THE LONG ROAD TO CLONES.

Meitheamh 29th 09

THE LONG ROAD TO CLONES.

Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! What joy! What sheer unadulterated totally wonderful bloody joy! What a game! What a team! What a victory. I saw it in the Fiddlers Green Pub in San Francisco just before our big Unite Ireland Forum. Me and Mairtín óg and Benny and Richard. At 11 0 clock in the morning. We were joined by Paul and Seamus from Tir Éoghan. They comported themselves with the grace of princely Gaels. All Ireland champions. And they didn’t mind who knew it.

Seamus is a good hearted young man from Coalisland. Paul a much older dude from the same parish. Paul told us maybe we would be better going some where else for coffee instead of wasting our time thinking we could beat Cavan. I told him we had our sights on Croke Park in September. Seamus laughed.

I told him the old joke about Peter Canavan. You know the one? From the era before Tyrone were the Champions? When they were like Antrim.

‘What’s the difference between Peter Canavan and a Falls Road black taxi?’

‘A black taxi can only carry six passengers’.

Seamus stopped laughing.

‘I see your point.’ Said Paul.

‘You’ll see lots more points in the next seventy minutes’ I shot back at him.

We can win, I told myself. This time we can win. Other times in the football we drew the big hitters in Ulster but Cavan was doable. All winners need a wee bit of luck sometimes. Our luck was the luck of the draw. A game against Cavan. A winnable game. I could hardly dare to believe it. But I did. Win. We could win. Antrim could get through to the Ulster Final.

There were two Cavan people at the table behind us. A man and his young son. A couple from Kerry and some Galway folk on high stools at the bar. Me and the Cavan duo wished each other luck. Then the game started.

I can’t remember the detail of it. I need to see it again. A hundred times over. We started slowly as I recall. Cavan were more assertive. They had more possession. But their first effort at a score was a wide. That looked promising. Then another few wides and I felt that things could turn out ok. My confidence grew. Even though we were on the defensive.

Then we started to exert ourselves. The rest is a blur. I remember screaming a lot. And shouting advice. To Terry O Neill. And Tomás McCann. And Niall McKeever. James Loughrey and Justin Crozier. And Kevin Brady.

At half time Maírtín óg ordered a fry. Bacon, sausages, black and white pudding, soda and potato bread. I ate half of it on him as Paddy Cunningham stroked over a point or two. Seamus ordered a fry as well. I ate most of that on him also as Cavan came back at us in the second half. He didn’t seem to mind. I could see he was impressed by the Antrim backs. I was lucky we weren’t drinking. A Coalisland man and his drink would not be so easily parted.

‘We need to watch out for the soft goal. A sneaky goal wud have us in trouble’ I announced to no one in particular but in the hope that the Aontroim defenders were listening.

Paul agreed.

‘Five points is nothing in football’.

I could have done without that observation, true and all as it might be.

How many times were we here before? Ahead. Playing like demons. Then our focus goes, our coherency disappears, we stutter and stop playing as a team. We get overwhelmed. We lose.

‘Up Antrim’ I screamed. ‘C’mon lads. Aontroim abú. Youse can f***ing do it’.

Seamus looked at me disapprovingly. Then Cavan scored the goal.

The Cavan duo behind us applauded like men gone mad.

I never flinched. I was back in the Falls Park playing for Saint Finian’s against Saint Galls. I was nine. Saint Galls had just scored a goal. I was left half back. Seán Loughran’s quick kick out found me. I went off on a long penetrating solo run before sending a perfect soaring ball forward. Failey Magee fielded it perfectly. He got a point. The winning point. The next day in the back row of Brother Christopher’s class me and Seán Loughran discussed how we would win two All Irelands for Antrim. For hurling as well as football.

So Cavan’s goal didn’t rattle me. But I had fifty one years of almost being an All Star to re assure me. Minnie Mo who texted me every five minutes from Clones broke. She couldn’t watch the rest. And all the while Saint Finians Under Tens were alive and well and running at the Cavan defenders like deer. And then Paddy Cunningham gave us another point.

