Dublin
Adams says Agreement cannot be renegotiated
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The implementation of the Good Friday Agreement is the bedrock
of this phase of the peace process. All other progress is entirely
dependent on that. There can be no renegotiating of the Agreement.
The various provisions of the Agreement are quite clear. The multiple
breaches of the Agreement in relation to the establishment of the
various institutions are well known and have threatened the entire
peace process for several months now.
Gerry Adams
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Around 3,000 people, the largest crowd in recent memory for an Easter
Commemoration, thronged the middle of Dublin's O'Connell Street
opposite the GPO to mark the 83rd anniversary of the 1916 Rising. The
ceremonies were chaired by Una Sloan, Sinn Féin local election
candidate for Terenure/Rathfarnham, who said that it was fitting that
republicans should gather in such large numbers at the Headquarters
of the Rising. She criticised successive Dublin governments for their
refusal to commemorate the Rising in any serious way and pledged that
republicans would never abandon the objectives of those who took part
in the Rising, which as yet remain unfulfilled.
The crowd listened to traditional music from the platform by Stephen
Leech and friends and a re-enactment of James Connolly's final speech
by Dublin actor Jer O'Leary. The huge crowd then made the journey to
Glasnevin cemetery treated to tunes by Dublin's own Volunteers
Smith/Harford/Doherty Band and the Jim Larkin Band, which had
travelled from Liverpool.
At the 1916 plot in Glasnevin, opening addresses were made by Lynn
Gallagher of Ogra Shinn Féin and Seán Crowe, Dublin's 1999 EU
candidate and local election candidate for Tallaght South.
Crowe predicted major electoral breakthroughs in the local elections
in Dublin, where the party is standing 14 candidates as well as
``fighting for that radical, republican-labour vote that could bring
us a seat in the European election''.
The main speaker of the day was Gerry Adams, who was given a
tumultuous welcome by the Dublin crowd. He paid tribute to the IRA,
which he said had shown great discipline in the face of provocation:
``One of the provocations- aside from the continued British army, RUC
and loyalist operations- has been the demand on the IRA to disarm.
This is something which the IRA made clear it feels under no
obligation to do. Indeed the unionists have attempted and have, to a
large degree, succeeded in narrowing the peace process to that
issue.''
Referring to Sinn Féin's commitment to the transformation of Irish
society and the vision and ideals of signatories of the 1916
Proclamation, he said: ``Irish patriots were executed in this city
because of their stand for Irish freedom. By their writings and
idealism, their courage and selflessness, they set an example to all
freedom-loving people and for our struggle.
``Those who gave us the Omagh bombing have no role in this struggle.
We have made this clear.
``We share the democratric position, the republican position, the
position of the 1916 Proclamation on the national question. We stand
with Connolly on this issue.''
On the Good Friday Agreement, Adams pointed out that Sinn Féin had
made substantial concessions in committing itself to the Agreement
but that these had been largely ignored by those who repeat a
propaganda line that republicans have given nothing.
``We committed ourselves to implementing the Agreement and we have
participated in the process on that basis and in good faith. This
party has honoured all our commitments. The unionist political
leadership has not.'' He pointed out that the only institution that
has been set up in shadow form is the Assembly, which was the one
least desired by nationalists.
Adams said that the Agreement, which is now a year old, is clearly in
crisis: ``Progress in the search for peace has been thwarted by those
who have seen the peace process as a party political contest or war
by other means. They refuse to recognise the significance of the
IRA's role in creating and maintaining the conditions in which peace
can be established. Indeed, some see the IRA cessation as the `most
destabilising development' in the North since partition.
``Last week, the d'Hondt procedure should have been triggered by the
British government, but instead of the transfer of powers and the
institutions which the people of this island voted for, we got yet
another collapsed deadline and considerable doubt when- or even if-
d'Hondt will ever be triggered.''
Adams said that Sinn Fein had no weapons to decommission and that
parties could only move forward on the basis of using their
collective influences.
``The implementation of the Good Friday Agreement is the bedrock of
this phase of the peace process. All other progress is entirely
dependent on that. There can be no renegotiating of the Agreement.
