Gerry Adams's Blog, page 3

Statue of Bobby Sands to be unveiled | The Refugees | Pope Francis

 

Statue of Bobby Sands to be unveiled

On May 4 at 3pm, a statue of Bobby Sands will be unveiled inthe Republican Memorial Garden in Twinbrook, where Bobby lived. The organisersof the event, all local republican activists and all inspired by the courageand self-sacrifice of Bobby and his comrades, have worked hard over recentyears to raise the funds for the statue. Former hunger striker Pat Sheehan whospent 55 days on the 1981 hunger strike will speak about Bobby and his comradeswho died.

There will also be a Bobby Sands Mountain Walk that morningand the annual Bobby Sands lecture will be given that evening by Pat Sheehan inthe Andersonstown Social Club.

Bobby was the first of ten republican hunger strikers to dieduring the H-Block hunger strike of 1981. He died on May 5. The others were:Francis Hughes; Raymond McCreesh; Patsy O’Hara; Joe McDonnell; Kieran DohertyTD; Kevin Lynch; Martin Hurson; Tom McElwee; and Mickey Devine. Nor should weforget Michael Gaughan 1974 and Frank Stagg 1976 who died on hunger strike inprisons in England.

I knew Bobby and Francie Hughes, Kieran Doherty and JoeMcDonnell. I also met Tom McElwee and Mickey Devine on a visit to theprison hospital in July 1981. They were all ordinary young working class men.Joe McDonnell at 30 was the eldest. The rest were all in their 20s. Inextraordinary times they revealed a depth of resolve that few are ever calledupon to demonstrate.

I first met Bobby in Cage 11 of Long Kesh. It was almostcertainly at one of the political discussion groups I set up. One of the Nissanhuts was a Gaeltacht where those, like Bobby, who wished to live through themedium of the Irish language resided. 

Bobby was very interested in the political debates anddiscussions and became an avid reader of the books, many of which we got fromold Joe Clarkes Book Bureau in Dublin and from The Connolly Association inLondon. The prison regime banned political books from coming in but as ever weand our friends and family outside rose to the challenge and replaced thecovers with more innocuous titles. The screws tended to ignore the books ofZane Grey and other western writers.

Bobby was also big into sport. There were two all-weatherpitches where prisoners could play football or soccer or simply go out for arun. Running around the pitch was better than the relatively small Cages.

I got to know Bobby well during that time. He was anintelligent, committed republican who was open to new ideas.  Many of ourdiscussions focussed on how we could turn passive support into activism. Healso instinctively understood the need for strategies and for a greater focuson political activism – of building and using political strength. It was atthis time that Bobby picked up on the concept of everyone having a role in thestruggle, no matter how small.

He had a deep interest in internationalstruggles. Unbeknownst to us our struggle attracted similar interest inLatin America, in the Palestinian refugee camps, the South Africantownships and in the front line training camps of uMkhonto weSizwe –Spear of the Nation – where ANC activists were training for operations againstthe apartheid South African regime.

Bobby was to become a historic figure for ANC activists,including Nelson ‘Madiba’ Mandela. Madiba was on Robben Island when Bobbydied. In his cell, in common with all political prisoners, he was allowedas a privilege a calendar on which he marked significant events. On the 5th May1981 a simple single line is written: ‘IRA martyr Bobby Sandsdies.’ A tribute, hand written, on a paper calendar on a cell wall inSouth Africa which recognised the bond between those of us engaged in freedomstruggles.

Bobby was also a writer, a poet, and a musician and writerof songs. Bobby wrote about the horrors of the H-Blocks. His smuggled comms-letters; poems; songs articles; and creative pieces about the brutal reality oflife for political prisoners and of British rule.

 Bobby spent one third of his 27 years in prisons. Hewas never interviewed on television or radio and yet his name is known andhonoured around the world.

His writings tell us much about the man. His poem, TheRefugees, is appropriate in the context of the ongoing genocide in the westBank and Gaza and the anti-refugee feelings being engendered by right wingelements in our own country, particularly in Dublin. Bobby’s poem is about theevents of August 1969 when thousands became refugees as a result of theunionist pogrom.

The Refugees

A hurried worried people, a human stampede to God knowswhere,

Were spat out from the back streets, for God knows who tocare.

Their little kitchen houses lit up the night around about

‘For God and Ulster’ was the reason that the refugeeswere driven out.

 

Oh little humble homes where the people hugged the openfire,

Oil-clothed floors and little ornamented cabinets thatthe neighbours would admire,

The little backyard havens where the youngsters wouldplay

And in the hall the little font of holy water to blessyou on your way!

 

They were little narrow streets where the door was neverclosed,

Where the characters and folklore were born and notcomposed,

And where, by the street lamp by the corner, the childrenmade a swing

In a concrete jungle were the hoker was the king.

 

Oh a kindly people, too clannish were they not,

A simple cup of tea or the milkman’s price, were thingsthat weren’t forgot,

And when there was trouble sure didn’t all of them muckin,

Wouldn’t every man amongst them go out and get stuck in.

 

Ah sure some returned; others? God knows where they’vegone,

Driven out in terror by that bigoted orange throng.

‘Tis well I recall those hurried worried people, theirlittle mansions burnt down,

As I watched them go in their thousands on the road toGormanstown.  

 

 

Pope Francis

The funeral last Saturday of Pope Francis was an occasion tomourn the passing of a leader who championed progressive causes, stood up forthose most marginalised and vulnerable while opening the door to reform withinthe Church. 

There is much more to be done to make the Church democratic.I am among those who are alienated by the deep absence of equality in theChurch’s structures.  Banning women from the priesthood is totallyunacceptable as is the opulence of some institutions and the unaccountabilityof church leaders, particularly over the treatment of children and vulnerablepeople.  But still there are good priests and nuns and many decent peopledoing their best to make amends.  

They include Pope Francis. The many stories of his deepsense of compassion for the sick and vulnerable and those who are victim ofabuse and violence have filled the airwaves and social media since his death.His loss is a huge blow to the institutional Church which often seems aloof tothe trials and tribulations of ordinary people while being less than open aboutthe sins of some within its own ranks.

 

In his 12 years as leader of the Catholic Church PopeFrancis frequently spoke out against inequality, injustice, climate justice,militarism and he was especially vocal in his rejection of those who scapegoatmigrants and erect barriers to them. "Migrants and refugees” he toldthe Vatican's World Day of Migrants and Refugees in 2013 “are not pawns on thechessboard of humanity." He said: “They are children, women, and men wholeave or are forced to leave their homes for various reasons, who share alegitimate desire for knowing and having, but above all for beingmore." 

 

But it was his unstinting solidarity for the people ofPalestine that will mark out the last years of his Papacy. For almost 18 monthsfollowing Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip the Pope phoned the Holy FamilyChurch every evening to speak to those who sheltered there. He continued to doso even when he was in hospital.

 

On Easter Sunday, in his last public remarks Pope Franciscondemned the “deplorable humanitarian situation” in Gaza. He urged Israel andHamas to “call for a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of astarving people that aspires to a future of peace.” Ar dheis Dé go raibh aanam dílis

 

 

 

Kathleen Lynn – a Rebel Woman | Finding their place in a new Ireland | A Barren Landscape of Death | All that Fuss

 

Kathleen Lynn – a Rebel Woman

I hope you all had an enjoyable Easter. Across the islandand further afield commemorations were held at countless locations to rememberthose who fought in the 1916 Easter Rising and in all of the generations of thefreedom struggle. The Belfast turnout was big and Pearse Doherty, who made anexceptional speech, was given a very warm welcome. I saw no mention of hisremarks or those of other republican speakers on RTE, BBC or otherbroadcasters. So much for public service broadcasting! 

The story of Easter 1916 reverberates with many remarkableaccounts of courage as a small band of Irish Republicans took on the largestEmpire ever to have existed in human history. They include many women. Amongthese are Julia Grenan, Winifred Carney and Elizabeth O’Farrell who werein the GPO and in Moore St. when the decision to surrender was taken.Winifred Carney’s statue now stands proudly in front of Belfast City Hall.

Another rebel woman who fought during the Easter Rising wasDr. Kathleen Lynn from Killala in County Mayo. She was the daughter of aChurch of Ireland clergyman who overcame many obstacles before setting up ageneral practice in Dublin in 1904. She was hugely influenced by the workand words of Countess Markievicz and James Connolly and in early 1916 Connollypromoted Lynn to the rank of captain and Chief Medical Officer of the CitizenArmy. On Easter Monday 1916 she was one of those who occupied Dublin City Hall.After the Rising she was imprisoned in Dublin and then deported toEngland. 