Two minutes into injury time and all Cavan needed was another goal. But I never gave up hope. My heart stopped a few times but the sight of our team playing like dervishes revived me. At least seven times. And then the ref blew it up.

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

I phoned our Gearóid at Clones. On the mobile. He was jubilant. I was crying.

‘Youse have no chance against us’ Seamus declared as we left the Fiddlers Green.

But I could see he was shook.

‘See you in Clones Seamus’ I said.

‘Once every thirty nine years isn’t bad’ he retorted.

‘There was a war in between’ I reminded him.

‘You can’t fight a war and play football’ Richard cut in.

And he should know.

‘Remember the black taxi’ I said ‘ I love Tír Éoghan but…….’

‘I know’ said Paul. ‘It’s all on the day.’

Paul is right. Which is strange in itself. But I have to agree.

As David told Goliath, anything can happen on the day.

Aontroim - Ulster Hurling Champions.

Aontroim - Ulster Football Champions.

See you in Clones.

POLITICAL FOOTBALLS AND PEACE PROCESSES

Meitheamh 26th 09

POLITICAL FOOTBALLS AND PEACE PROCESSES.

This blog comes to you from San Francisco. I have long given up the effort to persuade others that globe trotting is an enjoyable business. It is interesting. There is no doubt about that. But my jet lag has jet lag. That’s because we passed through two time zones – Richard says three – to get here. Or maybe four, he adds.

I offered him a herbal sleeping tablet to ease the pain.

‘No’ he said ‘I don’t take sleeping tablets they make me too drowsy’.

But anyway we are in San Francisco for the west coast United Ireland Forum which will star Fionnuala Flannigan, Bobby Ballagh, and Professor Ruan O’Donnell as well as hundreds of west coast activists, including John Burton, Chair of the Democratic Party in California who will moderate the event.

The feedback from the New York Forum has been very positive. At least here in the USA. In Ireland it led to predictable attacks from unionists and the SDLP, as well as some negative commentary in the Dublin print media.

Junior Minister Martin Mansergh joined in this. He said that we couldn’t afford a United Ireland at this time. The reality is that Ireland cannot afford Dr. Mansergh’s government. But his remarks are an interesting insight into the feeling of the Irish establishment.

The fact is that under the Good Friday Agreement but particularly the Irish constitution the Irish government has an imperative to pursue Irish unity. There used to be a lot of talk about constitutional nationalism – where’s their strategy, their programme, to end partition?

***************************************

Saturday also sees Antrim playing Cavan in the semi final of the Ulster Football Championship. This blog hopes to find some place to watch the game. It’s being played at 7pm Irish time which means 11am on Saturday morning, San Francisco time. I really hope that Antrim wins. The problem is I haven’t missed a game in ages but the win against Donegal was achieved in my absence. Could this be the secret of our recent success? Tomorrow will tell the tale.

If it does, does that also mean I shouldn’t go to hurling games either, Sambo?

At any rate tá suil agam go mbeidh bua againn. Aontroim abú.

##########################################

Regular readers will recall the Sinn Féin delegation visit to Israel, the Gaza Strip and the west Bank in April. As promised at that time I have now published a report of that visit. It will be distributed to governments, political leaders, NGOs and others.

During our four days in the region we met a huge number of NGOs, Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations, women’s groups, community organisations, bankers, the private sector, university heads, health staff, including trauma counsellors, and all of the main Palestinian political parties and a Kadima member of the Israeli Parliament and Palestinian refugees.

We were warmly received by everyone we met and they openly and honestly outlined their assessment of the current situation.

Many are hopeful that the new US Administration and the appointment of Senator George Mitchell will create a new opportunity to make progress toward a peace settlement.

It is obvious also that the political conditions for ongoing violence and poverty and instability still dominate the situation.

It was also clear from the scores of Israeli and Palestinian citizens that the Sinn Féin delegation met that there is a deep desire for peace.

The report records the delegations four days in the region, as well as the sights and scenes and the conversations.

