Wolfe Tone symbolically reunited with his wife at Bodenstown

A handful of soil, brought over from the grave of Wolfe Tone’s wife, Matilda, in New York was scattered on his grave in Bodenstown, County Kildare as part of a weekend commemoration at the site where the republican legend is buried.

Every year, republicans pay homage to the father of the movement and the founder in 1791 of the Society of United Irishmen, a revolutionary, non-sectarian campaign for Irish freedom.

Despite being publicised almost entirely by word of mouth, the ‘National Independent Republican Commemoration’ draws crowds and prominent figures to Tone’s graveside in County Kildare every year.

Among those who took part in the commemoration this year were former former Republican prisoners John Crawley and Sean McGuinness, Sean Whelan of the National Graves Association and broadcaster John McDonagh, who symbolically united the graves of Tone and his wife. Exiled in the United States, Matilda Tone was instrumental in the preservation and publication of his papers.

Republicans from across the 32 counties took part in a parade on Sunday, 8 June, led by a colour party and several bands, and carrying wreaths which were laid at the graveside.

A spokesperson for the organisers, Ado Perry said: “As republicans we continue to seek the breaking of the connection with Britain. Ireland as a nation cannot define its own future with continued British occupation and external interference.”

He said the gathering of “proud and unapologetic” republicans looked to the “vast possibilities of a mighty future. Not for us reform and compromise but a true republic beholden to the ordinary people. A land of equality.”

The main address was delivered by former US special forces Marine John Crawley, activist, author and former Republican prisoner.

In his address Mr Crawley stated: “Ireland still has no national government. There is an Irish government in Dublin, but it is not the Government of Ireland.

“There are two governments of Ireland—one based in Leinster House and the other at Westminster in London. Stormont is a regional assembly of the British parliament.

“Instead of national politics, we have partition politics. And who could look at Stormont and Britain’s Secretary of State and deny that part of Ireland continues to be ruled by Englishmen and the servants of Englishmen?”

He argued ‘unionists never had an issue with a united Ireland per se’.

“They lived in a united Ireland under Crown jurisdiction for hundreds of years. The Orange Order is an all-Ireland institution,” he said.

Mr Crawley added: “When republicans speak of reaching out to unionists, we mean reaching out to them as fellow citizens and not as foreigners who happen to live here.”

In his speech he criticised the institutions arising from the Good Friday Agreement.

“If you manage to get elected or co-opted to Stormont, the British government will subsidise your belief with a salary, expenses, and ultimately a pension.

“But don’t internalise Britain’s pacification project and call it a republican peace strategy,” he said.

In conclusion he referred to Tone’s anti-sectarian message.

“We stand today beside the grave of this remarkable patriot to honour his service and sacrifice and to reaffirm our commitment to his ideals. We stand here not as southern or northern Irishmen and women, not as Catholics or Protestants, not as inhabitants of this ‘island’ nor advocates of insipid All-Island institutions, but as United Irishmen and women,” he concluded.

Urgent Appeal