Fr. Alec Reid: Making Magic at the Ard Fheis

 

Fr. Alec Reid

Next Wednesday – 22 November – will mark the tenth anniversary of the death of Father Alec Reid. It is a matter of wonderment that a decade has passed since he left us. Students of the Irish peace process will know that Alec was a central figure in our search for peace. He and Fr. Des Wilson were key to the beginning of that process. I won’t deal in this column with all the twists and turns of those times or the stubborn refusal for decades of the establishments, British and Irish, to embrace dialogue. Fr Alec and Des helped to change that. And much more. This column reflects on some of Fr Alec’s qualities.

First of all Alec was an innovator and in many ways a free spirit. He was a priest so he believed in God but his God was not a distant supreme force.  His God was in everyone and Alec believed that everyone deserved to be treated properly. In his view the work of God – and therefore the work of the priest - was to be among people upholding their rights. Fr Alec’s work with the Traveller Community in Belfast was a great example of this. 

He was a friend to the people like the Traveller families who were victimised. He also believed that ‘ordinary’ people had a great wealth of goodness, wisdom and experience. Especially women. He developed this thinking and formed a view that the Church’s attitude to women was wrong.

He believed the Holy Spirit works in us all. “Do your best and don’t blame yourself. It will work out if you give it 100 percent. It’s over then to the Holy Spirit.” Having said that he was like a terrier, never giving up. He found ways to engage with people in powerful positions from Taoisigh, Ambassadors, senior Government and political leaders. His work with John Hume was central to all that followed. 

He was also personally brave. His presence on the streets in very dangerous times especially during the Battle of the Funerals in the mid and late 80s is proof of that. Photos of tough interactions between family, neighbours and comrades of Republican dead and the RUC and the British Army, when the Church Hierarchy sided with the oppressors, often feature Fr. Alec in the midst of the throng trying to calm things down.

His main peace-making principles are based on the dignity of the human being and the right of everyone to be treated properly and with respect – do onto others as you would do on to yourself. And the primacy of dialogue.  He was a good listener. And always willing to reach out for advice from whoever he thought might be of help.  He also understood his role, especially the role of a go between. Many others have made a mess of this by exaggerating their own role or the positions of those they engage with. Their intentions were usually good intentions but there are lots of do gooders who made matters worse and wasted peoples’ time. Fr Alec kept everything tight and straight in his role as go between even though his work was not confined to this.

He had a good sense of humour. He liked people. He enjoyed company, particularly the relationships he built with working people including working class loyalists and republicans. He loved Gaelic games, especially hurling. He liked being out and about. He and I used to walk together when his health allowed him.  His roots were in Tipperary – he played minor hurling there but he supported Dublin as well in the football. The Rice brothers of Éire Óg were often called upon to get him Croke Park tickets. He used to come to our house on Christmas Eve to enjoy the craic and banter with our other festive visitors. He and Colette were good friends. 

He was very respectful about his fellow priests although he skirted around them if they were slow or reluctant or disapproving of his work. “Fr ….. is too holy.” He remarked to me one day by way of explanation for the perceived shortcomings of a brother priest 

He could also be very impatient at the ‘great and the good’ and angry at their double standards. He was very influenced by Fr. Des Wilson. Alec probably would not have survived as a diocesan priest.  The Redemptorists gave him space and ‘protection’ to do his work. He tried to institutionalise this within the Order, particularly in Clonard. So he was aware of the need to structure his work and for the church leadership to face up to its responsibilities to fulfil its mission by dealing with issues of justice, equality and rights. He became very aware of the shortcomings of the Church and of its controlling nature and its leadership’s subservient relationship with and as part of the establishment.

He was proud to be a priest. The scandals of child abuse wounded him greatly. He told me he missed not being able to be in the company of children or to give a child a hug because of how that might be misconstrued. But he always wore his clerical collar publicly in defiance during those difficult times for good priests.

In our troubled world today his peace making principles remain totally relevant.  For sure we would not have developed our peace process when we did without Father Alec. Go ndeanfaidh Dia trocaire air.