Despite all of the difficulties I remain hopeful. I believe there is a widespread desire to achieve a peace settlement.

But it will require political leadership and a willingness to take risks.
The report sets out the steps which I feel can make a real difference in this situation.

The report is available now for a small fee to cover publication costs through Republican Publications www.sinnfeinbookshop.com

AN SAGART MAITH

Myself and Fr. Des

22 Meitheamh 2009

AN SAGART MAITH.

August 1969 was a watershed month for citizens of Ireland, and particularly for people living in the North, especially in Derry and Belfast. A series of protests across the six counties to relieve the people of the Bogside, under siege by the RUC and the B Specials, culminated in the Belfast pogroms when these forces attacked nationalist neighbourhoods particularly in Ardoyne and the Falls.

Late one evening in August I was at the top of Springhill Avenue, in west Belfast with a small group of local people . There was widespread tension throughout the city and rumours of shootings and petrol bombings were rife. All was quiet in Springhill and the Upper Springfield. Then a car came up Springhill Avenue which was then open onto the Springfield Road. Our small group watched anxiously as the vehicle approached us. When it drew alongside and stopped we watched it cautiously. There was only one passenger, the driver. I approached him warily. He rolled down his window and introduced himself. His name was Des Wilson. He was a priest.

That was the first time we met. Later that month I visited him at the Parochial House at Saint Johns on the Falls Road to discuss the developing situation. By that time most of working class Belfast was behind barricades. The barricaded areas were almost self governing. Committees, including in some cases local priests, provided local services. These involved, particularly in West Belfast, the needs of a very large influx of refugees.

That period was a defining time for many people and institutions including the Catholic Church. Some failed to grasp the significance of it all. They failed to change to meet the new imperatives. Instead they blamed the people who were victims of state violence. Bishop Philbin did this in person in January 1970, in the new church of Corpus Christi in Springhill. Des Wilson, already dissatisfied by the church’s attitude, was soon on a collision course with these conservative elements. He left the Parochial House and came to live among us.

By 1972 he had opened a community house in Springhill. By this time internment and military occupation was the order of the day, and local people, including two priests, Father Mullan and Father Fitzpatrick were murdered by British forces.

A progressive campaigning church leadership, standing firmly on gospel values could have made a huge and positive difference to the lives of people living under a very brutal regime. Such a church could have reduced the level of conflict. It could also have played a positive role in bringing the conflict to an end much earlier.

Father Des and a small group of like minded pastors argued for such an approach. Des’s philosophy is based on respect for people, a recognition of the goodness of people and the need to empower this. So it is that he became immersed in educational projects, in the arts, and in campaigning work.

He also cheered us up in very difficult times. Especially in the wake of some dreadful incidents. Indeed over the years, I formed an opinion that his vocation was to cheer us up, to uplift us in hard times. He also played a pivotal role along with Father Alex Reid and others, in the early dialogue which led eventually to the peace process.

Why do I tell you all this? It was my great pleasure last Friday to be at a special mass in Springhill, in Corpus Christi Church, to celebrate Father Des’s diamond jubilee. 60 years a priest! That’s a long time. Des wanted to thank his friends for their contribution to his life and work and he did so with great grace and humility, despite losing his notes.

The people of Springhill made their own spontaneous tribute to Des as he made his way back to the Church the following night. His neighbours came to their doors to applaud him as he dandered along. Some showered him with confetti. And this modest holy man deserves it all.



I want to thank Des for everything he has done for us and for all the love and support and blessings, but especially for the example he has given since first we met at the top of Springhill Avenue forty years ago. Tá muid fior buioch duitse Des. Is sagairt maith thú.

BACK TO PORRIDGE

19 Meitheamh 2009.

BACK TO PORRIDGE.

Back in Belfast where the rain and bright sunshine are taking it in turns to razzle dazzle us. Back to news of mass evictions of Romanian families by ultra right groups in Belfast, to leaks about arms decommissioning by unionist paramilitary groups and rumours of continued fall out within unionism from Bairbre de Brún's spectacular election success here in the North.

