``Freedom will not be given - it must be won''
By Ned Kelly
Around 150 people gathered in Dunloy in North Antrim on Sunday for
the 1t annual commemoration of the death of two young local Oglaigh
na hEireann Volunteers, Henry Hogan and Declan Martin, killed in
action against the British SAS on 21 February 1984.
Young and old republicans from near and far joined with the people of
Dunloy in braving the icy winds.
The oration was delivered by well-known republican Brian Keenan who
underlined both the legacy of Hogan and Martin who ``took on the
British murder gangs'' and the battles which lie ahead for Irish
republicans. He emphasised that ``freedom will not be given it must be
won''.
In describing the links that bind communities across Ireland in the
battle against British imperialism, Keenan spoke about a young
priest, Father Hugh Mullan who after ministering to the Dunloy
community between 1963 and 1970 was killed by British soldiers on the
morning of internment on 9 August 1971 in a field by the Springfield
Road in West Belfast as he went to the aid of a wounded civilian.
Speaking in a town that every year is isolated by a sectarian Orange
siege, Keenan expressed the solidarity that is the bedrock of
republicanism. He went on to say that in the battle for unity,
equality and freedom that disunity was the greatest danger. He said:
``This struggle is there to be won and victory is the only option but
the only thing that ever defeated the Irish was the Irish
themselves.''
Against the background of a peace process that is failing to deliver
peace, where the call for justice is being ignored and where equality
is being denied, Keenan said that the SDLP, Dublin and Unionism were
``not friends of the working class''.
In a day that saw all the seasons, the warmth and hospitality of
Dunloy Republicans was well appreciated. It underlined also the
continued need for solidarity with the people in isolated communities
be it Dunloy, the Garvaghy Road or Ligoneil.
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)