Sinn Féin commemorates the 1916 Easter Rising – Some reports and photos

‘Irish unity makes economic and political sense’ – Gerry Adams

SINN FÉIN President and TD for Louth and East Meath Gerry Adams told republican commemorations in Drogheda and Dundalk that the leaders of 1916 would be appalled by the policies of this and previous Dublin governments:

Dundalk

Never was there greater need for republican politics on this island than today. The Republic which was proclaimed in 1916 has been set aside by those in the political establishment, and the limited freedom won after the Rising has been squandered.

Imagine what James Connolly would say were he to visit the Louth County Hospital or the A&E at Drogheda?

What would he say about elderly hospital patients stuck on trolleys for days?

What would his response be to the half a million people unemployed across this state? Or to the Universal Social Charge?

What would he say about the way working people are being treated while big bankers are paid millions?

We can imagine Pearse’s response to the sell-off of our natural resources.

We can say with certainty that the men and women of 1916 would not be part of the golden circle of greedy financiers and developers and corrupt politicians who have practically bankrupted the state.

In the North, Sinn Fein is fighting hard to secure fiscal powers from London, while in this state this government and its predecessor have given away our economic sovereignty.

In their time, the leaders of the Rising warned against partition and its divisive and debilitating potential. Connolly predicted it would cause a carnival of reaction. He was right. Partition is uneconomic and inhibits Ireland’s potential for economic growth. People here in County Louth and in other border counties know this.

The commemoration of the Rising and the run into the centenary anniversary needs to become a rallying point for Irish citizens to stand up for our rights.

The usurpation of citizen’s rights and the continued power of social and economic elites could not happen in a real republic. Apart from the indomitable spirit of the people, and the resilience of communities, there is nothing in this state today which bears any resemblance to the Republic proclaimed in 1916.

The Establishment parties – Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, the Labour leadership – pay lip service to the Republic.
The new government is only in power for seven weeks but already the Labour Party leadership that is part of that Fine Gael Government has shed what remained of its radical politics.

And for its part, Fine Gael has u-turned on its pledges and is now implementing a Fianna Fáil manifesto.

They will continue to do this until and unless a real alternative is created.

Gerry Adams said Irish unity “makes political and economic sense” and he said that “an important element of the struggle has to be about persuading unionists that their future and that of their children, lies with the rest of us on this island.

This won’t be easy but already there is a recognition by the business community of the economic sense of an all-island economy, or joined-up health services or agriculture.

There is a logic to greater and closer co-operation between North and South. So, let us use our collective imagination and our political strength in the first instance to erase the border. Let us make it irrelevant.

Let us demonstrate in practical ways, no matter how small, that Irish people, organised and working together, can overcome any obstacle and can build a new and better society, based on equality, that works for everyone. And let us do it in our time.

Drogheda

‘This land is our land, let’s take it back from the Golden Circle’ – Mary Lou McDonald

I support the call of Justice for the Forgotten for the British Government to release for international, independent scrutiny all the relevant files in their possession on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17th May 1974. If that is not done before the arrival of the English queen on that very anniversary then insult will be added to injury
– Dublin Central TD Mary Lou McDonald

At Dublin's GPO

SPEAKING at Sinn Féin’s main Easter Commemoration at the very site of the 1916 Rising, Dublin’s GPO, on Easter Sunday, Vice-President Mary Lou McDonald TD accused the political Establishment in the 26 Counties of trampling on the 1916 Proclamation.

The newly-elected Dublin Central TD said:

Tagaimíd go dtí an áit stairiúil seo, Ard Oifig an Phoist, chun cuimhniú ar Éirí Amach na Cásca 1916 agus chun omós a thabhairt dóibh siúd a fuair bás ar son na Poblachta.

Táimíd bródúil as na daoine sin uile, ach go háirithe iad siúd as Baile Átha Cliath.

Irish republicans gather here today, Easter 2011, at the historic GPO to remember with great pride all those who died in the cause of the Irish Republic.We take special pride in the memory of the republicans of Dublin who gave their lives in the struggle for freedom.

