TUARASCÁIL / REPORT

Republicans from across the west of Ireland gathered in Cross Cemetery on Sunday 5th of July for the annual commemoration in remembrance of Comdt. General Tom Maguire, last surviving member of the Second Dáil Éireann who died on July 5th, 1993. The commemoration was chaired by Mayo man Dan Hoban, who gave a background about Tom Maguire. He then called on Naoise Ó Mongáin to say a decade of the Rosary as Gaeilge, wreaths were laid on behalf of the Republican Movement by Bertie Moran and Peadar Murray, the oration was then delivered by a member of the Seán Costello/Martin Hurson Cumann, Seán Ó Dubhláin from Westmeath which we carry in full below. After the ceremony all those assembled went back to O’Malleys Bar in Cross for refreshments.

“A Chairde, I want to begin by thanking the organisers of this annual event for asking me to speak before you today. When going back through the history pages of that period, 1918-21, in the fight for Irish freedom, the two main names people will read about are Michael Collins and Eamonn De Valera, this suits perfectly the neo-colonial 26-County State, it allows them to set a trajectory that Republicans who had fought on the Republican side in the so-called Civil War had accepted the State in 1926, and that was that. This was not the case. For those who want a full understanding of true Irish Republicanism in the 20th and indeed the 21 Century, a study of the life of Comdt. General Tom Maguire is not to be overlooked. He was an inspiration to generations of Republicans.”

“Comrades, we are at the grave of a man who had been in his lifetime the embodiment of Republican loyalty and idealism. There will not be much written about men like Maguire in the Free State history books, his life and legacy is one this corrupt State would rather keep subdued so much that they would even ban history as a mandatory school subject in case people go on to learn the truth about this state’s founding and the roots of its corruption.”

“Tom Maguire was a soldier of the 32 Irish Republic holding the rank of Commandant General, he was a Teachta Dalaí of the First and Second Dáil Éireann, a post he remained steadfastly loyal to throughout his life despite the best efforts of the British Government to subdue and destroy the Republic which had been declared in arms in 1916 and endorsed by the majority of the people of Ireland in 1918.”

“It is worthy to mention that this 1918 General election albeit using the British electoral system was the last time the Irish people had the chance to vote on an all-Ireland basis, the people voted for independence. They voted for the 32 County Republic. It was denied then and Irish unity has been denied ever since. What the Irish people got from the British for expressing their democratic will was a bloody war that ended in a Treaty that saw one half sell out their oath to the Republic they had fought for and the other half strive to defend it. The British had made sure that they supplied enough finance and weapons to the pro-Treaty Free Staters who then went about murdering their fellow Irishmen and former comrades to enforce the Treaty that partitioned Ireland.”

“This unwanted partition of Ireland remains central to the cause of ongoing conflict in Ireland. This is why young Irishmen are again suffering in Gaol, as long as Ireland is under British rule, Irishmen and women will fight that occupation. We salute our POWs.”

“James Connolly once said, “We believe in constitutional action in normal times; we believe in revolutionary action in exceptional times.”

“We in Republican Sinn Féin like Comdt. General Maguire recognise that the revolutionary aspirations signalled during the birth of the Irish Republic during Easter Week 1916 can only be achieved through revolutionary methods. We are living in exceptional times, our nation is occupied. You are for or against that occupation, anywhere in between and the aggressive policy of normalisation is winning. Victory for the Brits, is defeat for Ireland.”

“As a direct consequence we in RSF will not entertain thoughts of constitutionalism, we will not entertain engaging in a political process of reforming the irreformable.”

“British interference has been the root cause of conflict in Ireland, the continuity we have witnessed over the course of the last 99 years since 1916 will continue until the all Ireland Republic is re-established.”

“The Republican Movement faces a mighty struggle if we are to succeed, but it is a real possibility, for the Brits, it is this frightenly clear reason, if the Republican Movement succeeds once again in bringing down Stormont the British Government will have no more options left open to them, what else can they try? So much has been invested in the normalisation process and it is failing as more people open their eyes, so much has been banked on the Provisional’s maintaining partition and the implementation of the Belfast Agreement but more and more people are seeing through their hypocrisy and are moving away from their direction.”

“The primary objective for Republicans has not changed and nor will it until we succeed once again, we aim to smash Stormont whilst simultaneously exposing imperialism elsewhere, the knock on effect from this will expose once more the complete and utter failure partition has been and where Stormont goes Leinster House will follow and thus this is why they fear the message of Revolutionary Irish Republicanism, out of the ashes of this outdated foreign system we will build Éire Nua, a New Ireland, one which truly cherishes all of the children of the nation equally, a nation that will put people before profit, a government that will reclaim Ireland, all its resources and wealth and return it to all to the people in a modern 21st Century model of sustainable governance.”

“Former and now disgraced Free State Minister for Justice Alan Shatter stated to media in 2013 in reference to Republican Revolutionaries, “Let no-one be under the illusion that these groups do not have designs on this State as well as on Northern Ireland.” We in RSF agree, and indeed as the foremost organisation with a realistic solution to Partition, through ÉIRE NUA & SAOL NUA and our Programme TOWARDS A PEACEFUL IRELAND calling for the convening of a 32 County National Constitute Assembly, Ireland acting as one must be allowed determine its own future and draw up a new 32 County Constitution, this then will be submitted to the people of Ireland in referendum for acceptence or rejection, this is a real blueprint drawn up by the late Dáithí Ó Conaill, and we urge the Republicans of Ireland to rally behind the RM and not be lured by sponge organisations promising easy roads with unrealistic policies, we seek the abolishment of these corrupt British States planted in our country and want to bring all the people together to draw up the future shape of our nation free from foreign interests.”

“This will allow us to provide for our people a healthier more humane way of life, a life where we are not the economic wage slaves of an unaccountable debt based society but rather proud citizens participating within an inclusive democracy truly Socialist in nature, truly Republican in outlook. Decentralised in control and participative in action we stand for the creation of a society that does not tolerate imperialism, that does not tolerate capitalism that does not tolerate all the disgusting practices that both those methods promote and sustain, we stand for the historic Irish Nation, in defence of it, for truth of it, for the honour of it.””

“I want to finish with this verse from the Seán Hallinan poem Man-of-Oak Maguire;

Stood
By the Republic,
By the oath of Fenians
By young Irelands dream
By the creed of Tone
For him no stepping stone
But the green branch blooming
For the northern shores of Derry
To the Kingdom of Kerry
Man-of Oak
Maguire”

“Comrades, thank you for the honour to speak here today, we have much work to do, so let us carry out our tasks with positive thought, energy and a full faith in the cause.

Leanúnachas agus An Phoblacht Abú.”

CRÍOCH/ENDS

Teach Dáithí Ó Conaill,
223 Sráid Pharnell,
BÁC 1, Éire
http://www.rsf.ie
saoirse@iol.ie

Ranganna:Commemorative