When she returned to Ireland she was again active in supportof the republican political prisoners. In October 1917, the Sinn Féin Ard Fheisadopted a republican constitution and Kathleen Lynn was one of four womenelected to the Ard Chomhairle (the others were Markievicz, Kathleen Clarke andGrace Gifford Plunkett).

In 1918 Kathleen Lynn set up a hospital for infants - thefirst of its kind in Ireland. Along with others, including Kathleen Clarke, thewidow of Tom Clarke, they acquired a derelict house at 37 Charlemont Street.Before it opened for children it admitted many of those caught in the great fluepidemic which killed millions across the world. Kathleen Lynn carried outwidespread vaccinations, including to over 200 members of the Citizen Army inLiberty Hall, not one of whom, she says, developed flu. St. Ultan’shospital was opened in 1919.

Kathleen was later present at the meeting of the First DáilÉireann and worked with Constance Markievicz, Minister for Labour in the FirstDáil Éireann. She was thus part of the underground civil Government of theRepublic, as well as being a Leas Uachtarán (Vice President) of Sinn Féin. Likemost progressive republican women Kathleen Lynn opposed the Treaty. She waselected as a republican TD in the 1923 general election for the Dublin Countyconstituency, refusing to take her seat in what she and her comrades regardedas the partitionist Free State parliament. She was defeated in the June 1927general election.

By this time Kathleen Lynn was concentrating her work incaring for children in St Ultan’s Hospital and to promoting health among thepoorest citizens. St. Ultan’s was entirely managed by women. After a longand distinguished career Kathleen Lynn, a lifelong republican, died inSeptember 1955. 

Sinn Féin TD Aengus O’Snodaigh has formally presented a Billin the Oireachtas to have the new Children’s Hospital – which has cost severalbillion euro – named after Kathleen Lynn. There is widespread support for thisfrom historians, trade unionists and many in the medical profession. Bill hasbeen cleared by the Bills Office for introduction at First Stage in the Dáilafter the Easter recess.

This year will mark 70 years since Kathleen Lynn’s death.Naming the new hospital after her would be a fitting tribute to Kathleen and toall of the women who fought for Irish freedom and who today continue to be thebackbone of our medical and healthcare professions.

 

Finding their place in a new Ireland

In his Easter remarks at the Republican Plot in MilltownCemetery Teachta Pearse Doherty referenced the fact that the “momentum forIrish Unity grows stronger every day…. it is fast becoming the definingpolitical project of our generation.” Pearse also addressed the importance ofpreparing for unity and in doing so the imperative of engaging with theunionist section of our people. He said: “There are many issues for republicansand unionists to talk about. We need to address the genuine fears and concernsof unionists in a meaningful way.”

That means examining what they mean when they say they areBritish. We must be willing he said; “to explore and be open to new ideas. Weneed to look at ways in which the unionist people can find their place in a newIreland.”

Demographic trends, election results and the conclusionsfrom opinion polling all are evidence of a shift in the political landscapearound unity. So too are the frequent economic reports being published aboutthe growth and potential of the all–Ireland economy.

Two weeks ago the Economic and Social Research Institute(ESRI) published a report examining the ‘Economic Overview of Irelandand Northern Ireland.’ 

The report concludes that citizens living in the South enjoysignificantly higher wages, greater disposable income, higherproductivity, educational attainment, have lower hospital waiting lists, andtheir life expectancy is better. The opportunities offered up by IrishUnity are substantial. 

 

A  Barren Landscape of Death

The Gaza Strip is one eighth the size of County Antrim andhas a population three times larger. Imagine if Belfast north of the RiverLagan and including Mallusk and Newtownabbey were levelled to the ground. Noschools, no hospitals, no homes – just tents – no churches, no shops, notransport system, no sewage system. A barren levelled landscape of death. GazaCity has been under strict Israeli siege for seven weeks. No bread, no water,no fuel, no medicines have been allowed to enter the area. The people – thechildren – are starving.  And all the time the international communitywith a few honourable exceptions does nothing – is complicit in this genocide.

Two weeks the Palestinian Ambassador to London, HusamZomlot, addressed a packed hall in St. Mary’s University College on the FallsRoad. He thanked the people of Ireland for their solidarity in the face of asustained genocide that seeks to erase a people and their history.

Last week people across Belfast joined millions more aroundthe world in marking Palestinian Prisoners Day. I have written before about thehorrific conditions of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Currently thereare over 10,000 of whom 400 are children and 51 are journalists. All aresubjected to physical and psychological torture and in some instances they havebeen the target of rape and sexual assault. In the last 19 months 63Palestinian hostages have been killed.

The demands we make of the international community aresimple:

·       A ceasefire now

·       An end to theIsraeli occupation of Palestinian land.

·       Full compliancewith international law.

·       The admission ofhumanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

·       And meaningfulsanctions against Israel.

·       And for the Irishgovernment: Pass the Occupied Territories Bill into law.

 

All that Fuss

A friend of mine in County Tyrone was taking her seven yearold daughter to her local Gael Scoil when the child drew her attention to theroad sign for Londonderry. Someone had drawn a line through the London bit.

‘Why is that  like that Mammy?’ She asked. 

So Mammy gave a children’s explanation. 

‘But they are both wrong’ the child replied ‘It’s notLondonderry or Derry. Its Doire.’

And that dear readers is why there is all that fuss aboutIrish or bilingual signage. 

Wear an Easter Lilly | Micheál Martin and Moore St. | Two different Voices on Unity

 

Wear an Easter Lilly

I did not think Easter is almost upon us. It has crept up on me. For Irishrepublicans Easter holds a special significance. It is synonymous with the 1916Easter Rising and the heroism over a century ago of those who rose up againstthe British Empire and declared for a Republic. It is also a time when weremember all of those women and men – over countless generations – who gavetheir lives in pursuit of Irish sovereignty and independence.

In the course of my activism I have travelled widely. I havevisited many countries. Time and again I have been struck by the determinationof nations to honour the patriots and freedom fighters who gave meaning totheir desire for freedom and self-determination.

Across the world there are countless memorials to those whofought in wars against colonialism. National ceremonies of remembrance areheld. Buildings or lands and even prisons associated with struggles for freedomare protected and used as aids to teach young people the value of citizenshipand the importance of freedom and democracy.

Across this island and beyond there are many such monumentsto Irish patriots. Next Sunday tens of thousands of people in towns, villagesand cities, at country crossroads and at lonely hillside graveyards across thecountry, will gather for commemorations. They will gather also in Britain,Australia, Canada, the USA and many other places.

Most will wear an Easter Lily. This is a symbol of ourenduring commitment to the ideals of 1916 and of the Proclamation of theRepublic and is a mark of respect for all those, from every generation, whopaid with their lives in the cause of Irish freedom.

The first Easter Lily badges were designed in 1925 by therepublican women’s revolutionary organisation, Cumann na mBan. From the 1930s,successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments attempted to suppress sales ofthe Easter Lily. It was illegal in the North also. Over the decades manyrepublicans have been harassed, arrested and jailed for selling the EasterLily.

Fortunately, those days are now behind us and Easter Lilybadges of all shapes and sizes, some in metal or cloth or paper, are nowreadily available. So wear an Easter Lily with pride. And if you can attendyour local commemoration next week. Well done to The National GravesAssociation and all those who organise these events.

Táim ag iarraidh ar gach duine, óg agus sean, Lilí achaitheamh um Cháisc mar siombail náisiúnta a chuireann chun cinn nah-idéalacha agus prionsabail a bhain leo siúd a fuair bás um Cháisc 1916.

 

Micheál Martin and Moore St.

Micheál Martin visited 14-17 Moore St. last week. Number 16is where the leaders of the Rising held their last meeting before theirexecution. Numbers 14-17 are the planned location for a National Monument tothose who fought in the 1916 Easter Rising and who evacuated to that street asthe GPO was in flames. Martin’s visit comes 12 years after he called for the"protection and enhancement" of Moore Street. It comes 19 years afterthe Fianna Fáil government of Bertie Ahern designated 14-17 Moore St. as a NationalMonument. During that time the buildings lay derelict and have fallen into adangerous state of disrepair

Now almost two decades later Martin takes an interest, onthe cusp of Easter, in a site that his government has starved of funding.Moreover, Martin has backed the plan by the London based developer Hammerson toobliterate the Moore St. Battlefield site, including historic buildings thatare part of that period.