So what to blog about?

This blog isn’t all or always about politics as regular readers will know. My preference would be to tell you about the baby sycamore which I found growing in the gutter. It now recovering in a little pot. Or about the pair of black birds who befriended me while I carried out this rather difficult and taxing task. But I’m not in the mood.

The images of small children and their parents being shepherded from refuge to refuge is heartbreaking. The people who attacked them are mean people. None meaner. What possible threat are Romanian families to anyone?

And when these events can happen what does it say about society?

It says that we have a lot to do to create the type of inclusive society that the vast majority of citizens deserve. Racism of some kind exists in most societies. But it is also outlawed in most societies. And here in the North of Ireland there is a very low level of convictions for hate or race crime. And that is unacceptable.

There is also a lack of tolerance. The recent murder of Kevin McDade, the Catholic victim of a sectarian beating is dreadful proof of that. This is a sectarian place. Little wonder therefore that racism is tolerated in some quarters when sectarianism is so widespread.

It is worth placing on record this blog’s view that racism, like sectarianism its first cousin, is a device for keeping people down. This state was built on sectarianism. It was the glue which kept it together, which kept us in our place and divided our unionist neighbours from us.

Of course it would be difficult to find anyone to defend these attacks. Publicly. And ordinary decent citizens are genuinely angry and depressed by them. But there is still a lack of joined up, united and coherent or positive leadership right across the spectrum of society to address and eradicate these tendencies.

We need education. We need good laws and good law enforcement. We need to build a tolerant and caring society. But most of all we zero tolerance of racism and sectarianism. And we need it now. And that includes zero tolerance for politicans who fail to set their faces against all sectarianism or racism.

A GOOD DAY'S WORK

From left to right; Pete Hamill; Brendan O'Leary; myself, Terry O'Sullivan; Brian Keenan.

June 15th 2009


A GOOD DAY'S WORK.

‘This is an Assembly of the Irish American community’ one delegate declared to the large gathering in the Hilton Hotel on Saturday in New York.

‘An Assembly of the Irish American community’ he said ‘And what a community we are’.

This blog agrees.

That community was the Hilton in its myriad social and campaigning groups. Eight hundred activists from the east coast of the USA crowded into the large downtown hotel to plot a course forward in support of Irish unity. Renowned writer Pete Hamill chaired proceedings and Professor Brendan O'Leary, American Labour leader Terry O'Sullivan and former Beirut hostage Brian Keenan made contributions which were both informative and instructive before the ‘Assembly’ went into plenary session.

This blog congratulates everyone involved. It was a great event. For those who don’t watch these matters the New York conference has it origins in a Task Force on Irish Unity which I established in 2008. That task force made a number of recommendations for work in Ireland which I will return to at another time.

It also recognised the status of Irish unity as an international issue and put forward a number of suggestions to mobilise international opinion behind this proposition. Engagement with the Irish diaspora is a first step in such a process. That’s what Saturday's gathering was about. The participants seemed uplifted and energised by the proceedings.

They heard Professor O'Leary of the University of Pennylvania outline some of the ways to unite Ireland. Interestingly he also pointed out that the Scottish Nationalist Party recent victory of the British Labour Party could bring an end to the Union of England and Scotland in the quite near future.

Readers will note that this would have obvious ramifications for the so-called United Kingdom and the Good Friday Agreement part in which we live.

Brian Keenan’s contribution in itself was worth the trip. He held the audience spellbound with his account of growing up in unionist East Belfast. Brian painted very vivid words pictures, poetic and evocative in turn, of the mindsets of that section of our people who are cultural unionists, particularly the working class section.

I found his contribution very revealing and moving.

Terry O'Sullivan is General President of the Labourers International Union of North America. He is a very successful, innovative and progressive organiser who outlined to the conference how activists could organise. He also promised his support and the support of other prominent leaders of organised labour for the campaign.

Lots of ideas came out of the plenary session. The broadest consensus for activism was around the notion of a MacBride Principles type campaign. This would involve gathering resolutions at local, city, state and federal level as a means of winning political support for the issue and putting it on the Congressional and Administration agenda.