 

The Palestinian Ambassador - Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid

Making magic at the Ard Fheis

There have been Sinn Féin Ard Fheiseanna that have had their special, magical moment that remains in the memory years – even decades - later. Last weekend’s Ard Fheis in Athlone produced two such moments. The first came just before 1pm on Saturday. Matt Carthy TD - the party’s spokesperson on Foreign Affairs - introduced the Palestinian Ambassador Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid.

At the end of his remarks in which he excoriated Israel for its countless breaches of international law, brutal acts of oppression, annexation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing Matt loudly chanted; “In our thousands and in our millions, we are all Palestinians”. As he repeated this a second time it was taken up by the hall. By the third time everyone was applauding and shouting; “In our thousands and in our millions, we are all Palestinians.”  For an amazing moment the Ard Fheis was the heart and soul of Ireland reaching into Gaza and the West Bank as we all welcomed the Ambassador. 

Later Mary Lou gave one of the best ever Presidential speeches. With four major elections likely this year she proclaimed, “We want to build a new Ireland. A nation home for all. A unified nation of confidence and compassion, talent and ingenuity, claiming our future, our rightful place among the nations of the world. The Orange and Green reconciled. No place for racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or sectarianism. Where there is no them - only us. All of us who call Ireland home.”

Mary Lou also spoke about the Israeli state’s genocide of Palestinians.

“The Palestinian people have a right to their homeland,” she said… the Irish government should take the lead and refer Israel to the International Criminal Court. And send the Israeli Ambassador home… Israel must stop its slaughter in Gaza. Hamas must release all hostages. Ceasefires must be called”.

In a speech that was riveting, confident and empowering Mary Lou spoke of the need for change and of transforming Ireland to resolve the housing crisis, resourcing health, tackling the climate crisis, and much more. She called on the Irish government to establish a Citizens’ Assembly on Unity.

And at a time when some British and Unionist politicians are trying to rewrite the terms of the unity referendum in the Good Friday Agreement Mary Lou said: “The day is coming when everyone on this island will have their say in referendums. Each vote counting equally, no vetoes, no shifting of the goal posts. Irish Unity is the very best opportunity for the future. In the words of Rita O’Hare, “We must keep going. A United Ireland lies ahead”.

Another magical moment. 

 

 

The Unity Debate is growing: Ethnic Cleansing: Crann na Saoirse

 

The Unity Debate is growing

Seven key Irish-American organisations have announced an ‘Irish Unity Summit – For a New and United Ireland’ to be held in New York on 1^st March next year. This major initiative – coming as it will just before St. Patrick’s Day and the visit to the USA of political leaders from Ireland – is being organised by the Ancient Order of Hibernians; the Brehon Law Societies of NYC and Nassau; the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Long Island; Friends of Sinn Féin; Irish American Unity Conference; the James Connolly Irish American Labor Coalition, and the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians. More details on the format and speakers will be announced by the organisers later. 

On June 15 next year Ireland’s Future will be holding a major conference – Pathway to Change - in the SSE Arena in Belfast. Professor Brendan O’Leary, Claire Mitchel, Jarlath Burns, Mary Lou McDonald and Claire Hanna are among speakers already confirmed.

Last week Queen’s Human Rights academic and Ireland’s Future member Professor Colin Harvey was the guest speaker at an event organised by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy at Fordham University in New York. Speaking on the theme, ‘A Pathway to a new Ireland’ Colin Harvey said: “In Ireland the evidence of an increased focus on preparations for change is everywhere. The constitutional conversation is moving into a much more detailed planning phase and it is therefore essential that local and global voices for a new and united Ireland are heard and listened to.” Professor Harvey told his audience that there is a particular onus on the Irish government to facilitate the preparations for unity. 

Later during his visit Professor Harvey met with the Brehon Law Society. He told them that he believes that by the end of this decade there will be a unity referendum. 

Last week also Ireland’s Future held a packed business lunch in the Europa Hotel in Belfast. Over 300 people heard former BBC journalist Gavin Esler speak of the potential for change. The former editor of the Irish News Noel Doran also addressed the gathering.

And finally, two weeks ago Trade Unionists for a New Ireland (TUNUI) held a two day conference in Belfast. It heard a range of speakers from Ireland and internationally talk about the importance of constitutional change and of social justice to any new Ireland.