The rumour was that he was to make a public statement aboutthis. Representatives of the Moore Street Preservation Trust were there torespond, including the grandson of James Connolly, James Connolly Heron. 

James presented An Taoiseach with the Trusts plan for a1916 historic and Cultural Quarter. This encompasses the preservation,restoration and management of the Moore Street Battlefield Area, as designatedby the High Court in 2016 “the lands, buildings, streets and lanes within anarea including Moore Street, Henry Place, O’Rahilly Parade and Moore Lane, inwhich the 1916 Rising Volunteers travelled after evacuating the GPO”.

Micheál Martin did not visit any other part of the Street,speak to any of the shop owners or 1916 Relatives who were present and themedia. Maybe the presence of Moore Street campaigners put him off.

Speaking afterward James Connolly Heron said of thegovernment that “they claim to want to develop a museum whilesupporting a plan that will destroy the whole purpose and context of a museum -the story of the 1916 Rising as told in the very buildings where the last actof The Rising took place. The Hammerson plan would turn Moore Street into abuilding site for 15 years …” He called again for a meeting with AnTaoiseach.

Thus far Micheál Martin has declined to meet with the 1916Relatives. He has met with the developer whose plan he endorsed before theplanning process was completed.

The government’s plans for Moore St. do not reflect thehistoric significance of the area. In a submission to the High Court ten yearsago the National Museum of Ireland spoke of the “national historical importanceof the whole Moore Street area.” Nor does the government’s plan match theeconomic potential of the Battlefield site as a major tourist and employmentattraction for the centre of Dublin.

Martin should read the Moore Street Preservation Trustsalternative plan, meet with the Relatives and listen to the voices of those whohave a vision for Moore St. which reflects the ambition that the leaders of1916 had for the island of Ireland.

 

Two different Voices on Unity

Speaking of Micheál Martin, the Fianna Fáil leader wasinterviewed for the Belfast Telegraph last week. I was disappointed but notsurprised by his assertion that he wasn’t even thinking of a ‘border poll’.When pushed about the constitutional future of Ireland in 50 years-time hecouldn’t even bring himself to utter the words ‘united Ireland.’

 

In the 15 years he has been leader of Fianna Fáil Martin hasengaged in a deliberate strategy of obfuscation when it comes to unity. Hiscurrent excuse for not pursuing that legitimate national goal is his deeplyflawed assertion that you must first have reconciliation. To this end hepromotes the Shared Island Unit – which I support - claiming that its effortswill promote reconciliation and he infers - the cause of unity. But hisstrategy makes the achievement of reconciliation more difficult because it handsa veto to those who oppose reunification.

 

At the same time Martin praises the Good Friday Agreement.That’s because he has to. But he ignores the Agreement’s commitment to unityreferendums and his obligation as An Taoiseach to plane for the future. He isalso walking away from his constitutional obligation to pursue the objective ofa united Ireland.

 

As Micheál Martin was presenting his stunted view of thefuture Leo Varadkar was in the USA offering a more positive vision of a futureIreland. In his address to an Ireland’s Future event in Philadelphia he told500 Irish Americans: “I firmly believe that building a new and unitedIreland is the next step in our national journey, and I believe that IrishAmerica can help us to make those next steps,"  

 

A few days later writing for the Irish News Varadkarwrote: “Every generation has its great cause. I believe ours is thecause of uniting our island, working to build a new home where all traditions,all stories, and all our people belong. I believe building a new Ireland, aunited Ireland, is the political project of our generation.”  

 

Other United Irelanders will say that Leo should have donemore about this when he was Taoiseach. And that’s fair enough. But unlikeMicheál Martin the former Fine Gael leader is not afraid to use the ‘unity’word or to talk about a united Ireland. Nor are an increasing number ofcitizens across this island. The reality is that partition has failed. The onlycure for this is to end the union. A mechanism to do this is contained inthe Good Friday Agreement. Micheál Martin can only ignore this if the restof us let him. Regardless of his opposition the unity referendums will takeplace. There is therefore an onus on the rest of us to plan to win them. Ibelieve we can do it.

 

Build Casement Now | Protecting our environment | Trade War Demands United response | International Palestinian Child Day

 

Build Casement Now

The delay in building the new Casement Park is totallyunacceptable. Like many Gaels of my age I grew up with Casement. I playedthere for our school teams and enjoyed sports days as well. I have watchedumpteen games over the decades. Until 2013. That was the last time CasementPark hosted a game. On 10 June 2013. 

That was the UlsterSenior Football Championship quarter-final between  Antrim and Monaghan.  Sincethen the site has been derelict. A sullen lump of waste ground. AntrimGaels have been denied the use of our county ground and a generation ofyoung athletes are being denied the right to play there. It is adisgrace. 

The history of failure to build the new Casement and all thetwists and turns, of mistakes and upsets and set-backs, would take too long torecord here. But what is for sure is that the delay now rests with the Ministerof Communities Gordon Lyons,the DUP and the British Secretary of State HillaryBenn. 

The DUP are fighting a sham fight - one doomed to failure-over the Irish language as part of their electoral strategy. Casement is alsonow a victim of these machinations. But unlike the Irish language there was nowidespread public or street campaign in support of Casement.

I am glad to hear that this is now going to start. NextSaturday, April 12, the day of the Antrim v Armagh Senior Football game inCorrigan Park there will be a protest. Gaels and other sports fans are beingasked to assemble at Rossa Park at 9 am before leaving at 9.30 to walk theshort distance to Casement Park where a protest will be held. This columnistwelcomes that initiative. Bígí linn ansin.

 

Protecting our environment

The blue skies and warm weather of recent days is a reminderthat spring will soon give way to summer. Everywhere the trees and flowers arecoming into bloom and the dark evenings are retreating as our daylight hoursincrease. Regrettably, this change in weather also brings with it acts ofvandalism, in particular the setting of wildfires that present a real danger tohill walkers, animals, local wildlife and the natural fauna.

The huge fires on the Mourne Mountains at the weekend were adepressing reminder of this behaviour and of the dangers they present. Overrecent days 100 firefighters fought around 150 wildfires in Down andAntrim. Some of the fires stretched for miles destroying forestry andproperty and in the Hilltown area homes had to be evacuated. The Silent ValleyMountain Park, a favourite for visitors, which had just opened after nine weeksbecause of Storm Éowyn, was again closed to the public.

For the firefighters the high winds meant that the danger inthe Mournes was especially challenging as they battled to contain the blazes.They deserve our thanks  and solidarity for their exhausting workprotecting our natural environment and the lives and livelihoods of localpeople.

But it isn’t just the Mournes, with its spectacular mountaintops and ridges, rivers and streams, forests and gorse covered hillsides,separated by miles of stone walls. that is under threat. Summer brings similardestruction to the Belfast Hills. How many times have the people of Belfastlooked up at Black Mountain only to see fires dotted across the hillside withtheir smoke trails stretching for miles? The fires and the huge amounts ofsmoke they generate present a real risk to the lives of Hill Walkers and wild life.

A lot of effort has gone in over recent years to theconservation of the Belfast Hills and of the Mournes. I occasionally walk theBlack Mountain trails along with many others. The scenery is spectacular. TheBelfast Hills are a constant in the lives of all of us who live in this city.All parts of Belfast can see the Hills. The Black Mountain or Sliabh Dubh. TheDivis and Colin Mountains or An Colann and An Dubhais. Wolf Hill and Cave Hillor Beann Mhadagáin. There are other hills across the metropolis. TheCraigauntlet and Castlereagh hills. These slopes hug Belfast in one long, soft,green embrace. They are the backdrop to the city and the main natural feature,particularly of the west of Belfast.

That these should be threatened by the actions of a smallnumber of arsonists is unacceptable. I would urge everyone to be vigilant inprotecting our Hills and mountains.

 

Trade War Demands United response

The U.S. President Donald Trump has initiated the mostdangerous trade war of modern times. His widespread imposition of tariffsthreatens untold damage to the world’s economies. In the USA the stockmarket has declined sharply and senior economists are warning of a deeprecession. These too will adversely impact world economies. There is noindication that President Trump intends to change direction. On the contrary heappears to be digging in.

The consequence for many countries will be serious but thedanger to Ireland, with its two economies and a 20% tariff imposition on EUgoods and a 10% tariff on goods coming out of the North is even greater.  

The Southern economy linked as it is to the EU will respondas part of the European Union. The North is handcuffed to a failing Britisheconomy and to a British government which has already demonstrated through itsrecent economic budget that it couldn’t care less about the people of theNorth.

