Republican News · Thursday 12 December 2002

New Coiste group takes on government neglect

All over the country, republican ex-prisoner groups, under the umbrella of Coiste na n-Iarchimí, the republican ex-prisoner support network, are emerging, and beginning to further community involvement in the process of building the new Ireland of Equals.

The most recent arrival is Lá Nua, based in Ballinamore, County Leitrim. The county which has always been one of the strongest focal points in the struggle, over recent years stands out also as one to have suffered most from partition and the years of bad government and compounded neglect of rural communities.

La Nua held a very well attended and successful meeting in Drumshambo last Friday week to launch the project and share its plans with the broad community for future work to realise the vision of an Ireland of Equals, and Leitrim's place in that vision.

"Lá Nua, which has started life as a republican community group of ex-prisoners, activists and their families, represents a new way of advancing the aims of this community," said Martin Kenny, who coordinates the project. "It is about enabling the young people to develop the skills so that people from this community are capable of administering the new state that we envisage, and ensure that Leitrim has its place, and plays its full part in it. We want you all - the whole community - involved in this project, a project based on mutual trust between equals, to engage in the project of building an Ireland of Equals."

Sean MacManus talked of their plans and hopes for the future, the potential, for instance, for this region to develop tourism in Drumkeeran and Drumshambo, and the address the shameful social economic deficit which the Government has perpetuated in this county. This is the challenge that all of us face - to spearhead change.

A number of representatives of community support groups and statutory agencies addressed the meeting, congratulating the organisers on setting up the project and inviting people to avail of their services through Lá Nua.