Interestingly US Senator Schumer and Congress member Elliot Engel dropped by and there were messages of support from many other public officials and representatives.

Of course the conference is only a part of the process. The real work begins – or continues in the time ahead.

I am confident that it will be successful. When Irish America can get its teeth into an issue it delivers. It did in the MacBride Principles Campaign. It did so in the infancy of the peace process and in the developing situation since then.

Some of the people in the Assembly in the Hilton are experienced activists from that era. Some are new recruits. All have one thing in common – a belief in their ability to make a difference and a connection to Ireland that is uplifting and refreshing.

So there you are, another good bit of work done. Almost time to catch the flight home. That, it goes almost without saying, is where the uniting will be done. I learned a lot from Saturdays Assembly. I also learned a lot from a session with Brian Keenan and Terry Anderson as they broke bread with us afterwards and talked over their time in captivity in Beirut. It was almost like being at a Cage Eleven re-union.

So once again thanks to everyone who contributed to this very important initiative. See you at Bodenstown next Sunday and/or in San Francisco on the following Saturday, the 27th for the west coast leg of the conversation about Irish unity.

Below find enclosed my opening remarks to Saturday’s event:

I want to dedicate my remarks today to the memory of four great Irish Americans who kept the faith and who are with us here in spirit: Dave Burke; Mike Doyle; Danny Withers and Billy Briggs

A public conversation ‘Unity – Our destination: How do we get there?'

There are two sub themes:

One for the people of Ireland – what kind of united Ireland do we need?

But the other; for the diaspora, particularly here in the USA the question is not so much how do we get there.

The question is how does the USA help the people of Ireland get there? How do you help? How can you be active and effective?

Because it isn’t a matter of IF we will get a united Ireland – be sure of that my friends.

It is a matter of HOW and WHEN.

For Sinn Féin a united Ireland is more than just about changing the flags.

We want a real republic – a national democratic republic – but that is for the people of the island of Ireland to decide, free from outside interference.

So, this conference is about what you can do about uniting Ireland.

In other words this is the start of a new phase of activism throughout Irish America.

For hundreds of years we Irish have struggled for independence and freedom from Britain.

Our struggle has taken many forms, sometimes armed and violent, sometimes electoral, sometimes peaceful.

We have fought on all fronts – we have suffered. And others have suffered also.

We have persisted; we have made enormous progress and we have prevailed.

And always, at the heart of our struggle there has been our fundamental right, our basic human right, to determine our own future.

And always, working alongside us has been the Irish diaspora, especially here in the USA.

From before the Fenians, through the Land War and the 1916 Rising, the hungerstrikes, and the peace process up to today, Irish America has supported the struggle in Ireland.

And with your support we have made progress.

There is an end to armed conflict.

The Good Friday Agreement contains a legislative, peaceful and democratic mechanism to set up a new and democratic Ireland.

I believe that the economic and political dynamics in Ireland today make a united Ireland a realistic and realisable objective in a reasonable period of time.

But there are still rigid differences, attitudes, opinions, self interests, partitionism, bigotry and sectarianism which have to be overcome.

This is a daunting challenge.

A United Ireland must guarantee liberty and justice for all.

It must ensure religious and civil liberty and equal rights and opportunities for all.

It must reconcile all sections of our people and heal the hurts between us.

It will require all the hope, strength and goodwill of the Irish diaspora here in the USA, in Canada, in Australia, in Britain, in Europe and elsewhere throughout the world.

It will require thoughtful strategies – huge outreach to our unionist brothers and sisters and a patient process of nation building to unite orange and green.

But it can be done.

We can do it, all of us together.

The peace process has given us countless examples of the unthinkable, the unexpected and the unbelievable actually happening.

20 years ago who would have believed me if I had told you there would be cessations, and a peace process, and an Agreement, and Ian Paisley or Peter Robinson sitting in government as an equal with Martin McGuinness, and Sinn Féin emerging from an election – as we did last week – as the largest party in the north???