The two-day event brought together people from across the island and beyond with the aim of advancing constitutional change. Among the speakers was SIPTU deputy general secretary Gerry McCormack and Frank Connolly, author of United Nation - The Case for Integrating Ireland.

The Chair of TUNUI Seán McElhinney said: " We believe that some of the worst aspects of social inequality and socio-economic disadvantage facing working people can only be addressed properly by changing how Ireland is governed - north and south … Constitutional change gives us a unique opportunity to start building something better than this, and we want to promote the importance of social justice in every conversation about our future."

 

Ethnic Cleansing

 By the time you read this column the numbers of people killed in Gaza will have exceeded 10,000. Almost half of these are children. Every minute, of every hour, of every day new and dreadful images emerge from Palestine that horrify and shock.

This is not the first time that the Palestinian people have faced ethnic cleansing.  In 1948 the Nakba or Catastrophe witnessed the ethnic cleansing of almost 80% of historic Palestine by the newly established Israeli state. In the decades since then an Israeli apartheid system has dehumanised and demonised the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian people of Gaza and the west Bank are facing a second Nakba. The settler and Israeli Army violence in the west Bank, the deliberate attacks in Gaza on hospitals, schools, the University, refugee camps, bakeries, ambulances and families and the cutting off of fuel and food and water, is about forcing Palestinians into abandoning Gaza. A recent Israeli report and public commentary by Israeli leaders have acknowledged that Israel seeks the expulsion of all Palestinians from Gaza. An Israeli Government  minister Amichai Eliyahu has said nuking Gaza ‘is one of the possibilities’ and in a remark reminiscent of ‘To Hell or Connacht’  that the Palestinians ‘can go to Ireland or deserts’. 

Last week 200 academics on the island of Ireland united in demanding that Irish universities cut ties with Israeli institutions “until the occupation of Palestinian territory is ended, the Palestinian rights to equality and self-determination are vindicated, and the right of Palestinian refugees to return is facilitated.” They are right.

Several days ago Mary Lou McDonald called on the Irish government and international community to take action to enforce international law. She also called for the Israeli Ambassador to lose her diplomatic status. Other states have already broken diplomatic ties with Israel.

An immediate ceasefire and the infusion of substantial international aid is now essential but we should be under no illusions. There can be no victors through war in the Middle East. If the international community fails to stand up for international standards and international law then what we have witnessed in the last month will only be repeated in the future. 

 

Crann Na Saoirse. 

This is tree planting time. Again. Any month with an ‘R’ will do but it’s usually best between October and March. But plant your wee baby trees well before or well after the frost kicks in. I always try to do my planting in the Autumn so the tree will have time to settle in before Spring. Container grown trees can be planted at any time, though they too need protected from frost  but I mostly use bare root or wee slips grown from seed.

I collect the seeds, mainly chestnuts and acorns from the Falls Park along with Rowan, Hazel, Hawthorn and Birch. 

Back in the day when our lives were consumed with endless talks  I gathered up seed from the great houses of England, like  Chequers, the  back garden of 10 Downing Street, Leeds Castle or back home at Hillsborough, Arbour Hill or the Áras.  

There are all kinds of little processes and different soil, gravel or sand mixes which you can use for bringing on your seeds but I’m a lazy gardener. I just put the seeds into a pot of whatever loam I have to hand and let nature do its work. 

When the seeds have sprouted the saplings can be kept in pots for years before planting out. Apart from chestnuts I plant only native species. They are good for keeping the air clean. Good for native insects. For native birds and other creatures.  Good for the climate and nature. Trees are also great presents. They can mark the birth of a new baby or immortalise the memory of a fallen friend. Trees are good for remembering the living and the dead. They are about the future. 

That is why Freedom Trees are important. Crann Na Saoirse can be planted now in the knowledge that they will grow tall in a free Ireland.   

So why not plant your own Crann Na Saoirse. Or if you have the space or access to public land or commonage, a hill or mountain side - with permission- why not plant A Freedom Forest?   Even ten or twenty trees planted two metres apart will look well once they get going. Is there space in your housing estate? Or your farm? Your garden?  Your sports ground. 

Native trees are are also good for biodiversity. No one could object to that. So get growing.