We make no distinction between the republicans who died in 1916 and those who died in the struggle of our own time.

This year marks the 95th anniversary of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic and the 1916 Easter Rising.

We honour the brave men and women, boys and girls who challenged the British Empire and asserted the right of the people of Ireland to national self-determination.

Dublin is a great city and it’s great to be a Dub – in football, in hurling and in Irish republicanism!

This is the city that fought an Empire. This is the city where the Volunteers of Óglaigh na hÉireann and the Irish Citizen Army lit a beacon in 1916, a beacon that inspired freedom-loving people across the globe.

Without question, our forebears, the soldiers of the Irish Republic, hastened the end of Empire. The Proclamation read by Pádraig Mac Piarais on this very spot 95 years ago set the agenda for the Irish people.

That Proclamation asserted the right of the Irish people to the ownership of Ireland.

Never was it more necessary to assert that right than it is today because the political Establishment in this state have trampled on the 1916 Proclamation.

They have wrecked the Irish economy and sold what remains of our economic sovereignty to the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank.

They have bowed the knee to international bankers and capitalists, to the IMF, the ECB and the EU Commission.

The Golden Circle of politicians, bankers and developers have virtually destroyed the Irish economy – and they were bank-rolled by the same international bankers and capitalists and approved by the IMF, the ECB and the EU Commission.

They committed these crimes against our economy but they want us, the Irish people, to pay the price.

Well, our answer to them is ‘No!’

‘No’ to the surrender of our sovereignty.

‘No’ to the IMF/EU deal.

‘No’ to the attacks on the pay of low to middle-income workers.

‘No’ to savage cuts to health and education and social welfare.

Sinn Féin stands with communities across this city and this country who are experiencing these attacks. We are campaigning for a reversal of the disastrous economic strategy begun by Fianna Fáil and the Greens and now continued by Fine Gael and the Labour Party.

We are campaigning for a real way forward out of this economic crisis, a republican way forward, based on the rights of our people.

It is entirely fitting that the political Establishment that has bowed the knee to the IMF/ECB is the same Establishment that is now preparing to bow the knee to the English queen when she comes here next month. Sinn Féin is opposed to that visit and we will demonstrate our opposition with organised events here in our capital city.

Our events will be peaceful and democratic. They will make clear our opposition to a visit that is inappropriate, ill-timed and premature. There can never be normal relations between the Irish people and the British head of state while our country remains partitioned.

I also want to support the call of Justice for the Forgotten for the British Government to release for international, independent scrutiny all the relevant files in their possession on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17th May 1974. If that is not done before the arrival of the English queen on that very anniversary then insult will be added to injury.

I said at the start that it’s great to be a Dub. Let me add that it’s great to be one of four Sinn Féin TDs for Dublin and one of 14 in this state.

I want to thank the great people of this city for electing Seán Crowe TD, Dessie Ellis TD, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD and myself on 25th February.

It was a magnificent result for Sinn Féin in Dublin. It’s still hard to believe the score for this city: Sinn Féin 4, Fianna Fáil 1.

I commend all those who have worked so hard for Sinn Féin in this city not only in the past year but over many years to achieve renewed and increased political strength.

We are determined now to use our political strength to provide radical and principled leadership for the people of Dublin and for the Irish people as a whole and to advance, with them, towards a New Republic on this island.

We have made tremendous progress. The North of Ireland has been transformed almost beyond recognition. What has brought this about?

The republican peace strategy, the Peace Process, the agreements negotiated by Sinn Féin, the partnership administration in which we share power with unionists, the all-Ireland structures on which we insisted – all these have transformed the Six Counties for the better.

The days of one-party rule, British direct rule and second-class citizenship for nationalists are over. Policing has had a new beginning. There has been demilitarisation. The status of the Irish language has been enhanced.

But much, much more remains to be done; above all we have to re-unite our country and our people, to end partition and to start building a New Republic for the 21st century.

That’s the spirit in which Sinn Féin is fighting the Assembly and local elections in the Six Counties. The election campaign needs to be an all-Ireland effort and I would encourage people to play their part in those elections.

