Roddy's celebrates 25 years
Oh! I am Rodai of Duneane
d those of no property bear my name.
Those kingly freemen who sweat and toil
d 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
d 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.
d 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.
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