 

 

Ceasefire Now; Wolfe Tone's Cordial Union:Pulse and Mickey Coleman

 Ceasefire Now

News from the Middle East continues to numb and outrage and anger most people. But we cannot give up. We have a duty to the people of Palestine to stay focussed on the demands to Stop the War - Support Humanitarian Initiatives - Start Peace Talks. The people of Israel and Palestine need the support of the international community. We are part of that community. Let us find ways to get our leaders to uphold international law. End the siege of Gaza. Free Palestine. 

 

Wolfe Tone’s Cordial Union 

Last week I attended an event in Parliament Buildings at Stormont, hosted by US Special Economic Envoy Joe Kennedy. There was a panel discussion on the impact of the Good Friday Agreement which involved myself, former DUP leader Peter Robinson; former Alliance Assembly Speaker Eileen Bell; Lady Daphne Trimble, President of the Ulster Unionist Party; and former SDLP leader Mark Durkan. First Minister designate Michelle O’Neill, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson and UUP leader Doug Beattie were all present. 

While we each brought our own narrative of that time to the conversation it was nonetheless a positive and forward looking engagement. 

The day before Jeffrey Donaldson said there would be no united Ireland in his lifetime and that a United Ireland cannot accommodate his Britishness. I disagree. The fact is that political and demographic changes in recent decades; a growing disillusionment with the unionist parties; the Brexit debacle and the growth of Sinn Féin have contributed to increasing interest in Irish Unity. It is also important to recall that over 70% of people in the North and over 90% in the South voted in May 1998 for an Agreement that provides for a unity referendum and for a simple majority to determine the outcome. That provides the democratic basis for future constitutional change.

As for the British identity in a United Ireland? Those of us who favour Irish Unity have repeatedly emphasised our commitment to respect the British identity of our neighbours and to accommodate that identity and its traditions in a new and shared Ireland. We are also committed to the safeguards and guarantees, contained in the Good Friday Agreement, being carried through into that new Ireland. 

That is not just a rhetorical commitment aimed at winning unionist support for or acquiescence to Irish Unity. It is rooted in the principles and beliefs of those – mainly Presbyterians - who embraced Republicanism in the 18^th century.

The United Irish Society was founded in Belfast in October 1791. It was the first democratic movement in Ireland and took its inspiration from the American and French Revolutions of that time. They sought solidarity between people of all religious denominations, and political equality and Irish independence.

Theobald Wolfe Tone – who belonged to the Church of Ireland - embodied the new alliance between Protestants and Catholics. His writings remain relevant to this generation and this time.

Tone, who served as secretary of the Catholic Committee, said his aim was: “To unite the whole people of Ireland, to abolish the memory of all past dissension and to substitute the common name of Irishman in place of the denominations of Protestant, Catholic and Dissenter – these were my means.”

In facing up to a succession of economic and political crises then created by the English government Tone concluded that; “Ireland would never be either free, prosperous, or happy, until she was independent, and that independence was unattainable, whilst the connexion with England existed.”

To build a new society Tone argued for a new relationship between the people of Ireland. He wrote: “the weight of English influence in the Government of this country is so great as to require a cordial union among all the people of Ireland, to maintain that balance which is essential to the preservation of our liberties and the extension of our commerce.”

As the momentum toward a unity referendum grows and as more and more positive voices are being heard from the unionist/British section of our people the objective of building a cordial union among the people of this island takes on a greater significance. British governments are not to be trusted in protecting the rights of citizens or managing our economy. Agreements between Unionist leaders and British governments have been consistently dumped by British Prime Ministers who time and time again have placed British self-interest above commitments given to unionists.

The future provides an opportunity to build a new relationship between the people who share this island. A new cordial union – founded on inclusion and reconciliation – on democratic agreements and respect. We are an island people in transition. A fundamental part of this transition must be a sustained effort to genuinely address the fears and concerns of northern unionists. As good neighbours we must explore with them what they mean by their sense of Britishness and how that sense of Britishness will be reflected in a new cordial union between the people of this island. This is the future.