The various provisions of the Agreement are quite clear. The multiple
breaches of the Agreement in relation to the establishment of the
various institutions are well known and have threatened the entire
peace process for several months now.''
Adams said that contrary to the spins, the Taoiseach and the British
Prime Minister made it clear in their remarks that the declaration
produced last week at Hillsborough was not an agreement between the
parties but a draft position between the two governments. ``The
impasse remains, the institutions are blocked and the Agreement is
stalled. The governments have proposed a way forward. They say that
decommissioning is no longer a precondition. But decommissioning was
never a precondition. Nevertheless, it was allowed to block the
Agreement. If the governments are now serious, then surely that
blockage must be removed and d'Hondt must be triggered.''
He said the way forward proposed in the government's declaration, as
explained to him, may have merit, but that it also may be counter
productive if it amounts to an ultimatum to armed groups.
Adams went on to explain that it was a source of deep frustration
that unionist political representatives do not respect the democratic
mandate of Sinn Féin and the democratic imperative of the Good Friday
referendums and are not prepared to embrace the provisions of the
Agreement. Despite this, Sinn Féin would do its best to remove any
difficulties unionists may have and to understand unionist fears and
feelings: ``We will do everything we can within our ability to make
this process work. We will do our best to find and to ease the way
forward.
``We have no wish to discriminate against you or to dominate you or to
marginalise you, or to drive you from this island or to make you
second-class citizens in the land of your birth.
``We want to go forward in agreement with all sections of our people
so that we can all live in peace justice and harmony. That means
recognising each other's integrity and accepting each other on our
own terms. but it also means change.''
Speaking directly to republicans, he said: Sinn Féin intends to
manage this phase of the peace process so that we emerge with real
progress in the search for a just peace. We will come out of this
phase strong and united. Let no one allow confusion or the stresses
and strains, the tactical manoeuvres of the moment unnerve us or
divert us from our strategic view of the future. The republican
position will only be advanced by clear strategic thinking and by
intelligent, disciplined activists building our political strength
and working alongside our people.
The Sinn Féin president concluded: This is the last Easter Sunday of
this century. It is my conviction that we will establish a lasting
peace in our country. We will have unity and freedom and justice in
our own land. We face the new century confident in our ability, in
the strength of our arguments, and in the certain knowledge that we
will shape the future.'''
Belfast
Best turnout in years
By Caitlin Doherty
One of the largest and best-attended Easter commemorations was held
last Sunday in Belfast City. As the crowd swelled at the rally point
in Beechmount, hundreds more lined the Falls Road and the corner
streets leading to Milltown cemetery. Many republican veterans
expressed surprise at the turnout, which they reckoned to be one of
the best of these past ten years - and there was a reason behind such
attendance. Sunday's commemoration was
more than a traditional ceremony marking the anniversary of the 1916
anniversary and an occasion to pay tribute to republican Volunteers.
In Belfast, just as across the island, the crowds gathered to hear a
political message. At a time when the nationalist community is
feeling increasingly concerned and angry at the lack of political
progress, that message was clear: there is no alternative to the full
and immediate implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.
Saoirse chairperson Martin Meehan and veteran republican Liam Shannon
spoke before the Proclamation was read by Rosie McCorley. Sinn Féin
national chairperson and Assembly member Mitchel McLaughlin then
delivered a long political message in which he said the Agreement is
``clearly in crisis''.
``The hopes and relative confidence of many people comes mostly from
the continuation of the ceasefires and not from any confidence in the
political process'', said Mitchel McLaughlin. ``For the vast majority
of people, the fact that IRA guns are not in use is of immense
significance.
``They recognise the silence of these guns as a sign of the IRA's
commitment to the search for a lasting and democratic peace
settlement.'' He added that the unionists ``have attempted, and to a
large degree have succeeded, in narrowing the peace process to a
single issue''.
In relation to the ongoing murderous attacks of loyalist death
squads. McLaughlin said: ``Portadown has fast become the Alabama of
this island and the killing of Rosemary Nelson is the most savage and
recent evidence of that.''