So, how do we face up to a deepening trade war andpotentially one of the worst economic recessions in generations?  Theinitial answer is to build on the growing all-island trade that is alreadybenefiting the two economies. We need what Seanadoir Conor Murphy last weekdescribed as a “serious collaborative approach from the Irish government andthe northern Executive to protect businesses and the all-Ireland economy.” Acrucial next step would be an early meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council.

The fact is that it was the close working relationshipbetween the Irish government, the Executive and the European Union which wascritical in charting a course through the Brexit debacle. In the longer termIrish unity is the best response to the disruption that Trump policies andgeopolitical tensions are causing.

International Palestinian Child Day

First, let me congratulate Francesca Albanese whodespite a despicable campaign by Israel and its allies to have her sacked, willcontinue in her role as UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in theoccupied Palestinian territories until 2028. She has been a champion for thepeople of Palestine as Israel’s genocide continues to kill and wound hundredsevery day.

Last Saturday, 5 April, was International Palestinian ChildDay. It was an appropriate opportunity to draw attention to Israel’s deliberategenocide of children in the Gaza Strip and the west Bank.

Over 17,000 have been killed. Many thousands more have lostlimbs. Tens of thousands of children in Gaza have lost one or both parentssince Israel launched its genocidal war. Children have also been deprived ofshelter, food, and water. And currently Israel is blocking essential aid andmedicines from entering Gaza.

Whatever other issues there may be in the news cycle todaywe must never forget the Palestinian people and we have to continue to campaignon their behalf. In our millions we are all Palestinians.

 

Protect the Assembly Rooms | Calls for Kurdish peace process welcomed | Time for Unity | Free Palestine

 

 

TheNorth began, the North held on,

Thestrife for native land;

WhenIreland rose to smite her foes

Godbless the Northern land

ThomasDavis

In the1790s Belfast was the centre of an Irish political movement which linked Antrimand Down with the Republics of France and America, and Belfast citizenscelebrated the Fall of the Bastille, drank toasts to Mirabeau and Lafayette andstudied Payne’s great book, The Rights of Man. Presbyterians formedthe Society of United Irishmen and declared for Catholic emancipation, for theabolition of church establishments and tithes, for resistance to rack rents andfor sweeping agrarian reforms. They gave a cordial welcome to Mary Wollstonecraft’s Vindicationof the Rights of Women and joined with their Catholic neigbours in thestruggle for national independence and political democracy.

It was atime of change, of great ideas and of hope for a new future free from England’sclutches. The French revolutionary demands for “Liberté, Égalité,Fraternité" (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity) struck a chord that galvanizedthe 20,000 inhabitants of Belfast at that time. If the people of France couldoverthrow the monarchy, the Ancien Regime, why couldn’t the people of Belfastand beyond end  the many abuses inflicted by an English government on theCatholic and Dissenter (Presbyterian) people of Ireland. 

The rising which the United Irish men organised was brutallysuppressed. Along with that savage coercion we also lost much of thatpart of our history. 

Few of the buildings of that period still stand. FirstPresbyterian Church in Rosemary Street is one. Clifton House in North Queen St.is another. So too in the Linen Hall Library.

Another isthe Assembly Rooms – previously known as The Exchange - on the corner of NorthSt. and Waring St. It was built as a market house in 1769 and seven years latera second floor was added. It was at the centre of the economic and culturallife of Belfast. For a time, the United Irish leader Henry Joy McCracken held aSunday school there for the children of the poor. It was in Assembly rooms in1786 that Waddell Cunningham, a merchant proposed the establishmentof a Belfast based slave trading company. It was opposed by Mary AnneMcCracken, her brother and others who later established the United IrishSociety. The proposal was roundly defeated. Six years later the harpers ofIreland held their last Assembly there.

In 1798after the defeat of the 98 Rebellion Henry Joy and others were court martialedin the Assembly Rooms They were then walked the short distance to High Streetwhere they were hanged.

In the twohundred years after that The Assembly Rooms continued to play an important rolein the economic and cultural life of the city before eventually becoming abank. It closed in 2000 and the building has remained largely vacant sincethen, slowly decaying. Currently, Belfast City Council and the Assembly RoomsAlliance are involved in a process to try and save the building fromdereliction. If successful, The Assembly Rooms would be an importanthistorical, multi-cultural and heritage addition to Belfast. I support theirefforts. Its preservation would symbolize the determination of the City toprotect our history while looking to the future.

 

Callsfor Kurdish peace process welcomed

Following World War 1 the European colonial states dividedthe Middle East into British and French zones of interest. An initialcommitment to a Kurdish state was ignored and the Kurdish people were forciblypartitioned between Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Iran. Winston Churchill, who wasColonial Secretary in 1920 and helped draw up the state boundaries of thatregion, cleared the use of poison gas against the Kurdish people in Iraq. Therenowned writer and historian Noam Chomsky writes that Churchill favoured theuse of poison gas "againstrecalcitrant Arabs as an experiment" and cleared their use on the basisthat; "I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilisedtribes."

Since thenthe region has been convulsed with conflict. Not least has been the

centuries longstruggle of the Kurdish people to self-determination.

 

In the lastweek, Declan Kearney and I have signed a public statement, along with over200 international political leaders, human rights campaigners, women’sactivists, artists, academics, journalists, jurists, and human rights and civilsociety activists, urging all parties to the conflict between the Kurdishpeople and Turkey to “take decisive steps towards a lasting peace.”

The publicletter follows the recent declaration by imprisoned Kurdish leaderAbdullah Öcalan calling for the Kurdistan Workers Party(PKK) to disarm and dissolve. Öcalan’s statement received a positiveresponse from the PKK and has been widely welcomed by Kurdish leaders, creatinga new sense of hope that peace and a future away from a conflict can bebrought.  

Öcalan, whohelped found the PKK, has been imprisoned for over 25 years byTurkey where he has been held in solitaryconfinement and denied visitation rights for much of that time.Nevertheless, he has become a voice for peace, a leader willing to offerthe hand of friendship toenemies. Despite his decades of incarceration, he hasforged a road map to peace that commits the Kurdish people to democracy andfreedom and tolerance, stating that it is time to “silence the weapons andlet the ideas and politics speak.” Öcalan’s call follows months of recent negotiations that haverevived regional peace talks.

In thejoint letter signed by international supporters, we describe Öcalan's statement as “a pivotalmoment for Türkiye and the Kurdish people, aiming to end decades of conflict and pave theway for a democratic society. This call represents a vital opportunity to bringstability to Turkey and the Middle East, protect human rights, and facilitatereconciliation”; urging all sides to “seize this historic moment to worktogether for peace and justice for all Turks and Kurds.”

This is a significant moment for the region. The Good FridayAgreement (1998) negotiations underpins the importance ofall political representatives being involved the process and thatdialogue is essential.

As in our own situation and that of the Basque country,South Africa and other conflicts, the international community can playa very constructive role in supporting political agreement and apeaceful outcome. I would urge the international community to grasp thisopportunity. A successful peace process would be a huge encouragementto increase efforts in other parts of the region. I wantto commend Abdullah Öcalan for his leadership and visionand urge the Turkish Government to release him.

 

Time forUnity

The Spring budget statement from the British Chancellor lastweek exemplifies much that is wrong in the current union between the North andEngland. It was a statement that Margaret Thatcher would have approved of. Itdirectly attacks the most vulnerable in society and promises more cuts topublic services, including welfare provision. It commits Labour to theimplementation of policies that will cause significant difficulties for theNorth. It will significantly increase poverty, particularly forchildren and people with disabilities. At the same time Labour intends spendingmore money on weapons for war.

We need tostep away from a union in which the North is an afterthought to Londongovernments and embrace a future based on Irish unity.

Reunificationwould resolve the issue of national self-determination that has bedeviledrelationships on this island and between these islands for centuries. It wouldend partition and the divisions arising from it that have stymied political andeconomic growth for generations. It would provide a positive space in which therights of all sections of our people can be protected. The advances in theall-island economy are already proving that our economic future is best servedin an all-Ireland context. The end of the duplication of services will benefiteveryone and ensure better public services.

The realityis that the North is tied to a British economy that is in deep trouble. Aunited Ireland and an all-island economy which we control promises a brighterfuture.

 

Free Palestine

This column salutes Mothers Against Genocide for theirProtest on Mother’s Day against the genocidal war by the Zionists against thepeople of Palestine.  Mothers Against Genocide are an inspirational groupof women who campaign assertively and imaginatively for peace andself-determination for the people of Palestine. Their overnightvigil at the gates of Leinster House was forcibly cleared by AnGarda Síochána and eight protesters were arrested. 