  

PULSE

Mickey Coleman , his wife Erin and their sons Micheál and Riordan were in An Cultúrlann last week on Belfast’s Falls Road to launch Mickey’s new book PULSE. Peter Canavan was there also along with mé féin. I never thought I would be on a panel with Peter Canavan - one of my footballing heroes and all Ireland champion with Tyrone. Twice. But there we were telling yarns and sharing songs and funny stories. And a bunch of fine singers from Glassdrummond entertained us and moved everyone with their rendition of The Brantry Boy. 

PULSE is a special book, written with Damian Harvey, and it tells Mickey’s story. Its a story of his family in Ardboe a wee village in a beautiful part of rural Ireland beside Lough Neagh. It’s the story  of an Irish  family of eight children, nurtured by Teresa and her husband Sean. It is a story of Mickey kicking ball on the Green with his brothers and childhood mates and then with the local Gaelic Athletic Club - O Donavon Rossa. The  heart of Ardboe.

It’s about schooldays, meeting Peter Canavan when he came to teach in Holy Trinity College in Cookstown. It’s about fishing on Lough Neagh with his father. About British troops. Visits to his father in Belfast Prison. It’s a book about music, song writing, guitar picking. Doing local gigs. Visiting the USA. Getting on to the county football panel.  It’s about that brilliant first Tyrone team to win the Sam Maguire Cup. It’s about Mickey Harte, legendary manager. It’s about Cormac Mac Anallen, one of  Tyrone’s finest,  who died suddenly, aged just twenty four. The Brantry Boy. 

It’s about New York. About Mickey knuckling down and working hard supported by others including Fay Devlin. About meeting Erin Loughran as she played the fiddle at a session. About Erin and Mickey making music together. Then making babies. 

Mickey’s business was going well. He was blessed with a great family and friends. Immersed in the Gaeldom of New York.

Then on 29 March  2021, aged forty one, Mickey had a massive heart attack. That’s when his life ended. Thanks to Erin, his own resilience and self-awareness as he confronted his ‘widow maker’ and Orangetown police and other emergency workers, he survived. Montefiores Nyack Hospital did the rest and kept him alive. 

And then it was a long hard struggle for Mickey to get back to himself again. This book tells all this and much more. It is especially poignant as Mickey recounts how he relearned what is important in life. It’s all here with wonderful clear and hopeful faith in love, family, friendship, community, Ireland and humanity.  Mickey’s appeal to the reader is for us all to play our own music in appreciation of what we have - not just materially but more importantly - in our values. Because without those we have nothing. That is the essence of Pulse. Read it for yourself. I’m honoured that Mickey invited me to help launch his story. Thank you. 

PULSE lets us know that Mickey and Erin have never forgotten where they are from and who they are. I wish them both and their family the very best of good luck for the future. 

 

We are all Palestinians Now: Peacemakers

 

We are all Palestinians Now

Last week as I wrote this column all of the scéal coming from the Israeli government and its international allies indicated that a ground invasion of Gaza was imminent. It would, according to some be a ‘surgical strike against Hamas’. From British government Ministers, to political pundits, to international allies of the Israeli government, to Israeli spokespersons the aim – they say - is to destroy Hamas.

It’s all nonsense of course. The reality is that Israel can no more destroy Hamas than Hamas can destroy Israel.

The ground invasion has now begun. The civilian death toll is rising. The claim that in a military ground invasion of Gaza Israel will be mindful of civilians is also a nonsense. In the past two decades Israeli attacks on and assaults into Gaza and more recently against Palestinian people in the west Bank have produced overwhelming evidence of an Israeli apartheid state that views Palestinians as inferior, without rights. They are, according to the Israeli Defence Minister recently, ‘human animals.’

Over the last few weeks over 100 Palestinians, including at least 30 children, have been shot dead in the west Bank by Israeli snipers. 2000 Palestinians, including many children have been wounded. As the horrific casualty list from Gaza mounts each day events on the west Bank are rarely reported.

Even if Israel occupies the rubble of a Gaza City levelled by its scorched earth policy of ethnic cleansing, forcibly evicts or kills those Gazans living in the northern half of that territory, and annexes it as part of a land grab for the greater Israeli state envisioned by Netanyahu, this will all have the opposite effect its strategists are predicting. The history of colonialism is littered with examples of oppressed peoples emerging stronger and more determined in pursuit of their right to self-determination.