20 years ago I wasn’t even allowed into the USA.

But that was changed. How?

Well it’s the difference between having a good idea and actually doing something about it. And that’s a big difference. All of us have good ideas. Or little day dreams.

Doing is the difference between dreaming and success.

About seventeen years ago a small number of people in this city thought it would be a good idea to hold a Presidential Forum – and invite along the Presidential hopefuls and seek from them commitments on supporting justice issues in the north – like the Pat Finucane campaign - and a visa for me.

But they didn’t just have a good idea – they decided to do something with it.

So, they organised the Forum. Bill Clinton gave his commitments. Irish America held him to them and the rest is history.

The decisions that Irish America took then allowed you to reach into the White House; to reach into 10 Downing Street; to reach into Unionist Party headquarters and to change the direction of Irish history, to give hope where none had existed and to save countless lives in the process.

That’s what you did.

Well I believe we can go one better.

Irish freedom and the end to British rule in Ireland has been the goal of generations of Irish republicans and of the diaspora.

I believe this generation can make it real. But that means not just dreaming about it. Not just singing about it.

Not just talking about it. Of course we can do all these things. Singing is particularly important.

But to succeed we have to be active. And to remember always that in activism every little bit counts. Every little step forward brings the end of the journey closer.

There is nothing we cannot do; nothing we can not achieve; if we are determined to make it happen.

Sinn Féin is determined. We have appointed Conor Murphy, Minister for Regional Development and Senator Pearse Doherty to jointly head up our United Ireland task Force.

They have a responsibility to roll a series of events throughout every Irish county and to mainstream their work into every elected forum on the island of Ireland.

This is in addition to work here in the USA, Australia, Europe and Britain.

But let me make it clear that Irish unity is bigger than Sin Féin.

We have no monopoly and we do not want a monopoly on this primary national and international issue.

It is the business of everyone who desires peace and justice and freedom and prosperity for the people of Ireland.

So my friends this conference is the beginning of a new phase of struggle.

It will be followed by others.

I believe it will mobilise and motivate the diaspora in a way never seen before.

And that is our purpose today. To begin that process.

MY FLIGHT FOR IRISH FREEDOM

11 Meitheamh 2009.

MY FLIGHT FOR IRISH FREEDOM.

There are many things I do not understand. Flying is one of them. That’s not strictly true. I sort of a way understand birds flying. And insects. They are made to fly. They have wings. So if they beat their wings or flap them or do whatever it is that they do to get airborne there is some sort of logic in that. There is even a logic to angels flying. If you believe in angels. Or fairies. If you believe in fairies.

I also have some sort of an understanding about wind and air currents and such like. Nothing too profound or scientific but enough to appreciate that if you have a kite or even a glider that you can ride the warm thermals with it or in it. Sort of a way. There is some sort of logic in that as well. Even some seeds, like sycamore or dandelions, can do it. Though I must confess that I have never been in a glider and I’m not very successful with kites. But that’s not the point.

The point is that there is no logic whatsoever, as far as I can figure out, in planes flying. Think of it? A long metal tube with ‘wings’ sticking out either side – wings which don’t flap or beat – launched skywards and ‘flying’ from one place to another. A long metal tube filled with people. Kinda comic book stuff.

Only it’s for real. And nowadays many of us, excepting for isolated tribes of nomadic or jungle dwelling or island bound isolated peoples, take it for granted.

Except this blog. Which is not to say I dislike flying. Au contraire. I don’t mind flying. I just don’t understand it.

This blog flies a good wee bit. Well I don’t really fly. Not like a bird or an insect. Or even a fairy. Or an angel. At least not yet.

But you know what I mean.

I get into planes and strap myself in and the engines start and the plane flings itself skywards and some time later we lunge earthwards again and after a few scary minutes our long metal tube screeches and shudders to a halt on the ground and we all get out and go about our business as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Even though it's not.

