Expanding the debate on Unity: Celebrating 100 years: Keep supporting Palestinian people: Seán Mackel

 

Expanding the debate on Unity

A recent report - "Northern IrelandSubvention: Possible Unification Effects" - published bythe Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) caught theheadlines. It contained the startling claim that Irish Unity could cost theSouth up to €20 billion annually. It was grist to the mill of those who opposeunity.

Before the day was out contrary andcritical opinions of the report began to emerge with other senior economistscriticising it for its failure to acknowledge that a united Ireland will nothave responsibility for much of the subvention and that the amounts involvedare significantly smaller. 

Whatever one’s view of the meritsof the IIEA report it succeeded in creating a debate around the shape of afuture economy for the island of Ireland and that is a good thing. Ithighlighted the absence of any planning by the Irish government and reinforcedthe call for a Citizens’ Assembly to discuss future constitutionalarrangements. 

In a further contribution to theconversation around the future shape of a united Ireland Sinn Féin last weekpublished its latest policy document aimed at tackling division and segregationin society. ‘A New Ireland for all: Ending Sectarian Segregation’. Itsobjective is a shared society in which all citizens are cherished, respectedand protected in a new national constitutional democracy. Among thecontributors to the launch was Denzil McDaniel, former editor of the ImpartialReporter in Fermanagh and political commentator.

He told the audience in St.Comgall’s/Eileen Howell Ionad that; “There is a momentum building in thediscourse about a new Ireland, about the economy, what a health service or theeducation system would look like. These are all important conversations, andI’m not ignoring them; nor indeed the new Taoiseach Simon Harris’sdisappointing start in continuing the Southern Government’s failure to embrace theconversation.

But, specific this policy launch isabout ending sectarianism and segregation and that is vital in building abetter society. Small conversations about the kind of shared society we want tolive in and pass on to our children, and grandchildren, are important.Conversations about breaking down barriers, building trust, buildingrelationships are crucial. I was talking to a Protestant friend recently aboutwhat reconciliation really means and he later sent me this definition.

At its simplest, it means finding a way to livealongside former enemies - not necessarily to love them, or forgive them, orforget the past in any way, but to coexist with them, to develop the degree ofcooperation necessary to share our society with them, so that we all havebetter lives together than we have had separately.”

The new policy document is available at: https://vote.sinnfein.ie/need-for-step-change-to-tackle-sectarianism-and-build-better-future-oneill/

 

Celebrating 100 years

Last week I travelled to South Armagh with a large bunchof flowers to join the family of Maisie Moley in celebrating her 100th birthday.Maisie is a fresh, sprightly centenarian – the matriarch of the large Moleyfamily. She and they were in great form as we pushed back the furniturefor the obligatory photographs and all joined in the singing of Lá BreitheShona Duit.

The last time I was at the Moley household was in March1988 when Martin McGuinness and I carried the remains of her son IRA VolunteerBrendan Moley from the family home to his funeral with his comrade VolunteerBrendan Burns. Both had been killed in an explosion. I remembered all of thatas I drove along the narrow country roads and the South Armagh hilltops oneither side of us.

Well done Maisie. Happy 100 birthday to you. 

 

Keep supporting Palestinian people

As the world holds its breathwaiting on the outcome of the current face-off between Iran and Israel and thepotential for a regional war, the slaughter of innocents continues in the Gazastrip and on the west Bann. 

Two weeks ago Israel destroyed partof the Iranian consulate in the Syrian Capital of Damascus. Senior Iranianofficials were killed. Last weekend, after giving a 72 hour warning of itsintention to respond, several hundred drones and missiles were launched by Iranagainst military targets in Israel. Iran has said that it has now concluded itsresponse. But has Israel? 

In the meantime the Israeligenocide against the Palestinian people continues. Pogroms against Palestinianvillages in the west Bank are increasing and hunger has already claimedPalestinian lives, mainly of children.  All of this increases the need forus to keep supporting the Palestinian people.