 

Martin Mc Guinness. A Reflection. | A Courageous Advocate for Palestinian | The only answer is Unity

 

Martin Mc Guinness. A Reflection.

Friday the 21 March was the eighth anniversary of the deathof our friend and leader Martin McGuinness. Like many others, I am sure, I wasperplexed as it dawned on me that eight years had passed since we lost him. Inmy head I thought it was five or six years ago. But as we people of acertain age should now know time waits for no one. I remember as if it wasyesterday dashing to the hospital. Even though we were anticipating his deaththere was nonetheless a numbness, a shock to be told that Martin was gone.

Of course the love of his life Bernie, and their childrenand grandchildren and his siblings were the ones most effected but yet in theirgrief they knew that Martin mattered to a lot of people, particularly from hisother family. His republican family. And they let us grieve with them. Grief isthe price we pay for love. There are layers of feelings, unpredictable andunique to each of us personally as we adjust to the absence of a loved one. Andit can affect each of us differently.

I miss Martin to this day. He and I had so many adventurestogether, funny episodes, fraught and turbulent and dangerous experiences. Itis still difficult to accept that all that is gone. But accept it I do. Infact, I am philosophical about death. I remember Martin remarking one day thathe didn’t expect to live beyond his mid-twenties

’Jeepers’ I exclaimed. ‘I was exactly like that too.’

So to have such an active and much longer life is ablessing. For me it is also a matter of wonderment. We have lost so manyfriends particularly during the conflict. Many never survived beyond theirmid-twenties. Some were even younger. They died suddenly, violently. That’s theway it was. And our enemies died the same way. So did many uninvolved people.Victims of all the combatant forces, including the IRA. I regret that verymuch. So did Martin.

Some like the H Block hunger strikers died in a publiccontest of will with a cruel establishment much more powerful than prisonerswith nothing in their arsenal but an unbreakable integrity . And yet theprisoners defeated that establishment by giving up their lives. They didn’twant to die but that was the risk they took. So they went bravely before us.They taught us how to die.

Those of us, like Martin or myself, who were privileged tohave such comrades and friends could only marvel at their bravery. We livedwith death for decades. And against all the odds we survived the conflict. Wehelped bring it to an end. For that we are thankful to and for MartinMcGuinness. We were lucky to have him. I have been blessed with my friendships,including some who have died recently. Colette’s two sisters Anne and Mena andsister-in-law Belle gone in the last few months. And Ted. And Bik.  

Life is like a lottery. Few of us can determine how it willend for us. Martin died bravely. He battled against his illness stubbornly andresolutely. His concern was for Bernie and the weans. The ancient Irishbelieved that the spirits of the dead live on in places which they loved. Inrocks. Trees. Rivers. I believe that friendship is one of the mostimportant gifts any of us can have. If a friend goes off to live inAustralia they don’t cease to be our friend. So too with our friends who die.They are still our friends. They are still part of our lives. That’s how it iswith Martin McGuinness and me. I remember him with great fondness and pride. Heis still my friend. So is Ted. And Bik. And many others who gifted me withtheir friendship. Including the ones who are still alive. Martin valued theirfriendship also. 

 

A Courageous Advocate for Palestinian

Ms. Francesca Albanese is the Special Rapporteur for theUnited Nations in the Palestinian territories. She is a remarkable champion forhuman rights and international law whose moral integrity and deep rootedhumanity are an inspiration. Her leadership on Palestinian rights, herunremitting and courageous criticism of Israel’s decades long illegaloccupation of the Palestinian territories, is an example for all of us who seeka just peace between the peoples of Palestine and of Israel.

Last week Ms. Albanese was in the South of Irelandaddressing Universities, giving interviews, attending the massivepro-Palestinian march in Dublin on Saturday and meeting a wide range ofindividuals and groups.

Do you know who refused to meet her? The Irish Government.Apparently all of its 15 Ministers and 23 Ministers of State were too busy.Shameful.

This is the same government that is stalling on the OccupiedTerritories Bill or on introducing decisive economic andpolitical sanctions against a rogue state engaged in genocide. Inaddition, if Micheál Martin has his way the Irish government intends acceptingthe International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition ofantisemitism. This conflates Judaism with Zionism. A criticism, anycriticism of the state of Israel will be defined as anti-semitic. This meansthat Ms. Albanese’s reports on Israel’s war crimes or this article or themarches in solidarity with the Palestinians, can all be defined asanti-Semitic.

Is our outrage at the bombing of hospitals and the killingof babies to be dismissed as anti-semitic?

The total now killed in Gaza is over 50,000. 18,000 arechildren. Netanyahu’s claim that his war is about defeating Hamas orsecuring the release of Israeli’s held by Hamas, is a lie. Hamas is strongernow than before. Israel’s murder campaign and demolition of Gaza hasradicalised a new generation of Hamas fighters. Moreover, Israeli hostages aremore likely to be killed by Israeli actions than by their captors.  

So, this is not about defeating Hamas. This is aboutNetanyahu’s determination to hold on to power. He does so with the support of aright wing Zionist cabal that intends forcing the Palestinian people out oftheir homes in Gaza, the west Bank and East Jerusalem. But he also does thiswith the active endorsement and through the provision of weapons and fundingfrom the United States, the British government and other western allies ofIsrael. President Biden boasted of being a Zionist while Trump describes himselfas Israel’s protector. The genocide in Gaza is as much the responsibility ofAmerica, of Britain, and the EU as it is Netanyahu’s.

Where are the voices of condemnation from these governmentsto Israel’s extermination strategy toward Palestinians. They are silent.

The Irish government must take a stand against the genocide.Francesca Albanese reminded it last week that international law, irrespectiveof the Occupied Territories Bill, requires the Irish government to ban goodsand services from illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. Thisresponsibility derives from the finding by the International Court of Justicethat the occupation of Palestinian land is unlawful and trade should notcontinue. Is this the real reason why none of the 38 government Ministers inDublin could find the time to meet Ms Albanese? It wanted to avoid being toldface to face that it is failing in its human rights duty; that it is notfulfilling its moral and legal responsibilities under international law.

Francesca Albanese is an inspiration. I applaud her courageand her stand in defence of the human rights of the Palestinian people and ofinternational law.

 

The only answer is Unity

There are at least 50,000 people in Belfast reliant on PIP(Personal Independence Payment). Given that levels of disadvantage and poorhealth indicators are higher in west Belfast it is safe to assume that manythousands of families in that part of the city are especially vulnerable toBritish government cuts to the PIP system.

Over the years Labour governments have shown scant regardfor their socialist roots. Often they are just a pale imitation of the Torieswho care even less. They especially show no empathy when it comes to the North.Year after year the British block grant fails to meet our basic public servicerequirements whether in the provision of health, education, housing,agriculture or the environment. The Executive scrambles to stretch a finitebudget.

Five billion is to be cut from PIP. Billions will now bespent on armaments as Europe engages with Russia in a new arms race.

The reality is that English interests are not our interests.No London government gives a damn about the people of the North. Or any part ofIreland. There is only one long term solution – a new shared Ireland in whichwe have control over our own affairs and can manage our taxation and publicservice expenditure in our interests and not those of England. Free from Londonrule. 

 

 

Defend Neutrality | Support the Occupied Territories Bill | Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig

 

Defend Neutrality

If truth be told the long standing claim of neutrality bythe southern Irish state is not all its made out to be. It is a fact thatsuccessive Irish governments have turned a blind eye to American war planesusing Shannon as a stopping off point for attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan, aswell as carrying munitions to Israel for its genocidal war against the peopleof Palestine.  US planes carrying political prisoners to interrogation anddetention sites, where they were tortured, stopped at Shannon to refuel. Abreach of international law. The government did nothing.

In recent months a significant and increasing number ofarticles have been published in the mainstream Dublin based media claiming thatneutrality was fine in the past but is not fit for purpose in the world today.It is ‘morally degenerate’ wrote one writer. Getting rid of neutrality wouldmake the Irish state appear more ‘grown-up’ said another. The language hasbecome increasingly belligerent as the demand is made for a substantialincrease in spending on weapons and for the Irish government to join the NATOalliance.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael representatives have especiallyechoed this demand and are content to become part of a system that would sendyoung Irish men and women go off to fight and die in wars far from their home.

