Volunteer Patrick Cannon remembered

Conor O’Moore, nephew of Vol Pat Cannon, reads the Dublin Brigade Roll of Honour

REPUBLICANS from across Ireland gathered in Balgriffin Cemetery in north Dublin on Saturday 16th July to remember IRA Volunteer Patrick Cannon (20), from Edenmore in Raheny, who died in a premature explosion on the Donegal/Tyrone border along with his comrade Volunteer Peter McElcar (19) on 17th July 1976.
Pat’s nephew, Conor O’Moore, read the Dublin Brigade Roll of Honour and other members of Pat’s family were also present at the commemoration, which was organised by the local Sinn Féin cumann, named after Pat Cannon.
Speaking at the event, Sinn Féin Senator Kathryn Reilly, the youngest person ever to be elected to the Seanad, spoke of the bravery and courage of the young IRA Volunteer and his dedication to the republican cause. She called on republicans across the country to continue the struggle for which Pat laid down his life:
“We urge people to become involved in Sinn Féin’s campaign for Irish unity. We need to have a truly national debate about how we can transform our country on the basis of reconciliation, an end to partition and the creation of a new Republic which cherishes all the children of the nation equally.”
Local Sinn Féin Councillors Larry O’Toole and Mícheál Mac Donncha were there along with Noel Harrington, Sinn Féin councillor for Kinsale, County Cork. The parade to the ceremony was led by the Dublin republican colour party and the Rising Phoenix RFB.
The event came to a close with the niece of IRA Volunteer Martin Doherty, Saoirse, singing Amhrán na bhFiann.