New Lodge
A large crowd attended the Easter rally at the commemoration garden
in Belfast's New Lodge area, which was addressed by Sinn Féin's North
Belfast Assembly member, Gerry Kelly.
Ardoyne
About 800 people marched through Ardoyne on Tuesday afternoon to mark
the 84th anniversary of the 1916 rising. Sinn Féin Assembly member
Mary Nelis said that the problems in the peace process were not over
decommissioning but over removing the causes of the conflict.
Tyrone
Carrickmore
Several thousand people took part in the County Tyrone Easter
Commemoration at Carrickmore, which was hailed as one of the best
supported in recent years. Carrickmore was a sea of green, white and
orange bunting to mark the occasion, which was attended by 16 of
Tyrone's 18 Sinn Féin councillors as well as Assembly member Michelle
Gildernew.
At the Garden of Remembrance on Omagh Road, the proceedings were
chaired by Brian Cawley from Dungannon. The Proclamation was read by
Lorraine McAnespie and the Tyrone Roll of Honour was read by former
political prisoner Bronwyn McGahon.
To loud applause, a masked IRA Volunteer emerged to read the Easter
statement from the leadership of Oglaigh na hÉireann.
Leading Sinn Féin strategist and Belfast Assembly member Bairbre de
Brún delivered the main oration, effectively dismissing claims of a
```done deal''' at last week's Hillsborough talks.
``We appeal to unionists to enter into a new relationship with
republicans and nationalists,'' she said, vowing that future Sinn Fein
ministers would be effective, efficient, impartial and would ensure
that unionists were not discrminated against.
The fact that the institutions envisaged in the Good Friday Agreement
had not been establsihed, a year on, was a matter of ``grave
disappointment''. The Martin Hurson Memorial band from Gortin brought
the proceedings to a close with the playing of Amhrán na bhFiann.
Cork
Clonakilty
Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle member and the party's Director of
International Relations, Mairéad Keane, was guest speaker at the
annual 1916 commemoration in Clonakility, West Cork on Easter Sunday.
The ceremony was chaired by local Sinn Féin Urban District Councillor
Cionnaith O Súilleabháin.
Keane said: ``For many nationalists in the north of Ireland, not much
has changed, as they are still condemned to second-class citizenship.
Sectarianism is rife and the brutal murder of human rights lawyer
Rosemary Nelson illustrated that very glaringly.''
Down
Castlewellan and Downpatrick
Speaking at Easter commeorations in Castlewellan and Downpatrick on
Easter Sunday, Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle member Ann Speed said: ``Many
of those who are blocking the political process are in the employment
of the British government. They are in the RUC, many of whom are also
members of the Orange Order. They are the securocrats in the British
army, military intelligence and parts of the civil service.
``While IRA guns have been silent, Irish nationalists have continued
to lose their lives, are battered, gunned down or assasinated by
sectarian bigots who are aided by elements of the so called security
services.''
Wexford
The annual Wexford Easter Commemoration was held in Gorey, where the
main address was delivered by Sinn Féin's Leinster EU candidate,
Arthur Morgan. In his address at the graveside of Volunteer George
Keegan, who was killed in Morgan's native north Louth, he urged
republicans to organise and mobilise to take full advantage of the
groundswell of public goodwill in the June elections.
Commenting on media reports that republicans are under poressure over
the Hillsborough Declaration Morgan stated: `'Republicans are under
no pressure. We have learned to live with pressure every day for 30
years and whoever else is under pressure we are not.''
Derry City
Thousands of people gathered outside the Bogside Inn to march behind
a colour party to the Republican plot in Derry's City Cemetery on
Sunday afternoon for the city's annual Easter commemoration.
Wreaths were laid by the families of fallen IRA volunteers and the
main oration was delivered by Sinn Féin Vice-President and Assembly
member Pat Doherty.
Doherty pointed out that republicans have taken many risks for peace.
He also attacked the stalling of the peace process, saying unionists
``seek to delay, dilute and, for some, that may mean collapsing the
process''.
