26 June 1997 Edition
Roddy's celebrates 25 years
Oh! I am Rodai of Duneane
And those of no property bear my name.
Those kingly freemen who sweat and toil
And yet who never gain nor reign.
I love these wretched gentle souls
They! condemned to death from birth,
I stand by Tone and I stand by truth
And the wretched of this earth!
From the poem Rodaí MacCorlaí written by Bobby Sands, this verse sums up the spirit of the Roddy McCorley Society.
If any Republican Society deserves the honour of being described as an institution, it surely is `the Roddy's' which is celebrating its 25th anniversary at the end of June.
Although officially formed in 1972 the history and development of the Roddy McCorley Society can be traced back to the 1960s and the Andersonstown Republican Club. To its credit the club broke away from the Official Republican Movement in 1968 and shortly afterwards met in Liam Higgins's house in Turf Lodge where, with some 18 republicans present, including Seamus Twomey and Albert Price, the Society was born.
However, from 1969 to 1971 and the eruption of the conflict onto our streets at a time of internment, imprisonment and death, the Roddy's was forced out of existence.
Then in 1972 Liam Higgins and Pat Monaghan, since deceased, who were working to alleviate the hardship being faced by republican prisoners in Britain and Ireland, decided to organise a meeting of as many of the former Roddy McCorley Society as possible. And so, since June of that year the present Society has been in place working for the good of the struggle.
The philosophy which underpins the Roddy's, then as now, is its republicanism and its concern for republicans who have suffered in the course of the struggle; more than once the prisoners' transport and the Green Cross have benefited from the Roddy's commitment.
And while the club is now situated in its own grounds, three and a half acres in all, on the Glen Road and has grown enormously over the years, it wasn't always like that.
The Society's first clubroom was a garage behind Corrib Avenue in Lenadoon which soon became four garages and which was affectionately known as the Tardis. ``The bar was a plank and the till a biscuit tin,'' recalled Liam `Red' Higgins, the chairperson and founding member.
``We are always grateful to the residents of Corrib for their support at that time and we would especially like to thank St Paul's and Casement who let us use their premises for meetings,'' he said.
The Society was named after one of the heroes of the `98 Rebellion, County Antrim man Roddy McCorley, who was executed for his role in the rebellion by the British in the small village of Toomebridge on the border of counties Derry and Antrim.
A monument to McCorley stands opposite the town's RUC barracks, an ironic act of defiance in itself. Needless to say the Roddy's has a strong association with Toome.
These connections with the rebellion are marked in the many rooms in the club. The McCracken room, the William Orr room, the Emmet and Tone rooms, the Peggy Berkley, all named after heroes of the fated 1798 uprising. And then there is the Russell room, named after Thomas Russell the ``Man From God Knows Where''.
However, one of the Roddy's proudest moments was to erect a memorial to those men and women who fought for Irish freedom throughout the generations.
Unveiled by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams on 19 November 1995 and blessed by Fr Des Wilson, the marble memorial is set in its own surround in the club's grounds. And in three languages - Gaelige, French and English - it pays tribute to the men and women of `98 and all those since then who fought for Ireland's freedom and those allies who supported that fight.
This ethos of republicanism permeates the Roddy's club and its many visitors are struck by the atmosphere created by the numerous pictures and paintings of republican heroes as well as the many memorial plaques and murals, commemorating republican dead from this campaign, some of which were donated by the POWs or admirers of the club.
All this reveals the deep affinity the Roddy's has with the `republican family' and with its patrons who have come from far and near to experience its hospitality.
Over the past 25 years the Roddy's has grown and expanded and there are plans to open a museum to show the many historical artefacts collected over the years, a unique achievement for a club that has guarded its independence and identity over many hard years; long may it continue.
And those of no property bear my name.
Those kingly freemen who sweat and toil
And yet who never gain nor reign.
I love these wretched gentle souls
They! condemned to death from birth,
I stand by Tone and I stand by truth
And the wretched of this earth!
From the poem Rodaí MacCorlaí written by Bobby Sands, this verse sums up the spirit of the Roddy McCorley Society.
If any Republican Society deserves the honour of being described as an institution, it surely is `the Roddy's' which is celebrating its 25th anniversary at the end of June.
Although officially formed in 1972 the history and development of the Roddy McCorley Society can be traced back to the 1960s and the Andersonstown Republican Club. To its credit the club broke away from the Official Republican Movement in 1968 and shortly afterwards met in Liam Higgins's house in Turf Lodge where, with some 18 republicans present, including Seamus Twomey and Albert Price, the Society was born.
However, from 1969 to 1971 and the eruption of the conflict onto our streets at a time of internment, imprisonment and death, the Roddy's was forced out of existence.
Then in 1972 Liam Higgins and Pat Monaghan, since deceased, who were working to alleviate the hardship being faced by republican prisoners in Britain and Ireland, decided to organise a meeting of as many of the former Roddy McCorley Society as possible. And so, since June of that year the present Society has been in place working for the good of the struggle.
The philosophy which underpins the Roddy's, then as now, is its republicanism and its concern for republicans who have suffered in the course of the struggle; more than once the prisoners' transport and the Green Cross have benefited from the Roddy's commitment.
And while the club is now situated in its own grounds, three and a half acres in all, on the Glen Road and has grown enormously over the years, it wasn't always like that.
The Society's first clubroom was a garage behind Corrib Avenue in Lenadoon which soon became four garages and which was affectionately known as the Tardis. ``The bar was a plank and the till a biscuit tin,'' recalled Liam `Red' Higgins, the chairperson and founding member.
``We are always grateful to the residents of Corrib for their support at that time and we would especially like to thank St Paul's and Casement who let us use their premises for meetings,'' he said.
The Society was named after one of the heroes of the `98 Rebellion, County Antrim man Roddy McCorley, who was executed for his role in the rebellion by the British in the small village of Toomebridge on the border of counties Derry and Antrim.
A monument to McCorley stands opposite the town's RUC barracks, an ironic act of defiance in itself. Needless to say the Roddy's has a strong association with Toome.
These connections with the rebellion are marked in the many rooms in the club. The McCracken room, the William Orr room, the Emmet and Tone rooms, the Peggy Berkley, all named after heroes of the fated 1798 uprising. And then there is the Russell room, named after Thomas Russell the ``Man From God Knows Where''.
However, one of the Roddy's proudest moments was to erect a memorial to those men and women who fought for Irish freedom throughout the generations.
Unveiled by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams on 19 November 1995 and blessed by Fr Des Wilson, the marble memorial is set in its own surround in the club's grounds. And in three languages - Gaelige, French and English - it pays tribute to the men and women of `98 and all those since then who fought for Ireland's freedom and those allies who supported that fight.
This ethos of republicanism permeates the Roddy's club and its many visitors are struck by the atmosphere created by the numerous pictures and paintings of republican heroes as well as the many memorial plaques and murals, commemorating republican dead from this campaign, some of which were donated by the POWs or admirers of the club.
All this reveals the deep affinity the Roddy's has with the `republican family' and with its patrons who have come from far and near to experience its hospitality.
Over the past 25 years the Roddy's has grown and expanded and there are plans to open a museum to show the many historical artefacts collected over the years, a unique achievement for a club that has guarded its independence and identity over many hard years; long may it continue.