To achieve this the Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael led government isproposing that it abandon the ‘triple lock’ system which up to now hasdetermined when and where Irish troops can be deployed overseas.  Thetriple lock came into effect in 2001, after the defeat of the Nice referendum.It was widely accepted that the loss of the first NICE Treaty referendum wasdue to public concern that the Treaty would subvert Irish neutrality and leadto Irish soldiers participating in a future European Army.

The other EU States accepted that Irish participation in anyEU military operation would require three authorisations. The first ofthe three - ‘triple lock’ requirements – involves the Government, throughthe Cabinet, giving its backing for troop deployment. The second step is asuccessful motion in the Dáil. And the third lock requires the backing of theUN Security Council for sending Irish troops overseas.

The second NICE Treaty referendum was subsequently passed.

In 2023 Micheál Martin indicated that the government wasexamining ways of amending the triple lock mechanism. At the beginning of thismonth the Fine Gael leader Simon Harris won Cabinet approval to ‘reform’ thetriple lock. The proposal is that the Cabinet and the Dáil would still have toagree to any military deployment but the third authorisation would now fall toa regional organisation, such as the EU.

Around 400 university and academic staff from across thestate immediately wrote to the Taoiseach warning that ending the current triplelock requirements “will significantly weaken its (Irish state)commitment to the UN system, UN Peacekeeping and multilateralism.” Theypointed to the fact that this comes at a time when the UN faces unprecedentedchallenges “particularly in the context of Israel’s genocidal war onPalestine … it is easy to be neutral in times of peace. The real test, andwhere it matters most, is being neutral in times of war and heightenedconflict.”

Two years ago an IrishTimes/Ipsos opinion poll  found that the overwhelming majority ofcitizens – 61% - wanted to retain the current model of neutrality. In anopinion poll in early February for Ireland Thinks “75% said ‘yes’ toIreland maintaining the current policy, 17% said 'no' and 7% were 'not sure'.” Thepopular mood is for neutrality but the actions of President Trump on theone hand and of President Putin on the other are creating uncertainty and fear.Add to this the decision by the EU to spend over €800 billion on armamentswhile allowing EU states to breach EU rules on spending, and we have a recipefor a growing crisis in which the only winners are the arms manufacturers.

I believe that a policy of positive neutrality and ofenshrining it within the constitution is the best way forward. That meansnot joining any military alliances. We should refuse to condone policies ormilitary groupings which maintain nuclear weapons and any weapons of massdestruction. And we should refuse to facilitate international conflict in anyway.

It means working for international cooperation and conflictnegotiation, democratic social change and respect for human rights.It means working for universal demilitarisation and nuclear disarmament.

The peace process has enhanced our international standing.Our role in the United Nations, our status as a small state and former colony,mean that we are widely respected, especially in the global south. That statuswas a key factor several years ago in persuading many former colonised nationsto support the Irish government’s place on the UN Security Council.

Spending billions on armaments, including fighter jets iswrong, especially at a time when there is a housing crisis and money isurgently needed for health and education and other public services. The Irishgovernment should be pursuing an independent foreign policy while promotingdialogue and negotiations as the way to resolve international disputes. Theworld does not need another overly armed European state joining the clamour forbigger and better weapons.

 

Support the Occupied Territories Bill

Last week An Taoiseach Micheál Martin is reported to havetold an Israeli lobby group in New York that the Occupied Territories Bill isnot on the legislative calendar. He is sticking rigidly to the line that thereare constitutional difficulties that require the Bill to be significantlyredrafted. The end result of this prevarication is that the OccupiedTerritories Bill remains in limbo.

While Micheál Martin stonewalls meaningful action againstIsrael that state’s genocide against the Palestinian people is unrelenting.Israel has clearly breached the January ceasefire multiple times. Since 15January Israeli forces have killed over 150 civilians in the Gaza Strip,including women and children, charity workers and journalists. For almost threeweeks now Israel has imposed a blockade on desperately needed aid from enteringthe devastated region. It has also turned off Gaza’s electricity preventing thedesalination plants from providing water for the besieged residents.

The extent of Israel’s genocidal strategy was furtherrevealed last week when the UN Independent International Commissionof Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory published a damning reportaccusing Israel of using sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-basedviolence against Palestinians. The Commission found that these acts “violatewomen’s and girls’ reproductive rights and autonomy, as well as their right tolife, health, founding a family, human dignity, physical and mental integrity,freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, and self-determinationand the principle of non-discrimination.” These amount to two categories ofgenocidal acts in the Rome Statute and the Genocide Convention.

The Irish government has to stop pandering to the Netanyahugovernment and uphold international standards on human rights andself-determination. A start would include the passing into law of the OccupiedTerritories Bill.

The full report of the UN Commission can be foundhere. www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session58/a-hrc-58-crp-6.pdf

 

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig

St. Patrick’s Day is an opportunity for the Irish people anddiaspora to celebrate being Irish. In some parts of the world St. Patrick’s Daymorphs into a week of celebrations. I hope you enjoyed your St. Patrick’sDay/week wherever you are.

This year Friends of Sinn Féin published anadvertisement in several US based newspapers, including the New York Timesurging Irish America to speak out on the right of the diaspora to vote in IrishPresidential elections and called on the Irish government to prepare for IrishUnity.

In a message to government Ministers visiting the USA forSt. Patrick’s the FoSF advert said: “Irish America believes that theIrish Government has a constitutional obligation to plan for the unityreferendums promised in the Good Friday Agreement. It is failing to meet thatobligation… It is time to respect the rights of all Irish Citizens to elect theIrish President. It is time the Irish Government planned and prepared forUnity.” They are right.

 

Na Mná Abú | Let's Welcome the World | Opening the Gates of Hell

Na Mná Abú.

I have been a life-long supporter of Antrim’s footballersand hurlers. And the Camógs as well. Colette played county back in the day.Back in another day I had a dream that I too might make the grade.  Butwee boy dreams faded into reality and alas it was not to be.  I sometimesreflect on how different my Gaelic sporting life might have been in a differentpolitical dispensation.  If only?  

So, I have followed our county’s fortunes and misfortunesfrom the side-lines for over seventy years now. That’s a long time.  I amone among many. Not all of us can be county stars. But we kept the faith ontough days out as well as on heady days in Casement and other county groundsand occasionally in Croke. 

In recent years the totally unacceptable delays on buildingthe New Casement has infuriated us all. I am thinking especially of ageneration of young Gaels who have been robbed of the opportunity to play inour county ground. Some of the stalwarts on our Senior county teams may neverget that chance. That’s really not fair.

So I wish our county players the very best of good luck nomatter how much the odds are against us at times. A big thanks to ourmanagement teams, our sponsors, all the committee members and the legions ofvolunteers at every level. And especially the players. 

I keep an eye on the efforts of our Camógs and this columnsupports the footballers ‘Corrigan Or Nowhere’ decision about the UlsterCouncil’s totally unacceptable and stupid decision not to give Antrim ourentitlement to home advantage. I also support Davy Fitzs’s and the CountyBoards efforts to continue the revitalisation of the hurlers in the time ahead.Sunday’s decisive victory against Laois was brilliant. Lovely hurling. 

But enough of the men.

Let’s shine a light on Antrim’s most successful athletes inrecent times. The Ladies Gaelic Football Team.  They are brilliant. Sofar, under the management of Glenavy’s Chris Scullion and Michael Devlin, theyhave had an unbroken run of wins in Division Four.  No mean feat. Verywell done to all involved.

I watched them recently in Davitt Park against Wicklow. Whata great afternoon of Gaelic sport.  Davitts GAC – a great club doingmighty work especially down the Falls – rose to the occasion of hosting asenior game with style. The stewarding was exemplary. The welcoming set up inthe Davitt Park is a credit to the club and all its volunteers.

I lapped up the medal presentations for, and theperformances of the underage girl’s teams who graced the pitch at half time. Iknow similar events with underage teams happen in clubs across the city, countyand country and I know hosting big fixtures, not least in Corrigan Park, is toa very high standard and a great credit to all involved but there was somethingspecial about seeing dozens of wee girls in their club colours playing theirhearts out. And watching their role models in their county colours winning withsuch confidence. 

That’s what lifted us all. The players. Their team work,football skills and cohesion as well as individual displays by some outstandingfootballers. It was a joy to watch. Wicklow are a good team but Antrimoverpowered them and outplayed them in every part of the field.  They didthe same against Derry on Sunday.

A short time ago women or girls didn’t play football in thisorganised way. The GAA was a male only playing zone. No women need apply. That is changing. There is a lot of progress yet to be made. Equality with themale players with support, logistics and resources on the basis of parity isessential. And publicity also.  The achievements of our Antrim footballingwomen Gaels need highlighting. Let’s give them and their mentors the credit andrecognition they deserve. Na mná abu!

