During the course of the commemoration three wreathes were laid by the Seán Costello / Martin Hurson Cumann.
A wreathe was laid at the grave of Thomas Hughes by Liam McCue, Westmeath.
A wreathe was laid at the grave of Cristy (Kit) Mckeown by Ciaran Dolan, Westmeath.
A wreathe was laid at the grave of the late Victor and Una Fagg by their son Brian Fagg. Victor is a late member of the Seán Costello / Martin Hurson Cumann and a very well respected Republican who gave a lifetime of service to the All-Ireland Republic. Victor was at one stage on the Executive of the Irish Republican Army, this in itself says a lot about the caliber of the man. Victors wife Una Fagg, was a member of Cumann na mBán and a very loyal and dedicated Republican, like her husband she refused to accept the sellout by former Republicans in '86 and remained loyal to the All-Ireland Republic until death, they are both remembered with much pride for their service to the All-Ireland Republic.
The oration on the day was delivered by Republican Sinn Féin Ard Comhairle member from Dublin, Róisín Hayden, it reads as follows;
Easter is a time when Irish Republicans all over the country gather at graves, monuments and memorials to reiterate their commitment to the Irish Republic and pay their respects to those who gave their lives for the freedom of our country. This year we mark the 96th Anniversary of the 1916 Rising as we remember the men and women who took up arms against the British in defense of our country. They followed in the tradition of the Fenians; of Wolfe Tone, whose aim was 'to break the connection with England' and Robert Emmett, who in his Proclamation in1803 declared that 'our object is to establish a free and independent Republic in Ireland...' The Proclamation that you have heard out here today is the very same Proclamation that was read out by Padraig Pearse on the steps of the GPO on Easter Monday 96 years ago. The ensuing 1916-23 war of Independence followed from those courageous men and women. The common bond that we share with them is the right of the Irish people to sovereign independence.
We gather here at the grave of IRA Volunteer, Thomas Hughes. Thomas was executed alongside his IRA comrades Michael Walsh, Hubert Collins, Stephen Joyce, and Martin Burke on the 20th of January 1923 by the 26-County Army in Custume Barracks Athlone. At that time they were under an oath of allegiance to the British Crown. The ruthlessness in which the Republic was suppressed cannot be forgotten, 77 official executions and 124 unofficial executions (murders) is how the current un-sovereign 26-County State came into being. The Free State Army stood 50,000 strong during that period and was well financed by the English Government with many of the recruits being ex-British Army.
Four years before the centenary of the 1916 Rising, former comrades and the 26-County State are signalling their intent to amalgamate the commemoration of the sacrifice of the men and women of 1916 with those who, for various reasons, joined the British Army and took part in WW1.
Last week Peter Robinson delivered what was called the 'Edward Carson lecture' in the 26-County Department of Foreign Affairs Office in Dublin marking the centenary of the signing of the Ulster's Solemn League and Covenant in 1912 - signed by thousands of loyalists to prevent Irish independence. Among other things he said that "to nationalist Edward Carson was "the man who divided Ireland." but to unionists he was "the man who saved Ulster for the Union." And that is still the loyalist mindset and the difference between the Proclamation and the Covenant.
Republican Sinn Féin will be to the fore in commemorating events in the run-up to the Centenary and will begin on April 21st next when we hold a seminar in the Pearse Institute in Dublin entitled Who fears to speak of Easter Week? Other events we will commemorate include the 1913 lock-out and the formation of the Irish-Volunteers in 1913, the formation of Cumann na mBán in 1914, Pearse's address at the grave of O'Donovan Rossa in 1915 and the Rising itself in 1916.
Irish Republicans continue to be subjected to State harassment and repression north and south of the Britain's border. Lurgan and Craigavon in particular are signaled out for heavy-handed policing by the RUC-PSNI. Not a day goes by but some member of Republican Sinn Féin is stopped and searched. Only last week three more homes were raided for several hours. Computers and phones were taken from each home as usual. Phones are taken illegally from people on the street on a daily basis especially in Dublin and Lurgan/Craigavon.
Up to 50 people have appeared in Craigavon court over the last month charged with taking part in what the RUC-PSNI call illegal marches in Lurgan and in Armagh last Easter and a march in January for demanding the release of Martin Corey. All have been fined with fines ranging from between £200 and £700 (some have multiple fines, one man has fines totaling £1,200). With the exception of the Lurgan Mail and of course our own paper SAOIRSE, not one single paper carried anything about the lengthy court cases.
The struggle for political status for Republican prisoners in Maghaberry jail continues and must be highlighted, as must the internment of Martin Corey and Marian Price. Martin Corey was taken from his home two years ago this month by the RUC-PSNI, with no explanation, just that his licence was revoked, and has been held without reason or charge ever since in Maghaberry jail. He eventually had to apply for a judicial review to see if he could get any answers. That review will be held in two weeks time. Martin spent 19years in jail and was out for 19years before his arrest.
Marian Price is in the hospital wing of Hydebank prison having been moved from Maghaberry jail due to ill-health while the British deny she received a pardon. Whether or not Marian received a Royal pardon is surely immaterial at this stage. She has been out of jail for 30 years after serving a lenghty sentence and there is no reason why she should not be allowed bail. We also remember Michael Campbell on his own in a Lithuanian jail.
The visit by the Queen of England to the 26-Counties last May was intended to normalise British Rule in Ireland. Republican protests against the visit ensured that a clear message that British rule in Ireland wound never be either normal or acceptable was sent out. Her appearance at the Garden of Remembrance was insulting to all Irish patriots whose lives were taken from them by the army she represents and a few words of broken Irish in Dublin Castle does not erase the past nor does it change the fact that while her government and armed forces remain in Ireland no member of the British Royal family is welcome here.
We will continue to work towards a New Ireland, through Éire Nua and Saol Nua, our blueprint for the future political and social Ireland where all peoples can live in peace with justice and where all peoples of the nation, regardless of color and creed, will be cherished equally based on the Proclamation of 1916 and the Manifesto of Sinn Féin in the All-Ireland election of 1918.
Part of the manifesto reads"...[Sinn Féin] stands by the Proclamation of the Provisional Government of Easter, 1916, reasserting the inalienable right of the Irish Nation to sovereign Independence, reaffirming the determination of the Irish people to achieve it, and guaranteeing within the independent nation equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens". It also states "The right of a nation to sovereign independence rests upon immutable natural law and cannot be made the subject of a compromise". That is part of the manifesto put to the people in the first All Ireland referendum in which the people voted for an Irish Republic. From this election the Dáil was established. This is the Dáil we recognise not the current partitionist administration in Leinster House today which bears no resemblance to that of the First and Second Dáil.
As we leave here today let us reiterate their commitment to the All-Ireland Republic proclaimed in arms in Easter Week 1916 and ratified by the First All-Ireland Dáil of 1919. We must work harder to bring the aims and ideals of the Republican Movement to a broader public, we must not just be active, but be seen to be actively promoting political reform and social justice to bring about a just and lasting peace.
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