Seán Mackel

Seán Mackel died peacefullyin his sleep on 6th April. He was ninety one years old. Seán was thebeloved husband of the late Phyllis and loving father to Ciarán, Seán, Pádraig andÁine. He was father-in-law of Cathy, Susanne, Kate and the late Robert. Hewas also a much loved Grandfather and Great Grandfather. His family andfriends, including Jim Gibney and me gathered at St Patrick’s Church Saul in County Down for his funeral on April9th. 

We are all the lesser for hispassing. Especially his family and his generation ofactivists.   Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a nanam uasal. Seánsson, Ciarán, put it well in his eulogy when he said

“Seán’s life was blessed withlove and sacrifice.  And, as his children and grandchildren, we havebeen blessed with joy and love.  As a community, we have gained fromhis vision, and resoluteness, and been emboldened by his courage and strongcharacter in the face of threat, persecution, and refusal. We arebroken-hearted at his loss, full of sorrow and grief, but united in ourcelebration of his life, and humbled and enriched by his legacy of practicalcontributions to our community.”

That phrase ‘practicalcontributions to our community’ sum up Seán’s activism for me. He was also aprogressive Catholic, a do-er, a gentleman, a Christian and an Irishpatriot. 

Seán was born in 1933 and raisedin Servia Street, Falls Road and in Britton’s Parade in the Whiterock.Seán’s  mother Josephine died when he was sixteen, with the youngestof the nine siblings only four years old.  Geordie, their father,raised his children on his own, supported by Seán, and older sisters Maureenand Nora.  

Seán was educated in St Kevin’sprimary school, and then in St Malachy’s. He went on to become anarchitect. Seán and Phyllis were married in 1954, and they lived for ashort period in Ligoniel and then  Andersonstown, where they raisedtheir four children.  

Seán Mac Goill is one of that bandof visionaries and activists which gave us the new Bombay Street after theoriginal Bombay Street was destroyed in the 1969 pogroms, the urban Gaeltachton Bóthar Seoighe, Ballymurphy Enterprises, The Andersontown News, the Whiterock Industrial Estate, Garáiste an Phobail, TheRockKnitwear Group and many other projects going backto the mid 1960s.  Seán and his peers and their pioneering families were  also immersedin  the Irish language in West Belfast and the wider cultural revolution acrossthe city.

Have no doubtsabout their achievements.  This is a hugely successful group of progressive Irish men andwomen. Theypersisted. And they prevailed. And we all benefitted. They created the structures for education, employment, progress, andself help despite fierce opposition from an actively hostile unionist andBritish regime. None ofthose involved benefitted personally from these initatives.

When theassets of the Industrial Estate – which was taken over by the British Army in1979 – were liquidised the proceeds went to Irish language projects, includingthe new Naíscoil an tSéibhe Dhuibh.

SeanMackle was a very practical activist. He told me once that we needed to replacenames of buildings and project with Irish names. ‘Dontuse the English translation. Use only the Irish and  thats what  people will use also’. He cited AnCumann Chluain Ard and the old Ard Scoil as examples of this. He said Sinn Féinshould have done that with Connolly House and of course he’s right.

 AnChultúrlann is a good example of Sean’s philosophy. So is Féile An Phobail.

An evenolder example is the name Sinn Féin. Gael Ionad MhicGioll, in Ballymurphy, is named after Seán. Itis fitting that plans to expand this facility are well advanced at thistime. 

Seán was a champion of self-helpand co-operative enterprises. He got things done.  He and hiscompatriots  made things happen. Déan é, na h-abair é – don’t justsay it, do it was their mantra. 

Phyllis and Seán moved toDownpatrick in 1988.  His work on Irish language developmentcontinued and he worked for many years for Iontaobhas na Gaelscolaíochta,supporting new and emerging Gaelscoileann. Seán remains inspirational tolanguage and community activists.

 

Gael go smior,is flaithiúil. Ní bheidh a leithid ann arís.

Go ndéana Dia trócaire air, issuamhneas síoraí ar a anam dílís.  

If you want to learn more aboutthese mighty men an women and especially about Seán I am recommendingthe book Togáil Croí. Seán Mac Goill edited by Seán Misteal. It is availible from An Ceathrú Póílí, AnCulturlann. Bothar na bhFál, Belfast.