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Remember the Rising - Reclaim The Republic!

27/04/08

éirígí activists across Ireland distributed thousands of Proclamations of the Irish Republic to mark the 92nd anniversary of the Easter Rising on Thursday, April 24.

Nearly a century ago, Irish women and men took armed control of Dublin city in order to break the British occupation and establish a democratic republic in Ireland. The Rising sent shockwaves through the British establishment and its Irish allies.

The 1916 Rebellion saw a coming together of all the strands of radical activism in early 20th Century Ireland – cultural, political, economic and social. Its potential was obvious and therefore brutally crushed and its leaders swiftly executed by the British government.

The period following the Rising saw the radicalisation of Irish society and a popular demand for national independence and social change manifested itself in a new popular republican movement, based upon the principles of the Proclamation. In short, the Irish people arose and demanded freedom.

The events of 1916 completely changed the fabric of Irish society and have inspired people in every generation since to fight for the same ideals.

Today, over 90 years later, the aspirations of the signatories of the 1916 Proclamation remain unrealised.

A British-occupied, unionist-controlled state built upon crude sectarianism is in place in Ireland’s north-east, and right-wing forces have consolidated the Twenty-Six County state for their own selfish ends. Partition, occupation and exploitation continue, and the ‘children of the nation’ live in one of the most unequal and abnormal societies in Europe.

The result of the scheming of the British Government, the duplicity of Irish politicians and, ultimately, the aborted revolution is that Irish republicans continue to struggle daily to complete the unfinished business of 1916.

To mark the anniversary and encourage people to ‘Reclaim The Republic’, éirígí activists in many parts of the country, including south Derry, south Antrim, north Munster, the Donegal Gaeltacht, Belfast and Dublin, distributed poster size Proclamations free of charge, door-to-door and on the streets.

In Dublin, Proclamations were handed out in Crumlin, at Clondalkin village, the Square in Tallaght and the Northside Shopping Centre in Coolock, where éirígí activists received a warm response throughout. Click here see more photos from Dublin.

In Belfast, activists distributed Proclamations in the Short Strand area in the east and the St James’s area of the west, receiving encouragement and support from the local community. A letter explaining the initiative was also circulated. Click here to read the letter and see more photos from Belfast.

In Ballymena, a memorial was erected to the volunteers of 1916 in the form of a six-foot by four-foot proclamation in the Fisherwick estate. Every home in the area received a Proclamation and residents were encouraged to support the Reclaim The Republic campaign.

In north Tipperary, the same initiative was rolled-out in Roscrea, with éirígí activists meeting the local community to explain the Reclaim The Republic campaign and encourage support.

éirígí chairperson, Brian Leeson explained the initiative and the reasons éirígí have launched the Reclaim The Republic campaign.

“Thursday’s initiative, spread over various locations, brings the total number of Proclamations distributed to 75,000 and illustrates the growth of our fledgling party.

éirígí was launched with six activists in Dublin two years ago and now we have hundreds of activists and supporters located across the country, illustrating the appetite for a socialist republican critique of modern Irish society.

“We believe that every Irish citizen should have this seminal document hanging in a place of pride in their homes, schools and places of work. It enshrines all that is right about the revolution of 1916 and all that is right about the ongoing republican struggle for political and economic liberation.

“Regardless of hype, spin, postulations or bare faced lies by the British government and its domestic allies, the Proclamation holds a candle to the inequality and abnormality of our society and, when read, should encourage each and every Irish citizen to reclaim the Republic that is rightfully theirs.

“The Proclamation of the Irish Republic is a projection of a better Ireland; an Ireland free from tyranny, exploitation and occupation, in which our people can live in an atmosphere of mutual benefit and solidarity.”

Brian concluded: “That is the crux of our campaign – to Reclaim The Republic. It is multi faceted, as is our party, yet, centrally, we are about building, together with others, towards an Irish republic worthy of that name. In doing so we will expose and resist every attempt by our country’s enemies, both foreign and domestic, to impose on the people of Ireland anything less than what the revolutionaries of 1916 fought and died for.”

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