• September 19, 2015

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

IRELAND: KENT REINTERMENT MIXED FEELINGS OVER STATE ROLE

Republican Sinn Fein (RSF) has lashed out angrily at the ceremony organised by the Dublin government as republican patriot Thomas Kent’s remains are reinterred. RSF have labelled it ‘a distasteful act of political opportunism’.

Today’s ceremony will include a speech at the graveside by Irelands Taoiseach, Enda Kenny.

RSF say:

“The 26-County State came about through the suppression of the All-Ireland Republic proclaimed in 1916; its foundation moment lies in the passage of the Government of Ireland Act of 1920 through the British Parliament at Westminster and not the reading of the Proclamation at the GPO on Easter Monday 1916. They have no legitimacy in commemorating 1916; the 26-County State is a negation of everything that the All-Ireland Republic stood for as articulated in the 1916 Proclamation.

In their haste to lay claim to the memory of Thomas Kent and the other patriots of 1916 the Leinster House establishment have accused Irish Republicans of ‘hijacking 1916’. How can Republicans hijack something they have never abandoned? Irish Republicans have faithfully commemorated the 1916 since 1917, at times they have faced imprisonment and harassment at the hands of the 26-County State for doing so. Infamously the Leinster House regime banned the 1976 commemoration, prosecuting the daughter of James Connolly, Nora Connolly O’Brien ,for her participation in the commemoration at the GPO as well as Fiona Plunkett, sister of Joseph Plunkett, another of the signatories of the 196 Proclamation.

Consequently these latest attempts ring hollow while the hijacking of the remains of our patriot deed is a distasteful act of political opportunism.”

Whilst the statement from RSF is not unexpected given its fundamental opposition to the 26 State unsurprisingly its sentiments have been echoed by other more moderate voices in Ireland.

Mail exchanged by the DOI with citizens in Ireland today indicate some at least will boycott the ‘official’ event and pay their respects later when the ‘government spin machine’ has moved on. This seems symptomatic of a general unease in some quarters in Ireland about revisionism creeping into 1916 centenary commemorations.

Related link:

https://www.celticleague.net/news/ireland-branch-urge-film-makers-to-eschew-revisionism/

BERNARD MOFFATT

Issued by: The Celtic News

18/09/15

THE CELTIC LEAGUE INFORMATION SERVICE

The Celtic League established in 1961 has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It promotes cooperation between the countries and campaigns on a range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, military activity and socio-economic issues

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