire in order to vindicate Ireland’s right to nationhood. “We honour the heroic generation of Irish people who ensured the flame of nationality was not extinguished but rather in the words of Terence MacSwiney it became a living flame ‘scorching up hypocrisy, deceit, meanness, and lighting all brave hearts to high hope and achievement’. Writing about that heroic generation of 1913-23 Ernie O’Malley wrote; ‘a strange love was born that for some was never to die till they lay stiff on the hillside or in quicklime near a barrack wall’. “Not only did the 1916 Rising inspire hope and belief in the hearts of the Irish people but it shone like a beacon for oppressed and colonised people throughout the world struggling to throw of the yoke of imperialism. “But the importance 1916 lies not merely in its significance as an event in history, for we are not an historical society come only to look to the past, our perspective must be that of MacSwiney: “If we are to judge rightly, we must understand the present, draw from the past its lesson, and shape our plans for the future true to the principles that govern and inform every generation.” “We can only truly honour the men and women of 1916 by continuing the struggle to for the full freedom of Ireland, the Proclamation is in modern parlance our freedom charter, it provides the cornerstone of our movement the yardstick by which all Republicans must judge themselves. Whist Ireland remains partitioned and British rule remains 1916 is unfinished business. “In Co Wexford no recounting of the county’s proud record of resistance is necessary. The Republican Movement in Wexford can trace its roots back to the foundation of the Society of United Irishmen in 1791. When Ireland called the men and women of Wexford were never found wanting. From Vinegar “Hill to Edentubber Wexford Republicans ‘fought with heart and hand’ in each phase of the struggle for Irish freedom. “In 1798 and in 1916 Wexford was an outpost of the Republic, outside of Dublin the most notable actions in 1916 occurred in Wexford and Galway, for the first time since 1798 Enniscorthy was held by Irish forces for almost a week whilst Republican forces in Galway were led by a son of Wexford, Liam Mellows. Let the soil of Wexford rest lightly on the patriots buried here in noble Crosstown. “No amount of word play or political window dressing by the Provisionals or others can hide the fact that Ireland remains partitioned and in the Six Counties British law is enforced by British colonial police and British soldiers. This was spelt out by the outgoing General Officer Commanding British forces in the Six Counties, Lieut-Gen Nick Parker last August at the ending of the British army’s ‘Operation Banner’ when he made it clear that the scaling down of the British military presence in Ireland did not constitute a withdrawal: "Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom; we have barracks across the whole of the United Kingdom, we need to put our soldiers in those barracks and we will always do so." “Last week as reported in The Irish Times of March 18 the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair’s Chief of Staff Jonathan Powell said that from the beginning of talks with the Provisionals in December 1997 it was made clear to them that ‘there was no possibility of a united Ireland’. At the same meeting according to Powell Gerry Adams informed the British Prime Minister out of earshot of his own delegation that he could of course split the Provisional movement ‘any time we wanted him to, but that his aim was to carry them all along, and that he was at them persuading them every day’. In this Powell unsurprisingly said the British government were at one with him. “What all of this illustrates – apart from the abject nature of the Provisionals surrender – is that from the beginning this process has been about cementing British rule, reforming British rule, it was never about ending British rule. “The new mantra of the Provisionals now is the call for the transfer of ‘policing and justice powers’ to Stormont. It is reasonable to ask for what purpose? Will the Provisionals exercise such powers in the Six Counties just as Kevin O’Higgins and Gerry Boland did in the 26 Counties? Administering and policing British rule does not hasten its end but rather strengthens British rule in Ireland. “The recent comments by Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin that the Provisionals will serve as a “bulwark” against Republicans are telling. Speaking during the ‘Treaty debates’ in the Second Dáil in January 1922, Liam Mellows accurately forecast what the role of the Free State government would be: ‘The Government of the Free State will, with those who support it now liking it or not, eventually occupy the same relationship towards the Irish people as Dublin Castle does today, because it will be the barrier government between the British and the Irish people.’ “Today the Provisionals occupy a similar position; they have become a barrier or a bulwark between the Irish people and the British government. They are now part and parcel of the apparatus of British occupation in Ireland. Our message to Mr Ó Caoláin and his cohorts is simple, by administering and policing British rule you place yourself in opposition to the right of the Irish people to national freedom, in doing so you become an enemy of the Irish people. “Coupled with the strengthening of the institutions of British occupation is the drive to normalise British rule. We have witnessed the numerous events in recent months and years, the playing of GAA games involving British Crown force teams, the playing of the English national anthem in Croke Park, the visit of Anne Windsor to Croke Park, British warships in Dublin, Cork and Waterford, visits by the head of the British Colonial police Hugh Orde to Cork and Meath, Bertie Ahern’s address to the British houses of parliament at Westminster. Last week saw the Queen of England visit the Six Counties, in Armagh “she was greeted by a Republican Sinn Féin protest and the clear message, “British Royals not welcome while Britain holds the Six Counties”. All these events are part of an insidious campaign to condition the Irish people to accepting British rule as normal and acceptable, to draw a line under Irish history. Republican Sinn Féin has led the opposition to this normalisation and we must continue to be its spearhead, giving voice to that section of the Irish people who will never accept British rule in Ireland. “The way forward is clear is well charted; the enduring lesson of Irish history is that whilst British rule remains it will be resisted. Since 1921 there have been numerous agreements - most recently the Stormont Agreement signed ten years ago and the St Andrews Agreement – however none of these represent a settlement of the conflict between Britain and Ireland. Such a just and lasting settlement can only be brought about by a public British declaration of intent to withdraw from Ireland. “This would create the conditions necessary for the Irish people to begin a truly democratic process of building a New Ireland. Republican Sinn Féin propose in Towards A Peaceful Ireland the election of an All-Ireland Constituent Assembly, to such an assembly, Republican Sinn Féin – if elected – would bring EIRE NUA our programme for a four province federal Ireland, providing for real democracy at national, provincial, regional right down to local or community level. EIRE NUA provides the blueprint for real All-Ireland democracy for all of the Irish people, Protestant, Catholic and Dissenter. “As Irish Republicans we view the Irish struggle for freedom as part of the international anti-imperial and anti-colonial struggle, we note the upsurge of resistance to Chinese occupation by the people of Tibet and extend our solidarity, we also extend solidarity to all nations who struggle for the right to national independence, eg. The Basque Country, Brittany etc. Irish Republicans are internationalists; our cause is the cause of humanity. That is why we oppose the ongoing illegal Anglo/US occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and in particular the 26-Countystate’s complicity in these wars of conquest by allowing US warplanes and torture flights to use Irish airspace and Irish airports. “It is not sufficient to resist the old imperialism of Westminster without recognising the threat posed by the new imperialism of Brussels. The EU is fundamentally undemocratic, driven by the agenda of the big states such as Britain, France and Germany, its purpose is to draw the power of decision making away from the various states and nations, placing it in the hands of an unelected political elite. The Lisbon Treaty accelerates this; it is in reality an attempt to foist an EU constitution – a constitution rejected by the people of France and Holland in 2005 – on the people of Ireland and Europe by the backdoor “The Lisbon Treaty is a major step towards the creation of an undemocratic and militarised EU superstate. The recent deployment of 26-County troops in Chad, supporting a French colonial proxy war with China - who are propping up the regime in neighbouring Darfur - over oil reserves, highlights the nature of the military “tasks” that the 26-County state will be expected to perform. Almost 100 years after the First World War, is yet another generation of Irish people to be sacrificed on foreign battlefields in the interests of European capitalism and imperialism? Under the slogan defend Sovereignty – Neutrality – Democracy RSF will be campaigning for a NO vote in the 26-County referendum in June. “Our duty is clear, if we are serious about claiming the title deeds of the All-Ireland Republic, if we are not merely to pay lip service to the principles set out in the Proclamation we must mobilise, organise and give direction to those Irish people who are determined to resist British rule in Ireland. “Terence MacSwiney wrote that in Irish history each generation had been marked out as being either ‘the generation of living flame’ or ‘the generation of despair’ of his own generation he said ‘it is for us to decide – for the decision rests with us – whether we shall in our time merely mark time or write another luminous chapter in the splendid history of our race’. That is the decision which faces this generation in the Ireland of 2008, shall we bow to despair or shall we fan the flames of the living fire?” An Poblacht Abú!