Polling day in the Six Counties is a day of historic resonance for Irish republicans – 5th May. On that day Bobby Sands died on hunger strike in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh.

We remember Bobby, Frank, Ray, Patsy, Joe, Martin, Kieran, Kevin, Tom and Mickey. Ba laochra iad uile agus ní dheánfaimíd dearmad orthu go deo.

The best way to honour their memory is to continue our work to achieve the New Ireland – the all-Ireland Republic for which they and so many others gave their lives.

I urge people to become involved. Join Sinn Féin. Become active in your community, in your trade union, in your workplace, in your college. Join us on this historic journey and bring others with you. In the words of James Connolly in 1916: “Never had man or woman a grander cause; never was a cause more grandly served.”And in the words of the song:

“This land is our land.”

Let’s take it back!

‘We will achieve a united Ireland’ – Martin McGuinness

Let there be no doubt about it. We are for the removal of partition, the end of British jurisdiction in Ireland and the reunification of our nation. And, in the words of Pádraig Pearse, the people are the nation
– Martin McGuinness

MARTIN McGUINNESS, Sinn Féin MP for Mid-Ulster and deputy First Minister, gave the keynote address at the republican Easter Rising commemoration in Loup, County Derry, on Easter Sunday during which he said:

Easter Week 1916 was one of the greatest historical events of the last century. It started the bushfire of decolonisation, which was to engulf what was the then British Empire. It inspired generations of Irish Republicans and peoples throughout the world who rose up against the tyranny of colonial rule, imperialism and oppression. It is a fire still burning in the heart of every Irish republican.

This is also the 30th anniversary of the Hunger Strike of 1981. Our comrades who gave their lives and those of us who survived to take up their mantle were and are about bringing about achieving a free, independent and united Ireland based on equality for all those living on this island.

Let there be no doubt about it. We are for the removal of partition, the end of British jurisdiction in Ireland and the reunification of our nation. And, in the words of Pádraic Pearse, the people are the nation.

It is fitting, therefore, poignant that we stand at the graveside of Seán Larkin of County Derry. He was one of the first victims of partitionist rule in our country, one of the 77 republican prisoners of war executed by the Free State Government during the Civil War, one of over 100 who were killed in prisons and on roadsides after capture by Free State forces.

Consider the plight of Seán Larkin. A native of County Derry, he saw his country divided by the British Government. He saw the province of Ulster cut in pieces and Derry divided from Donegal. But worse than this, he saw a Treaty signed by Irish representatives in London which agreed to the partition of Ireland and then established a government in Dublin which made war on republicans at Britain’s behest.

Seán rejected the Treaty and stood by the Irish Republic. He came to Donegal and found a welcome among the republicans of that county before his capture and execution at Drumboe on 14th March 1923. Executed with him on that day were his comrades of County Kerry – Charlie Daly, Daniel Enright and Timothy O’Sullivan. Republican soldiers in Kerry, they came North to stand with the people of the Six Counties during the reign of terror imposed on them as the Orange regime, hand in glove with the British Government, established the Northern state, the Orange State. How tragic it was that these IRA Volunteers from Derry and Kerry who symbolised the unity of Ireland should die at the hands of an Irish Government.

Today is not a day for high politics. Today is a day when we have the opportunity to pay tribute to our fallen comrades and extend ongoing solidarity to their families and friends.

We remember with pride the fallen County Derry IRA Volunteers of the present phase of the struggle for freedom and we extend our continuing sympathy and solidarity to the families of Volunteers Martin Lee, John Bateson, James Sheridan, Francis Hughes, Thomas McElwee, Danny McMullen, Antoine Mac Giolla Bhrighde, Francis Bradley and James Kelly.

We remember all republicans who have died and who gave service in the current phase of the Irish people’s long struggle for national self-determination. And we remember all who have died in the tragic conflict in our country and sympathise with all who were bereaved.

The IRA fought a long guerrilla war in these hills and in towns and cities and villages across the north for over 30 years. The IRA forced the British Government to the negotiating table. But the IRA were not war mongers.