This blog is flying at the minute. At 33022 feet according to the monitor before me. That’s 33022 feet up in the air. At 326 miles per hour. There are 1230 miles to our destination. Which is New York. And we are 2080 from where we started. Which is Belfast. And we will do three days political business and be back again, God willing, in the emerald island before anyone misses us. Our flight for Irish freedom.

It’s amazing. Air travel allows us to cross the globe in double quick time. To meet friends and allies in the diaspora. To build contacts and alliances.

And I don’t understand it.

But then who does? Maybe Richard McAuley? Or maybe not?
Maybe if I asked him he would give me some text book explanation. Or maybe he would just make something up. But he wouldn’t fool me.

Flying? There is no logic to it.

I don’t care what Richard might say. It’s just not logical.

Building an alliance for change now

Bairbre de Brún and the SF team after the result was announced


June 8th 09

Building an alliance for change now

This blog has just left the count centre in Belfast. Bairbre de Brún has been elected on the first count. Bairbre is the first republican to top the poll in a European election. That’s a significant result given that it was the DUP who made topping the poll an issue during the election campaign.

Well done Bairbre. Comhgairdheas. It’s great that a republican woman has achieved this honour for Sinn Féin.

I have no doubt that Bairbre will use this new mandate to continue to represent all citizens on the basis of equality and fairness.

Well done also to everyone else who stood for our party in local elections in the South, in the two by-elections and in the European contest. Thanks especially to everyone who voted for Sinn Féin. Tá muid fíor buíoch daoibhse.


First count results

I returned to Belfast in the early hours of this morning. The last of the local government counts in the capital saw our candidate Seamus McGrattan win a council seat by beating Maurice Ahern, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s brother, by 13 votes.

Electoral politics is a tough business!

But I’m philosophical about that. We have no complaints. Of course it would have been better if Mary Lou Mc Donald had retained our Dublin seat but sin é. Mary Lou fought a brilliant campaign. Our Dublin organisation responded magnificently. But we knew since the time the seats were reduced from four to three that we faced a huge challenge. Our transfers saw the election of Joe Higgins. So, well done to Joe.

As I post this blog Toiréasa Ferris is still in the contest for a seat in Ireland South. It’s too close for anyone to call it.

Overall our EU vote in the south is up. Kathleen Funchion and Tómas Sharkey did extremely well in Leinster and Pádraig MacLochlainn polled strongly in the North West.

The big losers are Fianna Fáil and the Greens. The Greens are almost wiped out at local government level.

The big winners are Labour and Fine Gael and independents

Sinn Féin had significant gains in Kilkenny, Cork, Limerick, Wicklow, Mayo and Donegal and other areas.

The party now has representatives in all but one of the thirty two counties.

The fact is we are still building capacity and organisation in the south. There are no short cuts.

The big story of the election is that people want change and parties with the capacity are obviously better placed to pick up votes from a wider section of the electorate.

Sinn Féin took a hit in 2007. We have now recovered from that. So, we need to keep building organisation on the foundations that have now been established in more areas as a result of our electoral successes.

The reality is that there could be a general election at any time. The government clearly has lost its moral authority to govern and the airwaves are filled with debate about the need for an alternative.

That’s not going to come from Fine Gael. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are opposite sides of the one coin on social and economic issues. Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

Enda Kenny has done a good job of building his party but those who voted for Fine Gael in the hope that a rights based, equality centred will be created are going to be disappointed.

The broad left did well. But the left is fragmented. Unity needs to be built. An alliance for change, for decency and fairness must be developed. That will take time but it doesn’t have to wait until the next election. That work must start now. In the community sector, in the voluntary sector, among campaigning groups, individual activists, everyone who wants a citizen centred society.

In local councils throughout the state parties with a commitment to equality must set aside our differences and coalesce to deliver for citizens at the receiving end of savage government policies.

Labour’s focus clearly will be to build its own organisation in preparation for a general election. Republicans will be doing the same thing. But there is no contradiction between parties building independently their structures and capacity and contesting elections as independent parties, while uniting in the common interest wherever and whenever is possible.

