“What The Proclamation
Means To Me”
By Tommy McKearney (Journalist and former Republican prisoner)
“Reflecting on the Proclamation”
Republicanism is not a religion or a faith but is instead a living, vibrant
political philosophy underpinning forms of governance that due to ongoing
development defies facile attempts to define in a few paragraphs. This
particular fact is not always appreciated by republicans in Ireland. After
centuries of Roman Catholic culture here, there is a tendency among many to
seek out dogmatic certainties in the political world as well as in the
spiritual. Hence, those who talk of ‘true republicanism’ as if the
characteristics or qualities could be bottled and analysed for its
distinctive elements.
Unfortunately, there is no such easy assembled package for the republican
devotee. What exists instead is a rich history of human endeavour attempting
to create republican society. Some of these efforts have been commendable
and others not so worthy of emulation. All of them, however, are worth
examination if only to discover what has improved society and what has held
humanity back and most important of all – to reveal what is pertinent to
republicanism in Ireland of the present.
Among the most commendable of works designed to illustrate a path for
republicans was the Easter Proclamation of 1916. It was a document that
should not be treated, however, as if a deity had handed it to us or
inspired its authors, leaving its every word sacred and beyond
reconsideration. It was and remains a work of its era but one that has
nevertheless stood the test of time remarkably well.
Immediately after proclaiming the republic, it asserted the people’s right
to ownership of Ireland and to unfettered control of its destinies as a
sovereign and indefeasible right. It also guaranteed civil and religious
liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all and to cherish all the
children of the nation equally.
For a group of people whose immediate concern was committing themselves to a
huge and one-sided battle, this was a very respectable programme albeit one
in miniature. They did not simply repeat calls made by earlier generations
of revered Irish republicans. In spite of the imminent and awful danger in
front of them, they sketched an outline for a better society than what was
then existent in Ireland. And that remains one of the two great impacts
achieved by an historic document.
The inspirational nature of the Proclamation in its call to arms and heroic
struggle has long been recognised. The unnerving courage of those who signed
it during wartime, knowing that by doing so they were practically assuring
their own execution, cannot fail to raise admiration. These facts combined
with its central part in a historic and seminal episode has often caused the
proclamation to be viewed almost as if it were a poster advertising the
drama that was Easter Week.
Of course it was all of that but it also was a guide to the future in its
own right and that fact should always be kept central to any analysis. The
Proclamation remains a reminder that the leaders of the Rising viewed
republicanism as more than national self-determination. They also sought a
better society for all the people and that lay at the heart of their
struggle.
The Proclamation should remain an inspiration for us with its message
challenging us to struggle and to build a better world than the one we have.
The people who drafted the document would be happy with that, I think.
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