Skibbereen honours the hunger strikers
Republicans from all over West Cork attended a hunger strike
commemoration in Skibbereen on Saturday 25 August. Close on 200
participated in the march and this grew to well over 300 for the
main commemoration in the square.
Donnchadh Ó Seaghdha chaired the proceedings and welcomed all
those present agus chuir sé fáilte speisialta roimh an beirt
cainteoirí Owen Carron agus Coireail McCurtáin, agus an beirt
comhairlóirí, Áine O'Leary agus Cionnaith Ó Súilleabháin . He
continued ``we are gathered here to pay honour and homage to
Bobby Sands, Francis Hughes and their comrades for their courage
and integrity in laying down their lifes indefending the
republican struggle .In a few weeks time Martin McGuinness will
be travelling to South Africa to meet Nelson Mandela and one of
his duties there will be to unveil a plaque to the memory of the
ten hunger strikers, such has been the impact of the sacrifices
of the hunger strikers wordwide. Struggle, resistance and
solidarity know no boundaries. A victory for the oppressed people
of South Africa was a victory for us and a victory for us is a
victory for them. We also pay tribute to those who supported the
hunger strikers of 1981 from the Skibbereen and West Cork area.''
Coireail MacCurtáin, republican former prisoner from West
Limerick, who taught Bobby Sands Gaeilge in Long Kesh, then
addressed the crowd: ``Tá an athas orm a bheith anseo anocht mar
tá sé an tabhachtach go mbaillíonn daoine le chéile chun onóir
agus omóis a thabhairt dos na laochra siúd a fuair bás ar stailc
ocrais i 1981, an iobairt ba mhisniúla agus ba chróga a tharla
riamh I stair na tíre seo. Deichniúir a fuair bás ag cosaint
ainm agus chlú poblachtánaigh, ní raibheadar sásta geilleadh do
rí Shasana agus a rá gur coirpigh iad mar bhíodar ag iarraidh an
smál sin a chur ar poblachtánaigh trí chéile ar fud na hEireann.
Tá tionchar an stailc ocrais sin le feiscint fós ar fud na tíre
mar nuair a smaoinaíonn tú siar ba pháirtí an-bheag é Sinn Féin i
1981, anois táimid an-láidir sna sé chontae agus ag fás freisin
sna 26 chontae agus an mór chuid den bhuíochas sin ag dul do
Bobby Sands Francis Hughes agus a chomrádaithe a fuair bas i
1981.'
``I got to know Bobby Sands in 1974 in Long Kesh - like all the
other hunger strikers he was just an ordinary person. Bobby was a
great football player, athlete, musician and had tremendous love
for his language and culture. The British thought they were
striking at the weakest and most vulnerable, but in reality they
were taking on the bravest and the best of our people . By their
courage and sacrifices they preserved the honour and integrity of
the struggle for freedom and justice in Ireland.
Owen Carron spoke of how he has spoken at commemorations all over
Ireland this Summer and is still struck even 20 years after, by
the many people who are still being moved by the hunger strikers,
many of whom were not born at that time.
``I thought that when republicans flocked from all over Ireland
and got Bobby Sands elected MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone that that would
save his life. But the cold and ruthless British government
wouldnt meet the prisoners wouldn't recognise their mandate . It
didn't matter that 100,000 people marched after the coffin of
Bobby Sands, that the Longshoreman's union blocked the port of
New York and that the parliament of New Delhi stood in silence.
``I am heartened to come here tonight to see that many people down
here in Skibbereen understand that the struggle that is going on
in the Six Counties is the same struggle, whether you live in
Derry, Belfast, Leitrim or Skibbereen.
Before the ceremony was concluded the cathaoirleach Donnchadh Ó
Seaghdha paid tribute to Joseph O'Sullivan of Fachtnas Terrace, who left
his sick bed to be present. Joe was the only remaining link with
a previous generation of republicans at the time of the hunger
strikes.