They were a revolutionary force who, when an opportunity to advance the struggle for Irish unity through peaceful means was established, removed itself from the political equation.

The IRA by its nature was of the people and for the people. It could not have survived and fought the British state the way it did if it was small and unrepresentative. People should be under no illusion – the small factions currently engaging in armed actions are not the IRA and they are not advancing national and democratic objectives by their activities.

Irish people are united in support of the Good Friday, St Andrews and Hillsborough agreements; attempting to overturn the will of the Irish people is not only futile, it is stupid and selfish. Ireland can now only be reunited by the further development and outworking of the power-sharing and all-Ireland institutions which were endorsed by the Irish people in the referendum in 1998.

No act of violence will advance the cause of reunification by one millimetre. It is patently not possible to advance towards Irish reunification by any means other than peaceful and democratic processes. Those who believe that Ireland can be reunited without the support of the Irish people are living in a fool’s paradise.
The recent election results in the 26 Counties show an all-Ireland and united Ireland political strategy in action.

Breakthrough: 14 Sinn Féin TDs

Sinn Féin have made the breakthrough in the South. It didn’t happen by accident. It happened because republicans faced harsh realities, rebuilt after previous disappointments and pressed ahead with the struggle. We did not become deflected by the media spin, we did not allow our opponents in the media and elsewhere who sought to undermine our electoral project in the South at every turn to gain the upper hand. Our people stuck to their task, done the hard work and got the result. I pay tribute to each and every person who stood for Sinn Féin, worked for Sinn Féin or voted for Sinn Féin in that election – you are all agents of change.

When our 14 TDs joined with our 27 MLAs and our MEP recently at Stormont, a powerful and irrefutable symbol of leadership across Ireland and of a project advancing was clear for all to see. However, on its own it is not enough. We need to build the party in every parish in Ireland. People need to come forward and join Sinn Féin – people who were involved in the past, those who help out at election time, ex-POWs, republican families, young people – we need everyone involved. As we drive forward towards the Republic people need to continue to make a stand.

In the North, we have led in government. Four years ago, we offered the people a choice. We asked the electorate to vote for real change, to vote for positive leadership. We promised to promote equality, to deliver stable and inclusive power-sharing government in the North, to bring about the transfer of policing and justice powers, and to advance towards Irish unity and national reconciliation. We delivered.

On May 5th, the anniversary of the death of IRA Volunteer Bobby Sands, citizens in the Six Counties will go to the polls in the Assembly election. We want to build on the momentum of our success in the 26 Counties. That means an all-Ireland effort. It means activists from every county in Ireland playing their own part in this campaign. It means continuing the process of change. The future lies in Irish unity and national equality.

I am asking the electorate to speak loudly on May 5th, to come out in large numbers and in doing do take this opportunity to make it clear that the Irish people have a vision for a better future.

Sinn Féin has become the largest political party in the North.  We became the third largest party in Ireland.

We are the only all-Ireland party. Republicans have the capability of achieving a united Ireland and we are constantly building the capacity to achieve that goal.

We will only do that by leading with courage and imagination, by taking initiatives and, above all, by hard work.

More and more people in Ireland, North and South, are joining us and looking to us for leadership. It has been the republican ability to face each new situation, each new obstacle to overcome, in an open and imaginative way which has proven the versatility and ability of the republican activist. There is no lack of work in this struggle and make no mistake the work that republicans put into this struggle is the envy of political struggles the world over.

Sinn Féin believes in people. Sinn Féin believes in empowering people, in working in partnership with local communities to tackle problems and map out new policies.

Sinn Féin is a republican party. We are the only all-Ireland party. Our goal is to see a united Ireland that delivers real social and economic change. We are the only party with a strategy and policies for achieving Irish unity and independence . . . an all-Ireland democracy . . .  an Ireland of equals.

We will never again accept the status of second-class citizens. Neither will we ever impose second-class citizenship upon anyone else.