 

Let’s welcome the World

It has been a very busy and eventful couple of weeks for allof those who speak and enjoy the Irish language and who have campaigned fordecades against government policies of institutionalised exclusion, inequalityand discrimination.

Two weeks ago, and after years of prevarication bysuccessive British governments, the British Secretary of State finallycommenced the legal process by which the last penal law – the Administrationof Justice (Language) Act (Ireland) 1737 - will finally be repealed.This is an important milestone in the long struggle to ensure equality oflanguage rights for gaeilgeoirí in the North. There is now an onus on theJustice Minister Naomi Long to bring forward effective guidelines in the courtsthat reflect the increasing numbers of citizens using Irish in their dailylives in our society.

Nationally we are also currently in the midst ofan extensive programme of events celebrating Seachtain na Gaeilge.The 17 days of Seachtain are full of events including music and dance,poetry and plays, sport and much more.  Belfast has made a realeffort to participate fully in this programme.

Adding to this atmosphere of positivity the First MinisterMichelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly last weekannounced the launch of the appointments process for the Irish LanguageCommissioner and Ulster Scots Commissioner. This too is an historic, thoughlong overdue, step forward and is an integral part of establishing the newidentity and language bodies.

It was also revealed last week that Belfast will host Oireachtasna Samhna (The November Gathering), the oldest Irish language and artsfestival on the island of Ireland. The festival, which will run from 29 Octoberto 2 November, celebrates the Irish language, arts and traditions and eachyear is packed with events that include debates, films, workshops – all throughthe medium of the Irish language. Thousands of gaeilgeoirí from across theisland and beyond are expected to come to Belfast.

And finally, the icing on the cake was the formalannouncement last Saturday that the biggest celebration of traditional Irishmusic and culture in the world – An Fleadh Cheoil – is coming to Belfastbetween 2 August and 9 August 2026. Over the years I have had the great fortuneto attend the Fleadhs in towns and cities across the island. They areexuberant, hugely enjoyable sessions, with tens of thousands thronging pubs,hotels, community centres and streets to listen to wonderful music.

Next year will mark the Comhaltas’s 75th birthdayand plans are already well advanced for the hundreds of events rangingfrom major concerts to street performances, pop-up gigs and community céilís.There will be music, dance and singing competitions. In addition, Féile anPhobail will take place over the same period. So, Belfast will be alive withthe sound of music.

Well done to all of those who have played a part in thesedevelopments and in particular to the thousands of young people who through AnDream Dearg successfully put the issue of language rights on the public agenda.

John Finucane MP put it well when he welcomed the decisionby Comhaltas. He said: “This will be a game changer for our people andcommunities. Let’s get ready to welcome the world.”

And let’s have a great Saint Patricks Day. Lá Fhéile PadraigFaoi Mhaise Daoibhse.  

Opening the Gates of Hell

Late last week war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu announcedthat he was blocking humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip. His FinanceMinister Bezalel Smotrich applauded this decision and called for the cutting off of electricity and water. Within hours this wasdone.  Smotrich went further and demanded the "openingthe gates of hell on Gaza with a powerful, deadly and quick attack.”

UN Human rights experts accused Israel of "weaponisedstarvation" after the decision to block humanitarian aid. They assertedthat Israel as the occupying power is obliged to ensure sufficient food,medical supplies and other relief services reached the people of Gaza and thewest Bank. They accused Israel of weaponising aid by deliberately cutting vitalsupplies.

None of this will come as a surprise to all of those whohave been appalled by Israel’s genocidal policies. But at a time when much ofthe world’s focus in on US foreign policy toward Ukraine there is a real dangerthat the plight of the people of Palestine will slip off the political agenda.We must not allow that to happen. 

  

Seachtain na Gaeilge | Death of Dafyyd Elis-Thomas

 

Seachtain naGaeilge

Seachtain na Gaeilgeused to run for one week but because it was so popular it was extended. It nowruns annually from 1 March to 17 March – St. Patrick’s Day. 

Is í Seachtain naGaeilge an ceiliúradh is mó den Ghaeilge agus Cultúr na hÉireann ar domhan. Bhían oiread sin ráchairt uirthi gur síneodh amach chuig coicís í. Bíonn sí arsiúl ó 1 Márta go dtí 17 Márta - Lá Fhéile Pádraig, achan bhliain.

Seachtain na Gaeilgewas founded in 1902 by Conradh na Gaeilge as part the Gaelic  revivalof that time. Initially Seachtain na Gaeilge was limited to theisland of Ireland but today it is now a global phenomenon and the largestcelebration of our language and culture here and overseas.

Seachtain is anopportunity to celebrate our native language and culture and to enjoy itall.  I was lucky to attend the Belfast launch in An Cultúrlann on theFalls Road last week. I certainly enjoyed it. It was a greatevent. Bia blasta agus ceol milis. You could tell a new generation is hereto take the language movement forward with confidence. 

Dearbháil Uí Biataigh,Awareness Campaign Executive with Seachtain na Gaeilge, was a great Bean ATígh. Newly elected President of Conradh na Gaeilge, Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéinwas there also.

Múlú & Catrionawere there from Huartan. They performed their new single - Uiseog. They areabsolutely brilliant. I couldn't wait to download this great recording thefollowing day. 

Ainle Ó Cairealláininspired and updated us on the work being done in Gaza and the West Bank insolidarity with the Palestinian people. 

Breandán Ó Fiaich, anold friend and a former teacher of mine and a great activist enthralled us withhis sense of the importance of our language. All and all a great night outwhich was brought to a singing close by Piaras Ó Lorcáin & Bláithín Mhic Cana.

As Minister AislingReilly MLA said at the launch it is a “celebration of our language, acelebration of our culture, a celebration of our history but - more importantly- a celebration of the future ahead of us.”

In Belfast Seachtainna Gaeilge is organised by Conradh na Gaeilge in a strong partnership withFéile an Phobail agus Féile an Earraigh.  From music to dance, from poetryto plays, to exhibitions, to arts and crafts, sport and much more. Whether youhave a cúpla focal, are fluent in the language or want to enjoy yourself andfind out more, there is an extensive programme of events taking place acrossBelfast and beyond for the next couple of weeks. Belfast City Council is one ofmany councils involved in sponsoring and/or running events as part of the17-day festival. 

Voluntary andcommunity groups, schools, libraries, and organisations linked to sport and thearts are all participating. And the opportunity is there for anyone who has abright idea to join with friends and neighbours and colleagues to organisetheir own event. 

To read what's on inthe festival, go to Seachtainna Gaelige le energia or cnag.ie 

I am particularlyproud of the fact that in Belfast, which has a Gaeltacht Quarter, Raidió Fáilte– a radio station - and several thousand children attending Bunscoil andNaiscoileanna, as well as Coláiste Feirste, it is possible for me to do all mylocal business through the medium of Irish, from buying papers, getting ahaircut, shopping, getting lunch, having a pint or buying a cup of coffee.

Language is not aspectator sport. Language requires learning, whether it is done as a child, inschool or as an adult. The key to growing the use of Irish is to use whateverGaeilge you have no matter how limited. All of us can say ‘Go raibh maith agat,le do thoil, fáilte romhat or Cáide mar atá tú.’ And numerous other littlephrases. Why would we ever say ‘Cheers’ or ‘Cheerio’ ever again when we can say‘Slán’ or ‘Sláinte’?

Meantime the DUP tryto hold back the tide. Irritating but futile. So let’s keep moving forward.Together. There is still a lot of work to be done. Seachtain na Gaeilge is apart of this. Well done to everyone organizing and participating. 

Irish is for everyone,Seachtain na Gaeilge le Energia is for everyone – Bain Triail Aisti –Surprise Yourself

 

Death of DafyydElis-Thomas

Next week the funeralwill take place in Cardiff of Dafyyd Elis-Thomas the former leader of PlaidCymru, the Welsh independence party, who died in February. Forty-four years agoDafyyd was an MP in the British Parliament where he played a pivotal role inthe 1981 hunger strike.

Bobby Sands commencedhis hunger strike on 1 March 1981. He was to be followed in the weeks andmonths that followed by other blanket men. Five days after Bobby first refusedfood Frank Maguire, the Independent Republican MP for Fermanagh South Tyrone suddenly diedof a heart attack. Following days of intense discussion, it wasdecided by Sinn Féin to stand Bobby Sands in the by-election. Harry West wasthe Unionist candidate.

