Irish people must be free to choose their own future
Irish people must be free to choose their own future

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The Matt Fitzpatrick 1916 Society held a commemoration for Volunteers Fergal O’Hanlon and Sean South at Altawark in Fermanagh earlier this month. Councillor Barry Monteith give the main oration.

 

Go raibh maith agaibh, Thanks to the Matt Fitzpatrick Society for inviting me to speak at this fine monument to brave soldiers of the Republic – IRA Volunteers Fergal O’Hanlon and Seán South.

I take this moment to highlight the ongoing genocide in Palestine and send solidarity to the Palestinian people.

Occupation No More – Free Ireland, Free Palestine.

I pay tribute to clean up and restoration work carried by local Republicans on this monument following the despicable attack on it last year. Maith sibh, And I thank you all for attending in such cold and wintry conditions in tribute to our fallen volunteers. I will not keep you too long.

It was cold and wintry conditions which faced the Pearse Flying Column of which Fergal O’Hanlon and Seán South where members. This flying column operated in counties Armagh, Monaghan, and Fermanagh in the IRA’s border campaign. In previous weeks daring attacks had been carried out on Gough army barracks, Armagh (11 December), and Lisnakea police barracks (13 December). On the early evening of 1 January 1957 they raided the RUC barracks at Brookeborough, Co. Fermanagh. Seán South and Fergal O’Hanlon were mortally wounded during the attack.

Fergal O’Hanlon – A native of Monaghan town, Fergal O’Hanlon was a draughtsman in the offices of Monaghan county council, a Gaelic footballer at club (Monaghan Harps) and county level, and an accomplished handballer.

Sean South – native of Limerick, a prolific writer and journalist. A committed Republican activist, Seán South was a fervent Gaeilgeoir and advocate for our native tongue and culture.

After their deaths there was a week of national mourning, in all but name, across Ireland. The funerals of the two men were occasions for a massive outpouring of Republican sentiment. On the 4th and 5th January tens of thousands attended the funerals of both men in Monaghan and Limerick respectively.

Their names would be immortalised in the ballads “Seán South of Garryowen” and “The Patriot Game”

“They scorned the danger they might face
Their fate that lay in store
They were fighting for old Ireland
To claim their very own”

These men and their comrades left their homes and families and came from all over Ireland to fight for the Republic. To fight for our freedom and independence, to fight John Bull’s tyranny.

We remember them without apology or revision. They died for the freedom of Ireland and her people. Free from the plough in the ground to the stars in the sky.

They did not die for shared islands, commonwealths or 6 county administration of British rule. They did not die to lay wreaths in honour of the British military and empire responsible for centuries of murder, starvation, genocide, discrimination and exile of our people.

The Irish people must be free to choose their own future and destiny – free from British interference. Self-determination, independence, unity, freedom. A 32 county socialist republic.

British rule continues in Ireland today
British rule in our land must end

British rule is responsible for:

  • Half a million people on years long waiting lists for basic health care
  • Record levels of homelessness and of those living in threat of homelessness
  • Record levels of child poverty
  • Impoverishment of students
  • Normalisation of reliance on foodbanks as working people cannot heat and eat
  • A 6 county military police force which uses and abuses stop and search, strip search and arrest powers – tell lies to criminalise relatives of loyalist atrocities, spends millions on lawyers to prevent Irish people from getting the truth about the deaths of their loved ones by the British state and its proxies.
  • Those from/deemed to be from a nationalist/republican background are twice as likely to be arrested and twice as likely to be charged;
  • Draconian legislation used to jail and criminalise Irish people – years on remand commonplace. Demonisation of our language, culture, music and sport.

    To quote the great Bobby Sands;

    “Generations will continue to meet the same fate unless the perennial oppressor-Britain-is removed, for she will unashamedly and mercilessly continue to maintain her occupation and economic exploitation of Ireland to judgment day, if she is not halted and ejected.”

    That is our job as republicans – to halt and eject British interference in Ireland – not to normalise it, not to endorse it as other have chosen to do.

    We need to succeed, we need to win. To do this we must promote the ideals of sovereignty and independence, of liberty and fraternity. To do this we must also listen to the people – it is our job to help politicise and empower people not to dictate to or talk down to.

    We must set about our business confidently, positively and with humility – none of us have all the answers – but we have the analysis to ensure we can find them together.

    Republicanism is a noble ideal for us all but we need to make it a living reality for the people.

    I thank you for attending, for listening. I thank you for your activism yesterday, today and tomorrow.

    “This Ireland of ours has for long been half free
    Six counties are under John Bull’s tyranny
    And most of our leaders are greatly to blame
    For shirking their part in the patriot’s game”

    Up the Republic!

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