However, in this process we also have to remember that for many unionists the change we have embarked upon is a terrifying prospect. Change is always difficult. When taken in the context of a conflict resolution process, change can be traumatic. And this can be made even more difficult when there are those, both within sections of unionism and within the British political and military establishment, who still want to hold on to the old ways.

Our goal as Irish republicans is an Irish unity that is inclusive, that unionists will feel welcome in, that they are a part of.

There is much work to do. But we believe that we are in the countdown to a united Ireland. We believe that together we can make further progress and truly transform society on this island forever.

We are all on the journey. It is always easier to begin a journey. The hard thing is to end it.
Sinn Féin is in this process to the end. We want the British Government and the Irish Government and the unionists to work with us and to finish the work we have all started. The length of the journey can be shortened and the ups and downs on the road can be smoothed out if we go at it collectively – if we do it together.

All of you here today are part of the fastest-growing party in Ireland. Whether it is here in South Derry, or in Derry or Upper Bann, or North Antrim or Wexford, or Dublin or Belfast, or South Armagh or Cork, it is clear that Sinn Féin is winning more and more hearts and minds right across the island. Every day there are more and more Irish republicans. We are building our political strength.

Republicans are not chained by history. We learn from it and use it.

We face difficult challenges ahead but also with great opportunities. We stand on the threshold of great change. Previous generations have struggled for a united Ireland. It is, however, our generation who will achieve that goal. So go out and do what we do best.

Bígí cinnte go dtiocfaidh ar lá.

‘The future lies in Irish unity and national equality’ – Michelle Gildernew

HUNDREDS of republicans gathered in Roslea, County Fermanagh, on Easter Sunday to mark the 95th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. The march started close to the point where Óglach Seamus McElwain was executed by the British SAS 25 years ago and was led by a republican colour party which responded to commands in Irish.

There was a colourful display of Sinn Féin cumann banners at the march, with a large presence of young people in attendance and the Mountain Road Pipe Band played throughout.

When the march reached the republican monument at Roslea Church, local Councillor Brian McCaffrey chaired proceedings, John Cosgrove read the 1916 Proclamation, Oliver McCaffrey read the Fermanagh Brigade Roll of Honour, and Kathleen McDonald recited a decade of the Rosary.

Seán Lynch laid a wreath on behalf of the Republican Movement, and Councillor Thomas O'Reilly laid a wreath on behalf of Sinn Féin.

The keynote speaker on the day was Sinn Féin MP for Fermanagh/South Tyrone Michelle Gildernew, whose speech was followed by the playing of Amhrán na bhFiann by a lone piper.

Delivering the main oration, Michelle Gildernew MP said:

It is a privilege and honour to be standing here before you today in Roslea to pay tribute to Ireland's republican dead on the 95th anniversary of the Easter Rising. This year also marks the 25th anniversary of Óglach Seamus McElwain.

As we honour the men and women of 1916, let us also remember all those republicans who gave their lives for Irish freedom.

Let us remember all the fallen volunteers of Óglaigh na hÉireann who were called to Ireland's flag. They fought gallantly for our objective of a 32-county democratic socialist republic.

The deeds of our patriot dead along with their brave comrades have been immortalised for a good reason, for they were true Irish people, willing to die for the cause in which they believed.

They believed that Ireland would never be free until it was rid of its British oppressor and, like hundreds of Irish men and Irish women, they took up arms in a bid to force the British out of our country. Their sacrifice and selflessness is an inspiration to us all.

Let us also remember here today all the republicans in Fermanagh who have dedicated their lives to the cause of a united Ireland, to the achievement of freedom, justice and peace, who have passed away since last Easter.

All over the county there are memorials to the men and women who gave their lives so that we may be free. They found the strength, determination, and courage to stand against oppression and injustice – ordinary people who demanded the rights and entitlements of the Irish people so that discrimination and inequality would be a thing of the past.

The principles set out in the Proclamation have yet to be put fully into effect on this island.

At the core of it, are Irish independence, sovereignty and equality. It is up to us to interpret these principles for our time, and to work together to achieve the type of free, just and equal Ireland envisaged by the men and women of 1916.