The thousands in attendance heard Doherty say that Sinn Féin's
``participation at the talks in Hillsborough over the last week are
not about renegotiating or rewriting the Agreement but to see what
was agreed last year implemented''.
Doherty repeated that Sinn Féin could not deliver on IRA weapons and
vented republican anger at the unionist demand, saying: ``We are
disappointed and frustrated that the elevation of this unrealisable
demand has led to the missing of yet another deadline for the full
implementation of the Agreement.''
Derry and Antrim Counties
There was an increased attendance at the annual 1916 Rising
Commemoration at Loup on Easter Sunday. Hundreds of marchers
assembled at Ballyronan Road before making their way to the grave of
Brigadier Seán Larkin, who executed by Free State forces during the
Civil War. The parade was led by the South Derry Martyrs Flute Band.
Proceedings at the Loup were chaired by Magherafelt Sinn Féin
Councillor Séamus O'Brien, who introduced party colleague and
Assembly member for Newry/Armagh Pat McNamee to give the main
oration. McNamee paid tribute to Seán Larkin and reaffirmed Sinn
Féin's commitment to the Proclamation of the Irish Republic.
Earlier in the day, north Derry republicans held their annual 1916
commemoration in Dungiven and wreath-laying ceremonies were held in
Coolcalm, Newbridge, Lavey, Glen, Bellaghey, Cargin, Kilrea,
Loughguiele, Rasharkin and Dunloy.
On Easter Monday, several hundred people attended the annual Swatragh
Commemoration. Memories of assassinated Sinn Féin councillors John
Davey and Bernard O'Hagan were strong among those in attendance. The
ceremonies were chaired by Sinn Féin Councillor Patsy Grogan and the
main speaker was Gerry McHugh of Fermanagh, who slammed as a sham the
recent RUC ``charm offensive'' in the area.
Fermanagh
At one of the best attended Fermanagh County Easter commemorations
for years, over 2,000 people marched from Derrylin Cross to the grave
of Volunteer Jim Murphy in Knockninny cemetery. Volunteer Murphy, an
ex-internee, was shot by undercover British soldiers in April 1974.
The parade, led by a republican colour party and the Mountain Road
Pipe Band, was remarkable for the number of young people who
attended. Delivering the main oration, Sinn Féin Assembly member John
Kelly from South Derry, who had been a prison comrade of Jim Murphy,
paid tribute to his service both as a dedicated republican leader and
as a campaigning civil rights activist who like John Joe Davey, Pat
Finucane and Rosemary Nelson, was killed to serve the needs of the
British colonial state in Ireland. ``Twenty-five years after they
killed him, republicanism is stronger here in Fermanagh than it has
ever been and we should take heart from this noble legacy.''
Referring to the present impasse in the peace process, Kelly
reiterated that the core objectives of the Republican movement remain
the same now as ever before, namely the attainment of a free united
independent Ireland. ``Many gains and advances have been made and they
haven't come easily. They have been painfully extracted on the wounds
of so many of our comrades, men and woman volunteers who have given
their lives, spent decades in prison camps and had their family life
totally disrupted. We have pushed forward relentlessly on their
wounds and we will keep faith with them and the immensity of their
sacrifice.''
Republicans have kept their word and honoured all the commitments to
the letter of the Agreement they signed up to. ``We can tolerate no
renegotiation now either by stealth or veto or fudge. Councillor
Robin Martin, who chaired the proceedings, concluded by calling for
maximum republican unity, solidarity and discipline in the crucial
weeks and months that lie ahead. Earlier in the forenoon well
attended local commemorations took place at the graves of Volunteers
Louis Leonard, Pat McManus and also Tomas O'Flaitile in Donagh,
Macken and Enniskillen respectively.
Leitrim
The 83rd anniversary of the 1916 rising was commemorated in
Drumshanbo, County Leitrim on Easter Sunday when over 200 people
marched through the town behind the Kiltubrid pipe band to the grave
of Jim Vaughan in the local cemetery.
Vaughan died on 25 December 1931 in disputed circumstances, following
alleged ill-treatment during detention in Ballinamore by the Special
Branch.
