26 February 2004 Edition

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Sinn Féin's Tallaght Ard Fheis

1994 SF Ard Fheis

The 1994 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis

In 1994, Killinarden in the South Dublin suburb of Tallaght played host to the 89th Sinn Féin Ard Fheis. The annual gathering took place at a key moment in the search for a workable peace process in Ireland. The Ard Fheis was held in the community hall in Killinarden because Sinn Féin had been again refused permission to hold its annual gathering in the Mansion House.

An orchestrated barrage of opposition from Dublin 4, eagerly relayed in the media, railed against Sinn Féin in general and against local people for opening their area to the party.

Opening the Ard Fheis was local Sinn Féin representative Seán Crowe, who thanked the people of Killinarden for not allowing reactionary politicians to intimidate them into refusing the use of the community hall. "Tallaght people have suffered demonisation, as have Sinn Féin, and it is to their credit that they refused to be intimidated," said Crowe.

The Ard Fheis came at a critical juncture in the Irish Peace Process, just after the lifting of Section 31 censorship and six months before the IRA declared its historic cessation of military operations. The conference attracted huge media interest, as it marked the first time in 23 years that Sinn Féin voices were heard on RTÉ.

Seán Crowe kept plugging away and is now TD for the area. "The people of Killinarden were proved right," he says today. "They welcomed Sinn Féin in 1994 at a time when the party was being attacked by those who could not or would not see the potential of the developing Peace Process. Despite the attempts at villification, it was a great weekend and everything went off brilliantly. The world's media were there and the area, which was accustomed to a negative portrayal in the news, was shown in a very positive light.

"The success of that process to date can be traced back to that memorable Ard Fheis weekend in late February 1994, ten years ago this week."


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