If colonialism and our own experience teaches us anything it is that Israeli actions are more likely to embolden opposition to Israeli occupation not defeat it. Past Israeli actions, the blockade of Gaza for almost 20 years, the flouting of international law and its apartheid policy, have not diminished the Palestinian desire for freedom and justice.

The failure of the international community to stand up for international law and to defend Palestinian rights has led us to this current nightmare.

Moreover, there is now a real danger that the conflict will extend beyond Gaza and the west Bank and embroil the region. It may be several decades since Arab states and Israel clashed on the battlefield but concern at Israeli aggression is mounting in the neighbouring states. From Lebanon to Jordan to Syria, to Iran and Egypt tensions are rising. There are real risks of a calamitous escalation.

It is still not too late to turn back from the abyss. It will need leadership and courage by all sides and a willingness to take huge personal and political risks for peace. It especially demands that the international community defend the Palestinian people of Gaza and of the west Bank.

The massive solidarity demonstrations last weekend with the Palestinian people in Ireland and around the world can help change the narrative. The increasing numbers of voices demanding a complete cessation by all sides and an end to the humanitarian catastrophe that is taking place in Gaza, are evidence too that there remains a deep well of compassion for all victims.

Declan Kearney, Sinn Féin National Chairperson, addressed the huge march of tens of thousands in London. He said: “A humanitarian catastrophe is taking place in Gaza – the likes of which we have never seen. The world has a choice to make. To stand with the oppressed and dispossessed or Palestine, or not. We stand on the side of humanity, decency, universal democracy and international law. We are all Palestinians now.”

The Irish government is in a unique position to demand cessations and to be a voice within the international community for dialogue, ceasefires and a just settlement. The policy of neutrality and military non-alignment has proven invaluable in allowing Irish governments to use the United Nations and other international bodies to win support in defence of human rights.

Uachtarán Michael D Higgins’ recent assertion that the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen was "not speaking for Ireland” when she gave unqualified support for Israel was widely welcomed. His insistence that the international community “retain and insist on the veracity and cogency of international law” was also supported. His remarks underline the importance of Irish neutrality. It must not be eroded or undermined.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine there was anger last year at comments by Micheál Martin that suggested that the Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael/Green Party government was moving away from neutrality. Martin said: “We need to reflect on military non-alignment in Ireland and our military neutrality.” His claim that: “We don’t need a referendum to join NATO. That’s a policy decision of government” was challenged and criticised.

The crisis in the Middle East and the illegal and brutal assault on the people of Gaza reinforce the imperative of the policy of neutrality.

By remaining neutral and non-aligned to military alliances the Irish government has the opportunity to build on the state’s positive contributions in the United Nations and to its peace keeping role. Ireland is known for our work on peace building and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Irish neutrality has served the island of Ireland well and is generally welcomed by the majority of states within the U.N. This is evidenced by the support it received several years ago to join the UN Security Council.

Through diplomacy, humanitarianism, peace-building and co-operation we have the ability to make a real difference in international matters; to play an important role in an increasingly dangerous world. By investing in conflict resolution rather than conflict participation the Irish government can make a solid, positive contribution to de-escalating the language of war, sectarianism and racism.

Neutrality is not being isolationist. It is not about indifference. It’s not about turning our backs on the world. As the International Committee of the Red Cross said two days ago neutrality is a way of helping that allows “us to reach those who need it most.”

That means condemning those who breach international law – whether it is Hamas or Israel – and standing up for and with an impoverished, imprisoned Palestinian people living under the brutal rule of apartheid. Silence in this dark time is complicity in the genocide of the people of Gaza.

 

Peacemakers

30 years ago last Monday an IRA bomb exploded on the Shankill Road killing nine people and IRA Volunteer Thomas Begley. It was a shocking event compounded a week later when eight people were shot dead in Greysteel. These were two of many atrocities which occurred during a quarter century of conflict in the North. Their impact on families and communities reverberates still today, as do the more than 3,000 other deaths and the thousands of injuries that resulted from those desperate years. The families of the dead and the injured have lived with the consequences ever since. 