The ceremonies were chaired by Hugh Gallagher. Former political
prisoner and Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle member Eoghan Mac Cormaic
delivered the main oration. He said that the two governments must
honour the voters' wishes and stop appeasing unionist intransigence
by any spurious dissecting of the Good Friday Agreement.
Meath
This year's main County Meath commemoration was held at the square in
Navan. Proceedings were chaired by local Sinn Féin representative
Tony Cantwell and the main oration was given by Tyrone Sinn Féin
Assembly member Barry McElduff.
McElduff urged local republicans to ``continue building political
strength by reaching out both to those who are disaffected from
established parties and to those who tend to vote for other parties
but whose insinctive republicanism has otherwise survived''.
He wodered if ``the new patriotsim'' recently defined by local TD and
Fine Gael leader John Bruton included concern for those living in
poor housing conditions or those Irish citizens living under siege in
north Armagh.
Louth
Dundalk
On Easter Saturday, a wreath-laying ceremony took place at the
Watters Brothers memorial in Dundalk. The event was chaired by Sinn
Féin Councillor Seán Kenna. Wreaths were laid by veteran republicans
Michael and Rose Martin.
The main commemoration in Dundalk took place on Easter Sunday and was
chaired by Sinn Féin candidate Kevin Meehan. The main speaker was
Sinn Féin chief negotiator and MP for Mid Ulster Martin McGuinness,
who labelled the Ulster unionist demand for a surrender of IRA
weapons before Sinn Féin's entry into the Assembly executive as
``unrealisable and unrealistic''.
McGuinness told a crowd of several hundred that that last week's
Hillsborough Declaration had merely muddied the waters.
Accusing the Ulster Unionists of attempting to redraft and
renegotiate the Good Friday Agreement, he said: ``It's not on, because
that Agreement was endorsed through the wishes of the overwhelming
majority of the people of Ireland.''
He said that Sinn Féin would be returning to the discussions on April
13 along with the other parties - but only to seek clarity of the
meaning of the Hillsborough Declaration.
``We in Sinn Féin are resolute in our determination to see the Good
Friday Agreement implemented as it was negotiated. This includes the
resolution of the policing issues, the lack of an impartial
judiciary, human rights and equality in all their respects.''
Drogheda
This year's Easter Commemoration in Drogheda was the best attended in
many years, as hundreds of people made their way to the Halpin and
Moran memorial on the Marsh Road.
The ceremonies were chaired by Sinn Féin local election candidate Ken
O hÉiligh, who pledged to win back the Drogheda Corporation seat last
held for Sinn Féin by Tom Halpin, murdered at the spot by the Black
and Tans in 1921.
Maeve Healy, another Sinn Féin local election candidate, gave a brief
hisory of Drogheda's part in the struggle for national freedom and
reminded the gathering that it was in Drogheda where Gerry Adams
lauched Sinn Féin's peace initiative in 1988.
The commemoration was attended by the Mayor of Drogheda Marie
O'Brien-Campbell and several mebers of Drogheda Corporation. The
Mayor spoke of the need to cooperate and for people to work together
to achieve a peacful solution to the conflict in Ireland.
Martin McGuiness MP delivered the main oration.
Sligo
A crowd of 200 assembled at Sligo City Hall on Easter Sunday
afternoon for the Sligo commemoration. The colour party paused at the
grave of Volunteer Joe MacManus before parading to the main ceremony
at the Republican Plot.
The ceremonies were chaired by Chris MacManus, a Sinn Féin candidate
in the forthcoming local elections while Donna Casey and local
election candidate Arthur Gibbons read the Proclamation and the Sligo
Roll of Honour respectively.
The main oration was delivered by senior Sinn Féin negotiator and
North Belfast Assembly member Gerry Kelly. Paying tribute to IRA
freedom fighters, he said that they, along with many other political
activists have ``reclaimed Irish history from the wastepaper bin of
book-burning revisionists''.
He continued: ``Perhaps more importantly, the freedom fighters showed
their courage not only in armed struggle but in giving political
leadership in 1994 and 1997 in calling their ceasefires to allow the
politicians the space to work out a peaceful way forward. The
magnitude of this historical act has never been properly appreciated
by unionism. It led directly to loyalist ceasefires.