Below is a truly great and inspiring speech given by RSF Vice President, Des Dalton. Speaking at the Republican Plot in Crosstown cemetery in Wexford town on Easter Sunday March 23 the Vice President of Republican Sinn Féin said: “Irish Republicans gather at patriot graves and monuments throughout Ireland and abroad this weekend to mark the 92nd anniversary of the 1916 Rising. We do so to mark the heroism and sacrifice of the men and women of Easter Week who took on the might of the British Empire in order to vindicate Ireland’s right to nationhood. “We honour the heroic generation of Irish people who ensured the flame of nationality was not extinguished but rather in the words of Terence MacSwiney it became a living flame ‘scorching up hypocrisy, deceit, meanness, and lighting all brave hearts to high hope and achievement’. Writing about that heroic generation of 1913-23 Ernie O’Malley wrote; ‘a strange love was born that for some was never to die till they lay stiff on the hillside or in quicklime near a barrack wall’. “Not only did the 1916 Rising inspire hope and belief in the hearts of the Irish people but it shone like a beacon for oppressed and colonised people throughout the world struggling to throw of the yoke of imperialism. “But the importance 1916 lies not merely in its significance as an event in history, for we are not an historical society come only to look to the past, our perspective must be that of MacSwiney: “If we are to judge rightly, we must understand the present, draw from the past its lesson, and shape our plans for the future true to the principles that govern and inform every generation.” “We can only truly honour the men and women of 1916 by continuing the struggle to for the full freedom of Ireland, the Proclamation is in modern parlance our freedom charter, it provides the cornerstone of our movement the yardstick by which all Republicans must judge themselves. Whist Ireland remains partitioned and British rule remains 1916 is unfinished business. “In Co Wexford no recounting of the county’s proud record of resistance is necessary. The Republican Movement in Wexford can trace its roots back to the foundation of the Society of United Irishmen in 1791. When Ireland called the men and women of Wexford were never found wanting. From Vinegar “Hill to Edentubber Wexford Republicans ‘fought with heart and hand’ in each phase of the struggle for Irish freedom. “In 1798 and in 1916 Wexford was an outpost of the Republic, outside of Dublin the most notable actions in 1916 occurred in Wexford and Galway, for the first time since 1798 Enniscorthy was held by Irish forces for almost a week whilst Republican forces in Galway were led by a son of Wexford, Liam Mellows. Let the soil of Wexford rest lightly on the patriots buried here in noble Crosstown. “No amount of word play or political window dressing by the Provisionals or others can hide the fact that Ireland remains partitioned and in the Six Counties British law is enforced by British colonial police and British soldiers. This was spelt out by the outgoing General Officer Commanding British forces in the Six Counties, Lieut-Gen Nick Parker last August at the ending of the British army’s ‘Operation Banner’ when he made it clear that the scaling down of the British military presence in Ireland did not constitute a withdrawal: "Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom; we have barracks across the whole of the United Kingdom, we need to put our soldiers in those barracks and we will always do so." “Last week as reported in The Irish Times of March 18 the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair’s Chief of Staff Jonathan Powell said that from the beginning of talks with the Provisionals in December 1997 it was made clear to them that ‘there was no possibility of a united Ireland’. At the same meeting according to Powell Gerry Adams informed the British Prime Minister out of earshot of his own delegation that he could of course split the Provisional movement ‘any time we wanted him to, but that his aim was to carry them all along, and that he was at them persuading them every day’. In this Powell unsurprisingly said the British government were at one with him. “What all of this illustrates – apart from the abject nature of the Provisionals surrender – is that from the beginning this process has been about cementing British rule, reforming British rule, it was never about ending British rule. “The new mantra of the Provisionals now is the call for the transfer of ‘policing and justice powers’ to Stormont. It is reasonable to ask for what purpose? Will the Provisionals exercise such powers in the Six Counties just as Kevin O’Higgins and Gerry Boland did in the 26 Counties? Administering and policing British rule does not hasten its end but rather strengthens British rule in Ireland. “The recent comments by Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin that the Provisionals will serve as a “bulwark” against Republicans are telling. Speaking during the ‘Treaty debates’ in the Second Dáil in January 1922, Liam Mellows accurately forecast what the role of the Free State government would be: ‘The Government of the Free State will, with those who support it now liking it or not, eventually occupy the same relationship towards the Irish people as Dublin Castle does today, because it will be the barrier government between the British and the Irish people.’ “Today the Provisionals occupy a similar position; they have become a barrier or a bulwark between the Irish people and the British government. They are now part and parcel of the apparatus of British occupation in Ireland. Our message to Mr Ó Caoláin and his cohorts is simple, by administering and policing British rule you place yourself in opposition to the right of the Irish people to national freedom, in doing so you become an enemy of the Irish people. “Coupled with the strengthening of the institutions of British occupation is the drive to normalise British rule. We have witnessed the numerous events in recent months and years, the playing of GAA games involving British Crown force teams, the playing of the English national anthem in Croke Park, the visit of Anne Windsor to Croke Park, British warships in Dublin, Cork and Waterford, visits by the head of the British Colonial police Hugh Orde to Cork and Meath, Bertie Ahern’s address to the British houses of parliament at Westminster. Last week saw the Queen of England visit the Six Counties, in Armagh “she was greeted by a Republican Sinn Féin protest and the clear message, “British Royals not welcome while Britain holds the Six Counties”. All these events are part of an insidious campaign to condition the Irish people to accepting British rule as normal and acceptable, to draw a line under Irish history. Republican Sinn Féin has led the opposition to this normalisation and we must continue to be its spearhead, giving voice to that section of the Irish people who will never accept British rule in Ireland. “The way forward is clear is well charted; the enduring lesson of Irish history is that whilst British rule remains it will be resisted. Since 1921 there have been numerous agreements - most recently the Stormont Agreement signed ten years ago and the St Andrews Agreement – however none of these represent a settlement of the conflict between Britain and Ireland. Such a just and lasting settlement can only be brought about by a public British declaration of intent to withdraw from Ireland. “This would create the conditions necessary for the Irish people to begin a truly democratic process of building a New Ireland. Republican Sinn Féin propose in Towards A Peaceful Ireland the election of an All-Ireland Constituent Assembly, to such an assembly, Republican Sinn Féin – if elected – would bring EIRE NUA our programme for a four province federal Ireland, providing for real democracy at national, provincial, regional right down to local or community level. EIRE NUA provides the blueprint for real All-Ireland democracy for all of the Irish people, Protestant, Catholic and Dissenter. “As Irish Republicans we view the Irish struggle for freedom as part of the international anti-imperial and anti-colonial struggle, we note the upsurge of resistance to Chinese occupation by the people of Tibet and extend our solidarity, we also extend solidarity to all nations who struggle for the right to national independence, eg. The Basque Country, Brittany etc. Irish Republicans are internationalists; our cause is the cause of humanity. That is why we oppose the ongoing illegal Anglo/US occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and in particular the 26-Countystate’s complicity in these wars of conquest by allowing US warplanes and torture flights to use Irish airspace and Irish airports. “It is not sufficient to resist the old imperialism of Westminster without recognising the threat posed by the new imperialism of Brussels. The EU is fundamentally undemocratic, driven by the agenda of the big states such as Britain, France and Germany, its purpose is to draw the power of decision making away from the various states and nations, placing it in the hands of an unelected political elite. The Lisbon Treaty accelerates this; it is in reality an attempt to foist an EU constitution – a constitution rejected by the people of France and Holland in 2005 – on the people of Ireland and Europe by the backdoor “The Lisbon Treaty is a major step towards the creation of an undemocratic and militarised EU superstate. The recent deployment of 26-County troops in Chad, supporting a French colonial proxy war with China - who are propping up the regime in neighbouring Darfur - over oil reserves, highlights the nature of the military “tasks” that the 26-County state will be expected to perform. Almost 100 years after the First World War, is yet another generation of Irish people to be sacrificed on foreign battlefields in the interests of European capitalism and imperialism? Under the slogan defend Sovereignty – Neutrality – Democracy RSF will be campaigning for a NO vote in the 26-County referendum in June. “Our duty is clear, if we are serious about claiming the title deeds of the All-Ireland Republic, if we are not merely to pay lip service to the principles set out in the Proclamation we must mobilise, organise and give direction to those Irish people who are determined to resist British rule in Ireland. “Terence MacSwiney wrote that in Irish history each generation had been marked out as being either ‘the generation of living flame’ or ‘the generation of despair’ of his own generation he said ‘it is for us to decide – for the decision rests with us – whether we shall in our time merely mark time or write another luminous chapter in the splendid history of our race’. That is the decision which faces this generation in the Ireland of 2008, shall we bow to despair or shall we fan the flames of the living fire?” An Poblacht Abú!