In 1916, we saw the coming together of republicans; nationalists, Irish Language activists, trade unionists and the women's movement in the cause of Irish unity. Today we need to build similar alliances not just to make Irish unity a reality but to ensure that it is an Ireland based on equality and justice. There has never been such a need for republican politics. The big questions of sovereignty, of people's rights, of citizenship are more relevant today than they have been for many years.

It is now less than a decade to the 100th anniversary of 1916 and we are now closer to bringing about a united Ireland. But none of this will happen by chance. We need to organise, build support for Irish unity; expand the all-Ireland institutions, and force the Irish Government to begin practical preparations for unity.

Sinn Féin is the only party with a strategy for the achievement of Irish unity.

The Fermanagh/South Tyrone constituency holds enormous emotional and historical significance for republicans and this election on May 5th is on the 30th anniversary of the death of IRA Volunteer Bobby Sands. We need to build on the momentum of our success in the 26 Counties. That means an all-Ireland effort. It means activists from every county in Ireland playing their own part in this campaign. It means continuing the process of change. The future lies in Irish unity and national equality.

I don't need to remind everyone here how important every vote is

We owe it to the Volunteers and to all those who have died throughout our struggle to reassert our efforts to see our struggle for independence through to an end.

While commemorations are important it is not enough for us to come here every Easter, the only true commemoration of our republican dead is to finish the struggle for which they died for. We must rise to the challenge and to go from here and make our fallen comrades proud as they have made us.

‘Republicans must rise to the new challenges’ – Phil Flanagan

A LARGE CROWD of republicans gathered in Clones on Easter Monday to mark the 95th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Proceedings were chaired by Councillor Pat Treanor and the main oration was delivered by Fermanagh/South Tyrone Assembly candidate Phil Flanagan.

Delivering the main address, Phil Flanagan said:

It is my privilege and honour to be giving the Easter oration, to pay tribute to Ireland's republican dead on this, the 95th anniversary of the Easter Rising. The Proclamation, read by Pádraig Pearse 95 years ago, set the agenda for the Irish people. That Proclamation asserted the right of the Irish people to the ownership of Ireland. Never was it more necessary to assert that right than it is today.

Because the Republic which was proclaimed in 1916 has been set aside by those in the political Establishment and the limited freedom won after the Rising has been squandered. The Golden Circle of politicians, bankers and developers have wrecked the Irish economy and sold what remains of our economic sovereignty to the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank. The political Establishment wants to tear apart the very fabric of our society and our economy in order to pay back the international speculators and money-lenders who gambled on the property bubble in this state.

As someone who is seeking election to the Northern Assembly within the next fortnight, I find it very hurtful that, as we fight for the transfer of economic powers from Westminster, an Irish Government is reduced to acting as agents of the IMF in Ireland. In these difficult times the absolute logic of political and economic reunification has never been easier to understand.

I went to school at the height of the boom. At that time, my friends and I believed that we had a world of opportunity ahead of us, that we would go to college together and find employment nearby.

But that's not the way it panned out. I am fed up saying goodbye to friends and family that are moving to other countries. In all sincerity, many of them swear that they will never be back.

My schoolfriends now live in places all over the world: in Perth, Sydney, New York, Toronto, Birmingham, London, Germany and Japan. They have left a country which they feel has turned its back on them. With them they have taken a new generation of skills, expertise, potential and talents.

They have been educated in Ireland and are now building the economies of countries thousands of miles away. We need to restore their faith in this country. We need to create jobs for our young people and help get the thousands of unemployed people in this state off the dole.

With the right political leadership we can do this. Politics as we know it is changing. Young people, a once disillusioned population, are now becoming politicised. They are angry but they are directed. They want change but, more importantly, they are driven to achieve it.

Sinn Féin can be the vehicle for this change. We need to not only open our doors to young people but to actively encourage their participation in our movement. We need to be prepared to grow and to harness the new talent that we are attracting.