That’s what citizens want. It’s not enough to be against government policy. People need hope and that will come not just from rhetoric but from hard nosed policies based on core values of decency, transparency, fairness and accountability.

The people have spoken. Election day was the people's day. For the last few weeks politicians have talked the talk. Now we must walk the walk.



At the Count

Organise for Irish Reunification

June 1st 09

Organise for Irish Reunification

By this time next week the election results north and south will be known. At this time Sinn Féin is set to retain our EU seat in the north. In Dublin every vote will count but people know if they want to take a seat off Fianna Fáil and tell the government that its days are numbered then the only candidate who can do that is Mary Lou MacDonald.

Mary Lou is now sitting at 15% in the polls.

In the Ireland South constituency Toiréasa Ferris is polling extremely well and has captured the support particularly of young voters. So too in the North West with Pádraig McLochlainn while in Leinster Sinn Féin’s two candidates Kathleen Funchion and Tomás Sharkey will increase our vote by around a third.

The fate of the Irish government could hang – pardon the pun – on the outcome of these contests.

The big challenge is not for the politicians. The big challenge is for the electorate. If citizens can be motivated to realise that election day is their day then the process of fightback will really have begun.

But whatever the outcome of the elections it will be back to business as usual for Sinn Féin. And that means putting the work for Irish unity up a few notches. I will be on my way to New York for the first of two Sinn Féin conferences in the USA on the theme of; ‘A United Ireland – How do we get there’ which will take place on Saturday June 13th

I will host the conferences and there will be introductory speeches by keynote speakers who have different and challenging views on the question of a United Ireland and how it can be achieved.

Among those participating will be author Pete Hamill, Professor Brendan O’Leary of the University of Pennsylvania, author and broadcaster Brian Keenan, and President of the Laborers International Union of North America Terence O’Sullivan.

Also participating in this conference will be the Presidents of many powerful Irish American organisations, including the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Irish Northern Aid, the Irish America Unity Conference, the Brehon Law Society and the United Irish Counties Association.

We have asked people to come to this conference not just to listen but to contribute, to share ideas, to suggest initiatives and to take action on promoting Irish reunification.

Our focus is on making Irish reunification happen.

That is our political priority as an Irish republican party; to end the partition of Ireland and the union with Britain, and to construct a new national democracy – a new republic – on the island of Ireland, including reconciliation between nationalists and unionists – between orange and green.

This is the great unfinished and historic task of building a truly free Irish national democracy. And this is the challenge which we are asking Irish Americans and the Irish diaspora across the world to join with us in completing.

The Irish diaspora has already made a real difference. Irish America especially has played and continues to play, a crucial role in the Irish peace process. It's influence in Washington is obvious.



Irish America is vast. Tens of millions of people scattered across the USA and organised through a range of Irish cultural, sporting and civic society organisations, as well as in the arts, in business, in local, state and national politics, and in the trade union movement. Many are openly supportive of a United Ireland.

So, if we are to ensure that Irish reunification is more than just a dream we have to involve the Irish diaspora, we have to reach out to it and to marshal its political strength in support of our goals.

So, it is Irish America we want to hear from. Already there is a buzz about the conferences. Rita O Hare tells me that there are people coming to the New York conference from Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and other parts of the east coast, as well as New York.

On the west coast interest is also building for the San Francisco conference on June 27th with attendance from the Bay area and well beyond.

Can these conferences make a difference? This Blog believes they can.

Irish American organisations have historically been central in helping and sustaining the struggle in Ireland.

In more modern times the Mac Bride Principles Campaign, as well as the support Irish American organisations have given to justice campaigns, to the prisoners and the hunger strikers, were all vitally important.

This is about putting Irish reunification on the political agenda in the USA. Irish America can make a significant contribution to achieving that goal.

Irish unity may make sense, politically, economically and historically. The Good Friday Agreement provides a legislative, peaceful and democratic route to achieve this. And the economic and demographic dynamics in Ireland make Irish reunification a realistic objective within a reasonable time scale.

But it won’t happen because it should or because it is the right thing, or because we want it. It can and will happen if we come together and organise and plan.