When the result wasannounced on the 9 April in Enniskillen’s Technical College - “Sands,Bobby – Anti H-Block/Armagh Political Prisoner – 30,492; West, Harry – Unionist– 29,046” – history was made and the political landscape on the island of Irelandchanged forever. Bobby was elected with a majority of 1447 on an 87% turnout.

Having just suffered asignificant political defeat the British were in no rush suffer another byholding a second by-election. The law was changed to prevent another prisonercandidate from standing however the intention of the British Tory government andof the Parliament was to avoid a motion being introduced which would allow fora potentially embarrassing second by-election.

Two months afterBobby’s death Dafyyd Elis Thomas stepped forward and moved the motion in theHouse of Commons. Gerry Fitt the SDLP leader tried to have it blocked on atechnicality but it went through.

Own Carron who hadbeen Bobby’s election agent stood in the by-election as an Anti-H-Block ProxyPolitical Prisoner. Ken Maginnis was the Unionist Party candidate. The turnoutwas 88.6%. Owen Carron won with an increased majority of 2,230.

The lesson ofelectoral successes was not lost on republicans. In the South Kieran Dohertyand Paddy Agnew won Dáil seats in the June 1981 general election. The followingyear Sinn Féin won five seats in the 1982 Assembly election. And the year afterthat the party secured over 100,000 votes in the British general election ofJune 1983, including the west Belfast seat for the first time ousting GerryFitt.

They were tumultuoustimes – dangerous times – but they changed the face of Ireland – North andSouth. Dafyyd Elis Thomas played a key role and his courage in taking thatstand will always be appreciated. I want to extend my solidarity andcondolences his wife Mair Parry Jones, and to his three sons, Rolant,Meilyr and Cai, from his first marriage.

Brendan McFarlane | Taking A Stand. | Fáilte abhaile Leonard

 

Brendan McFarlane

On Tuesday we buried our friend and comrade BrendanMcFarlane. Bik texted me just over 2 weeks or so ago to say he was back inhospital. He had been battling cancer for some time. A few days later themedics stopped his treatment. There was nothing else they could do for him.Suddenly and unexpectedly he was gone. He died peacefully surrounded byhis loving family.

My solidarity and sympathy to Lene, a mighty woman, and totheir children Emma, Tomás and Tina, his brother Gerard and the wider familycircle. His loss for them is immeasurable. For his countless friendsand comrades his death is a deep blow.

Bik spent almost all of his adult life as a Republicanactivist - an Óglach, a political prisoner, a leader, a man of courage,fiercely proud of and loyal to his community, a resolute advocatefor Irish Unity, a Gaeilgeoir,  a friend and a comrade. 

A lot has been written about Brendan and his IRA activitiesand he surely was a very committed activist but my memories of him are of agood humoured, thoughtful and steadfast friend. We met in prison fifty years orso ago. He used to joke that he became the prisoners Press Officer when headmitted he could type. He was too modest. He could also write. We alwaysgot on well.

Years later Bik was OC of the Blanket Men during the 1981hunger strike. For almost a year he minded the hunger strikers in theBlocks. He stood by Bobby, Francis, Raymond, Patsy, Joe, Martin, Kevin, Kieran,Tom and Mickey and the others who survived it. He met them in the prisonhospital as their bodies slowly failed. He was their voice with the prisonadministration and with the visiting delegations whose principal purpose was topersuade the prisoners to unilaterally end their hunger strike.

Brendan was in daily contact with a small number of usduring that terrible but inspiring summer of 1981. He was the calm steadyleader. A bunch of us inside and outside the H-Blocks and Armagh Women’s Prisonbecame, and remain, remarkably close as we worked to try and prevent the deathsof Bobby Sands and his nine comrades.

I still have the tiny little ‘teach’ that Brendan wrote tome when Bobby died. A “teach” or teachtareacht or a comm was usually written intiny letters on cigarette paper and occasionally on pieces of paper from pagesof the Bible and smuggled out to taobh amuigh from the H-Blocks.

Others will remember Bik’s many other talents andadventures. He was a central figure in the Great Escape when 38 H-Blockprisoners busted their way out of H7 in 1983.  They alsorecall his time with Gerry Kelly on the run in Europe, back again in theH-Blocks and then his work following his release as a political and communityactivist. He was a singer of note and a writer of fine songs.

In his oration Gerry Kelly told the story of an inspiringrepublican – a united Irelander – who never gave up, never bowed the knee – whoremained unyielding and brave to the end. On occasion over these last few daysI have been asked to sum up Brendan; to define the kind of activist he was. Forme he was the man Bobby Sands and his comrades trusted.

Lene was the love of his life. He was a good family man. Agreat friend to those of us privileged to know him as well as we did. For thatI am forever grateful.

Taking A Stand.

The decision by Uachtarán Shinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald andLeas Uachtarán Michelle O’Neill not to attend the St. Patrick’s Day events inthe White House and the Speakers lunch on Capitol Hill, will undoubtedly upsetsome of our friends across Irish America. This is very understandable. Sinn Féin’s access to successive US administrations was won after decades ofvery hard work by many people across North America. Understandably they do notwant to jeopardise or lose that influence. It is worth noting that in the pastSinn Féin has always attended White House events when invited, including duringPresident Trump’s first term in office.

So the Sinn Féin decision was taken after muchdeliberation.  The catalyst for this was the recent statements fromPresident Trump in which he calls for the expulsion of over two millionPalestinian people from the Gaza Strip, his refusal to countenance their returnand his proposal that the United States of America will take over theregion. The decision would have been the same had a democratic Presidentcalled for the expulsion of two million Palestinians.

International law and successive United Nations resolutionsand international agreements have long accepted the need for a two statesolution and the right of the people of Palestine to self-determination.President Trump has torn these up in the interests of an Israeli apartheidstate engaged in genocide and of those multi-national company’s eager toexploit the billions available in the off-shore gas and oil fields off thecoast of Gaza.

The Irish peace process, the imperative of defending theGood Friday Agreement as well as the need for constitutional change andeconomic investment have always topped Sinn Féin’s political agenda in all ourvisits to the USA. Successive US administrations have played a positive andimportant role in building and sustaining the peace. The historic connectionsbetween Ireland and the USA are important to us.

We acknowledge this each time we visit America and Sinn Féinleaders who will be travelling again to the USA in March will do so again. Theywill actively and positively engage with political leaders, Irish America, thetrade union movement and US business. As Mary Lou McDonald says Irish Americaand the USA is an “important partner for peace” and “St.Patrick’s Day, each year, is an important moment to re-enforce all of thoseconnections.”

Irish republicans are also internationalists. We have aresponsibility to use the opportunities available to us to raise our concernsabout international issues where we believe the US administration is wrong. Wedo so with the Irish and British governments and in the EU and otherinternational forums.  We do so respectfully but firmly. Until now ourcriticisms have been ignored by former President Joe Biden and now PresidentTrump.

From the first time I met President Clinton thirty years agoand thereafter with subsequent US Presidents I always took the opportunity toraise my concerns about US foreign policy about the embargo on Cuba, the plightof the people of Palestine, the efforts to advance peace in the Basque country,freedom for Leonard Peltier and of other issues of concern for Irish people andothers. I travelled to Cuba and also Gaza. Undoubtedly this caused difficultiesat the time for some of our friends in the USA. But like us their commitment toIreland allowed us and them to overcome these differences of opinion. 

Sometimes a stand has to be taken and friends can agree todisagree because our main common ground is unity for Ireland as set out in theGood Friday Agreement.  What Mary Lou and Michelle are doing is taking astand against what President Trump is proposing for the people ofPalestine.  To be silent or to acquiesce to the expulsion of a people fromtheir homeland is be complicit in it. It demands, as Mary Lou says, “seriousdissent and objection.”

So too does the use of USA armaments in Gaza and the WestBank and the White House endorsement of multiple breaches of International lawby the Government of Israel.

The stance taken by the Trump administration is tantamountto throwing petrol on a fire. It is storing up a depth of division and angerthat has never been witnessed before in the Middle East and it makes anyprospect for a peace process problematic for years to come.

 

Fáilte abhaile Leonard

Leonard Peltier was finally released from prison in Floridalast week. The 80-year-old political prisoner had spent almost the last 50years in prison protesting his innocence. Leonard is a member ofthe Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and he now on hisreservation in North Dakota. His family and friends gathered to welcome himhome. After his release he said: “They may have imprisoned me but they nevertook my spirit!” and he thanked “all my supporters throughout the world who foughtfor my freedom.” Fáilte abhaile Leonard.