`'The discipline with which the leadership and Volunteers have kept
to their ceasefires is phenomenal, esecially when compared to the
lack of reciprocation from the British and unionists or compared to
any other current area of conflict in the world.
Adressing last week's Hillsborough talks, he said: ``When the two
governments called an adjournment, we were against it. D'Hondt should
have been triggered and the institutions set up even at this late
stage. The truth is that the impasse created by the unionists
remains. The institutions are still blocked. A political vacuum
created by unionists unwillingness to move is deepening. History has
shown us, and the last few months in particular, that such a vacuum
has always been filled by loyalist violence. The savage killing of
human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson is a stark reminder of the price
of failure.
On the declaration made by the two governments Kelly said: ``If it is
or becomes a demand for decommissioning under another name then it is
doomed to failure.''
Limerick
The annual 1916 Commemoration in Limerick on Easter Sunday was
attended by around 100 people. The proceedings were chaired by Sinn
Féin local election candidate and chairperson of Limerick Sinn Féin
Pádraig Malone.
Delivering the main address, Brendan Curran of Lurgan, County Armagh,
said: ``The British must right the wrongs they created trhough
involvement in our country. Our view is, as it has always been, that
they should withdraw.
``However, they have a responsibility in the short term to ensure the
full implemetation of the Good Friday Agreement. Under the terms of
that Agreement, our mandate entitles us to two ministerial positions.
Unionism wants to ignore that mandate.''
Mayo
The Easter commemoration in County Mayo also marked the 25th
anniversary of the death of Michael Gaughan, who died as a result of
force-feeding while on hunger-strike in Parkhurst Prison, England.
The ceremony was held at the Republican Plot, Leigue Cemetery,
Ballina, where Michael Gaughan is interred with his comrade and
fellow hunger-striker Frank Stagg, who died in 1976.
The main speaker was Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín O Caoláin, who said he
was ``greatly encouraged'' that the challenge of the local elections is
being taken up by Sinn Féin in County Mayo. He commended the Sinn
Féin candidates. John Clarke is contesting the election for Ballina
UDC and Mayo County Council, and Joe McHale is standing for Castlebar
UDC and Mayo County Council. The TD said he believed they could
achieve success:
``We are contesting these elections as the only real alternative to
the politically bankrupt parties who have dominated local and central
government for decades. We have the policies, the work
record and the commitment to bring about real change. The need for
change is felt nowhere more than here in the neglected County of
Mayo.''
Monaghan
Over 800 people attended the County Monaghan Easter commmemoration in
Monaghan Town on Easter Sunday. The parade marched from the Fearghal
O'Hanlon Memorial through the town to Latlurcan Cemetery. Many
townspeople turned out along the route to see the parade in which two
visiting bands participated.
The proceedings were chaired by Monaghan County Councillor Brian
McKenna, who paid a particular tribute to the very significant youth
turnout. Wreaths were laid on the graves of
Volunteers Bernard Ward, Michael Kelly, Fearghal O'Hanlon and Jim
Lynagh.
The oration was delivered by Belfast republican and Sinn Féin Ard
Chomhairle member Jim Gibney. Paying tribute to the Volunteers of the
IRA, he said: ``We are proud of the Volunteers of Oglaigh na hÉireann,
not just today, but every day. The reality is that without the IRA,
the world would not know about the injustice of partition. Indeed,
without the IRA, the world would not know anything about Britain's
occupation of part of our country. Without the IRA we would not be
facing a real chance of a major political breakthrough which will see
an end to injustice in the Six Counties and ultimately an end to
Britain's involvement in our country.''
Earlier that Sunday morning, a number of local wreath-laying
ceremones were conducted throughout County Monaghan with orations
delivered at Clara, Carrickroe, Clontibret, Clones,
Corcaghan, Annyalla and Tyholland.
On Easter Saturday, a commemoration was held in the village of
Inniskeen in the south of the county, at which the oration was
delivered by Belfast republican Brian Keenan.