On May 5th, the 30th anniversary of the death of Bobby Sands, citizens in the Six Counties will go to the polls in the Assembly election. I am very proud and humbled to be contesting an election as a Sinn Féin candidate in the same constituency in which Bobby Sands was elected MP. Bobby wrote on the first day of his Hunger Strike Diary that he was "born of a risen generation with a deeply rooted and unquenchable desire for freedom".

We still have that unquenchable desire and we know what freedom will mean. It will mean a New Republic – a United Ireland. We must rise to the new challenges and go from here today to build the Republic and it must be a Republic based on the principles of the 1916 Proclamation.

Nothing less will be a fitting tribute to our patriot dead.

‘Sinn Féin are leading the way’ – Pearse Doherty

A LARGE CROWD of Tyrone republicans descended on Carrickmore on Easter Sunday to mark the 95th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. The County commemoration was the culmination of over 40 local graveside and wreath-laying ceremonies throughout the O'Neill County.

Proceedings got under way with a re-enactment of the 1916 Easter Rising, choreographed by Gerry Cunningham and led by young republicans from Ógra Shinn Féin. The street theatre traced the key moments of the Rising with the Patrician Hall and its Pillars providing a very appropriate backdrop. The sound effects, and the authentic uniforms immersed the crowd in the action and the scene with the execution of the seven signatories of the Proclamation was extremely emotive.

Following the re-enactment, the crowds assembled to start on the annual march around Carrickmore and then to the Garden of Remembrance.

The march was led by a republican colour party which responded to commands in Irish.

There was a colourful display of Sinn Féin cumann banners at the march and a large presence of young people in attendance with the Martin Hurson Memorial Band and the Coatbridge Republican Flute Band playing throughout.

When the march reached the Garden of Remembrance, Sinn Féin Commemoration Committee Chairperson Councillor Seán Begley chaired proceedings. Pádraig Quinn from Derrytresk read the 1916 Proclamation, and Kerry McColgan from Omagh read the Tyrone Brigade Roll of Honour. This was accompanied by a lament played on the fiddle by Alanna Campbell.

Marie Claire Devlin from Pomeroy delivered the Ógra Shinn Féin statement.

Wreaths were laid on behalf of the Republican Movement, the Old IRA, Sinn Féin, in memory of the Hunger Strikers, and by Ógra Shinn Féin.

The main speaker on the day was newly-elected TD for Donegal South-West, Pearse Doherty, whose speech was followed by a very powerful and evocative rendition of Amhrán na bhFiann by Niamh McElduff from Carrickmore.

Delivering the main oration, Pearse Doherty TD said:

It is a privilege and honour to be standing here before you today in Carrickmore to pay tribute to Ireland's republican dead on the 95th anniversary of the Easter Rising. As we honour the men and women of 1916, let us also remember all those republicans who gave their lives for Irish Freedom.

Tyrone was and is to the fore in the struggle for Irish freedom. You only have to look at the huge sacrifice borne in the most recent phase of the conflict with 57 IRA Volunteers and three Sinn Féin activists on the Tyrone Roll of Honour.

Let us also remember here today all the republicans in Tyrone who have dedicated their lives to the cause of a united Ireland, to the achievement of freedom, justice and peace, who have passed away since last Easter.

The principles set out in the Proclamation have yet to be put fully into effect on this island.

At the core of it are Irish independence, sovereignty and equality. It is up to us to interpret these principles for our time and to work together to achieve the type of free, just and equal Ireland envisaged by the men and women of 1916.

In 1916, we saw the coming together of republicans; nationalists, Irish-language activists, trade unionists and the women's movement in the cause of Irish unity. Today we need to build similar alliances not just to make Irish unity a reality but to ensure that it is an Ireland based on equality and justice. There has never been such a need for republican politics. The big questions of sovereignty, of people's rights, of citizenship are more relevant today than they have been for many years.

In these difficult times, the absolute logic of political and economic reunification has never been easier to understand. The achievement of a united Ireland is within our reach. The Peace Process and the political developments which have grown from it have ensured huge change – Irish language rights have been advanced, society demilitarised, second-class citizenship has gone, and republicans are in the lead of a power-sharing government.

