At this year’s AGM Caoimhín Ó Cadhla, Secretary of Craobh na hÉireann /The Irish Branch
of An Conradh Ceitleach, put forward the following emergency motion which was
accepted unanimously.
‘The Celtic League AGM demands an end to the 1916 Remembrance Wall in Glasnevin
Cemetery immediately, as we believe it is inappropriate to create an equivalence between
the volunteers, the civilians and the British soldiers who died during Easter Week and
1916.’
Acting on the resolution the Irish Branch secretary contacted the Glasnevin Trust about the
Necrology Wall stating:
‘It is with disappointment we heard about the Necrology wall that is to be unveiled on the 3rd of
April. While we in the Celtic League are satisfied that there will be a wall to remember the rebels
that fought in the Easter rising of 1916 and indeed the civilians, we object to the inclusion of
British Soldiers and DMP who died during the Rising.
A lot of those British Soldiers would have been involved in civilian massacres during the rising
including the massacre of 15 civilians in North King Street, the execution of Francis Sheehy
Skeffington and two journalists by Captain J.C. Bowen-Colthurst, the shelling of the city by the
Helga and British snipers who killed civilians.
Also on a basic point, these British forces were the occupier and morally wrong to suppress Irish
freedom through violent means. Also what does the inclusion of British Forces give as a signal to
the Northern Nationalists today, who have been terrorised and killed by those same forces in the
past forty years. This parity of esteem for all combatants is false and we would ask you to
reconsider unveiling this wall.
An emergency motion has been passed by the Celtic League on the 26th of March, 2016 calling
for this wall to disappear. As the Chairman of the Celtic League, Cathal Ó Luain stated in his
oration at the Inter-Celtic Commemoration of 1916 ‘the proposal to erect a wall in the old
cemetery across the road with names on it not only of those who fought for Ireland and civilians
who were killed but the very British forces who sought to suppress them, who shelled and burnt
the city, carried out the North King Street massacre and executed the leaders. This has been
totally condemned by the relatives of those who fought in 1916.’ Therefore, there is anger
internationally to this initiative.
Would you have the names of Nazis who died at a memorial of the Holocaust?
I look forward to your reply.’
CEO of the Glasnevin Trust, George McCullough, gave a quick response acknowledging The
Celtic League’s mail.
A protest has been organised on the 3rd of April at Glasnevin Cemetery by the Seán