Armagh
Several hundred republicans attended the Easter Commemoration in
Ballymacnab last Sunday. The ``Nab'' was the first of three
commemorations in the mid-Armagh area. At the Republican plot, the
commemoration was chaired by Eamon Loughran from the Padraig
MacLogain Cumann and the main oration was given by Fra McCann from
Belfast.
McCann called for a full, independent, and internationally-based
inquiry into the the murder of Rosemary Nelson. He backed this call
with statistics of loyalist activity.
``Six years prior to the South African arms shipments, [loyalists]
were responsible for the deaths of 71 people. In the six years after
that shipment, they have killed 229 people, mostly innocent
Catholics. The British Intelligence Service dramatically increased
the killing potential of the loyalist death squads with this
shipment.''
The second commemoration, at the memorial marking the spot where
Volunteer Sean McIlvenna was killed outside An Port Mór, was a simple
gathering of about 40-50 republicans. The Roll of Honour was read by
Paul Corrigan from Tullysaron Sinn Féin and the address delivered by
Pat O'Rawe of the newly-formed Sean McIlvenna Cumann, Middletown. She
spoke of the inspiration given to today's republicans by those who
had gone before: ``We are in a process full of risks, but that should
not deter us, nor should we be put off when obstacles to real
progress are placed in our way''.
The weekend's third commemoration took place on Easter Monday
afternoon. The parade made its way down through Armagh city centre
from Irish Street en route to the Republican plot at St. Patrick's
Cemetery. Proceedings were chaired by Sean McGuinness, from
Mid-Armagh Comhairle Ceantair. The statement from the leadership was
read out by a Volunteer of Oglaigh Na hÉireann, who was very well
received by the crowd.
Jackie Crowe, a native of Armagh and now a Sinn Féin councillor in
Monaghan spoke to the crowd and said how pleased he was at the
improvements in the Sinn Féin structures in the area. The main
address was given by Mitchel McLaughlin, Sinn Féin's candidate in the
forthcoming European Elections.
Criticising Ken Maginnis' much used phrase, ``the table of democracy'',
Mitchel pointed out that in all the time that republicans have been
at Stormont, neither he nor anyone else had ever found this so-called
table of democracy and that he doubted that the Unionist politicians
who rant daily about protecting democracy from corruption would know
where it is. He added that the Agreement was in crisis and that the
hopes and relative confidence of many people in the North comes
mostly from the continuation of the ceasefires and not from any
confidence in the political process.
``If the British government were not going to work with the agreement,
they should have the honesty to tear it up,'' he concluded.
Lurgan
At one of the best attended Easter commemorations in years, about
2,000 people marched along with the Lurgan Republican Flute Band and
a Portadown band. The large crowd heard Lucilita Bhreatnach highlight
the ongoing problems faced by the people of the Garvaghy Road. She
also spoke about murdered human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson.
Portadown
One of the largest crowds ever to attend an Easter rally in
Portadown, around 300 people, turned up to show that their spirits
will not be broken by the nightly loyalist harassment faced by the
nationalists of Portadown.
The crowd, joined by two bands, heard Dr. Dara O'Hagan pay a moving
tribute to her close friend, Rosemary Nelson, for her work on behalf
of the people of the Garvaghy Road.
Her speech was very well received, particularly her reiteration of
Sinn Féin's stance on decommissioning, that they cannot deliver IRA
weapons.
Derrymacash
A larger than usual crowd of 300 people attended the Easter
commemoration at Michael Croffey's graveside. The commemoration was
chaired by Shane McGinty of the newly formed local Sinn Féin cumann.
How spoke of the need for Sinn Fein to increase their electoral
support in order to solidify Sinn Féin strength particularly at local
government level.
Crossmaglen
Two thousand people attended the Crossmaglen Easter commemoration.
The speech was delivered by Conor Murphy who spoke of the
significance of the 1916 rising for modern republicans. He also spoke
of the siege of the Garvaghy road as being symbolic of the rotten
Six-County state. He went on to praise the Volunteers of Oglaigh na
hÉireann and said Sinn Féin cannot deliver IRA weapons.
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)