But that is only part of the journey. We need to build support for Irish unity. We need to engage with unionists about the future. We need to use our increased electoral strength to put pressure on the Irish government to begin preparations for re-unification. One very simple thing they could do immediately is to ensure that people in the 6 counties have a vote in the Presidential elections, which will take place later this year.

It is now less than a decade to the 100th anniversary of 1916 and we are now closer to bringing about a united Ireland.

But none of this will happen by chance. We need to organise and build support for Irish unity, expand the all-Ireland institutions, and force the Irish Government to begin practical preparations for unity.

Sinn Fein is the only party with a strategy for the achievement of Irish unity. In Tyrone, Sinn Féin are leading the way with three MPs, seven MLAs and 30 councillors. We are using that mandate to create necessary change in communities and lead the demand for a united Ireland.

Our priority must be to further advance the republican objective of a united, independent Ireland; to keep making steady progress, and not to be deflected.

Sinn Féin's ability to negotiate successfully is ultimately dependent on the political strength of republicanism.

A few weeks ago, Sinn Féin's newly-elected TDs joined with our MLAs and MPs in Belfast. This was a powerful symbol of an all-Ireland political project in action. This was real leadership across Ireland.

Although more still needs to be done, we need to build the party in every parish across Ireland. I call on everyone here to come forward and join Sinn Fein – people who were involved in the past, those who have helped out in election time, ex-POWs, republican families, young and old – we need everyone to become involved.

This year will have an Assembly election and local council elections.

The elections on May 5th will be very emotive and significant because they fall on the 30th anniversary of the death of IRA Volunteer Bobby Sands.

We need to build on the momentum of our success in the 26 Counties. That means an all-Ireland effort. It means activists from every county in Ireland playing their own part in this campaign. It means continuing the process of change. The future lies in Irish unity and national equality.

We owe it to the Volunteers and to all those who have died throughout our struggle to reassert our efforts to see our struggle for independence through to an end.

While commemorations are important it is not enough for us to come here every Easter – the only true commemoration of our republican dead is to finish the struggle which they died for. We must rise to the challenge and to go from here and make our fallen comrades proud as they have made us.

‘We are determined to complete the task of the men and women of 1916’ – Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

OVER the Easter weekend, republicans from throughout Strabane district gathered to commemorate the 1916 Rising and all those who have given their lives for Irish freedom.

As well as local commemorations in Strabane, Glenelly and Aghyaran, a large contingent of local republicans later attended the main commemoration in Drumboe, which was also attended by the Strabane Memorial Flute Band and the Tír Conaill Martyrs  Flute Band

The main speaker at Drumboe was the newly-elected Sinn Féin TD for Donegal North-East, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, and during a powerful and unscripted speech he said:

We republicans gather every year not simply as a celebration of political heritage or as an exercise in historical remembrance. We do so because we are determined to complete the task of the men and women of 1916 and finally to establish on this island an Irish Republic encompassing all 32 Counties.

At each of the commemorations, republicans reflect on the Proclamation of 1916, an historic document, one of the most progressive ever written. The Proclamation spells out the demand for social and economic justice and democracy, of cherishing all of the children of the nation equally.

The reunification of Ireland and the sovereignty of the people of Ireland are the core values of Irish republicans.

Donegal Mayor Cora Harvey chaired the event in Drumboe, County Donegal. Speaking afterwards, Mayor Harvey said:

Easter is a time for remembering friends and comrades who have given their lives and freedom in pursuit of our republican ideals and goals. It is time for reflecting on those ideals. It is also a time of renewal, when we, as Irish republicans, rededicate ourselves to the legitimate and achievable goals of independence and unity for the people of this island.

Although the Irish Republic proclaimed at the GPO in Dublin 95 years ago has not yet been achieved, the process of attaining it is still ongoing. We still have a lot of work to do. By motivating people around Easter to come out and commemorate our patriot dead, and the sacrifices that they have made, we hope to inspire them to take a more active role in the struggle. I want to call on all those who are committed to Irish reunification, regardless of party political affiliation, to work together for that worthy and achievable goal.

Buncrana, County Donegal