End of civil war marked, but no closure for families

A ceremony to mark 100 years since the end of the Irish Civil War took place in the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin last weekend.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tanaiste Micheal Martin attended the event on Sunday alongside descendants of those killed during the conflict, some of whom have called on the government to go further.

On May 24, 1923 the IRA Chief of Staff, Frank Aiken issued an order for Republican forces to dump arms, effectively ending a year of conflict over the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The Treaty, signed by a delegation of Irish political leaders in December 1921, provided for the partition of the island and for continued British rule in the North.

A statement, issued by the IRA to end the tragic domestic conflict, read:

“Comrades — The arms with which we fought the enemies of our country are to be dumped. The foreign and domestic enemies of the Republic have for the moment prevailed.

“But our enemies have not won. Neither tortures nor firing squads, nor a slavish press can crush the desire for independence out of the hearts of those who fought for the Republic or out of the hearts of our people.

“Our enemies have demanded our arms. Our answer is, ‘We took up arms to free our country, and we’ll keep them until we see an honourable way of reaching our objective without arms’.

“There is a trying time ahead for the faithful soldiers of Ireland. But the willing sacrifices of our dead comrades will give us the courage to face it in the knowledge that these sacrifices have ensured the ultimate victory of our cause. Their examples and their prayers will help us to be like them, faithful to our ideals unto death.”

It was signed by Frank Aiken, IRA Chief of Staff.

The last official executions of the Civil War took place six days later when Michael Murphy and Joseph O’Rourke were executed in Tuam, County Galway.

In all, some 1,600 people were killed in the conflict. The ceremony of reconciliation and remembrance which took place in Dublin on Sunday. saw Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tanaiste Micheal Martin, the current leaders of the coalition government parties who have their roots on either side of the civil war, jointly laid a wreath and led a minute’s silence for the victims.

The 26 County Army featured heavily in the commemoration, with army cadets forming an honour guard in the centre of the garden. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and former SDLP leader Mark Durkan were also present.

But the failure of the state to apologise for its war crimes against republicans, including notorious atrocities and unofficial executions, has dismayed the families of those who died.

In the Ballyseedy massacre, eight prisoners were deliberately killed by Free States troops in an explosion. The circumstances were covered up by the Free State and the then ‘Minister for Defence’ gave a false account to the Dublin parliament of what had happened.

Aidan Larkin, whose grandfather John O’Connor was among those killed, called on the government to apologise for the atrocity and to correct the Dáil record.

“I feel a great sense of injustice at what happened,” he said. “It was a heinous crime.”

Urgent Appeal