Today we are in a much better place. Not least because many of those who suffered directly from the violence became peacemakers. Citizens willing to step beyond their own personal tragedies and provide support and comfort to the bereaved and injured and to become advocates for peace and for justice.  We are mindful of their loss and grateful for their courage and dedication in breaking down barriers. Alan McBride - who lost his wife Sharon and her father Desmond in the IRA bomb - is one such person. He is an example to the rest of us, including this columnist. 

 

 

Tír Chonaill Thuaidh

Bhuail mé le spéirbhean

Ar bharr portaigh

I measc na sléibhte

I dTír Chonaill Thuaidh.

 

Thug sí a lamh dom

Ar bharr portaigh

I measc na sléibhte

I dTír Chonaill Thuaidh.

 

Thug mé póg di

Ar bharr portaigh

I measc na sléibhte

I dTír Chonaill Thuaidh.

 

Fan anseo liom,

Arsa an spéirbhean

Ar bharr portaigh

I measc na sléibhte

I dTír Chonaill Thuaidh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are all Palestinians Now: Peacemakers: Tír Chonaill Thuaidh

 We are all Palestinians Now

The ground invasion of Gaza has begun. The Israeli government and its international allies previously claimed that will be a ‘surgical strike against Hamas’. From British government Ministers, to political pundits, to international allies of the Israeli government, to Israeli spokespersons the aim – they say - is to destroy Hamas.

It’s all nonsense of course. The reality is that Israel can no more destroy Hamas than Hamas can destroy Israel.

In addition, the claim that in a military ground invasion of Gaza Israel will be mindful of civilians is also a nonsense. In the past two decades Israeli attacks on and assaults into Gaza and more recently against Palestinian people in the west Bank have produced overwhelming evidence of an Israeli apartheid state that views Palestinians as inferior, without rights. They are, according to the Israeli Defence Minister recently, ‘human animals.’

Over the last few weeks almost 100 Palestinians, including at least 30 children, have been shot dead in the west Bank by Israeli snipers. 1300 Palestinians, including many children have been wounded. As the horrific casualty list from Gaza mounts each day events on the west Bank are rarely reported.

Even if Israel occupies the rubble of a Gaza City levelled by its scorched earth policy, forcibly evicts or kills those Gazans living in the northern half of that territory, and annexes it as part of a land grab for the greater Israeli state envisioned by Netanyahu, this will all have the opposite effect its strategists are predicting. The history of colonialism is littered with examples of oppressed peoples emerging stronger and more determined in pursuit of their right to self-determination.

If colonialism and our own experience teaches us anything it is that Israeli actions are more likely to embolden opposition to Israeli occupation not defeat it. Past Israeli actions, the blockade of Gaza for almost 20 years, the flouting of international law and its apartheid policy, have not diminished the Palestinian desire for freedom and justice.

The failure of the international community to stand up for international law and to defend Palestinian rights has led us to this current nightmare.

Moreover, there is now a real danger that the conflict will extend beyond Gaza and the west Bank and embroil the region. It may be several decades since Arab states and Israel clashed on the battlefield but concern at Israeli aggression is mounting in the neighbouring states. From Lebanon to Jordan to Syria, to Iran and Egypt tensions are rising. There are real risks of a calamitous escalation.

It is still not too late to turn back from the abyss. It will need leadership and courage by all sides and a willingness to take huge personal and political risks for peace. It especially demands that the international community defend the Palestinian people of Gaza and of the west Bank.

The massive solidarity demonstrations last weekend with the Palestinian people in Ireland and around the world can help change the narrative. The increasing numbers of voices demanding a complete cessation by all sides and an end to the humanitarian catastrophe that is taking place in Gaza, are evidence too that there remains a deep well of compassion for all victims.

Declan Kearney, Sinn Féin National Chairperson, addressed the huge march of tens of thousands in London. He said: “A humanitarian catastrophe is taking place in Gaza – the likes of which we have never seen. The world has a choice to make. To stand with the oppressed and dispossessed or Palestine, or not. We stand on the side of humanity, decency, universal democracy and international law. We are all Palestinians now.”

The Irish government is in a unique position to demand cessations and to be a voice within the international community for dialogue, ceasefires and a just settlement. The policy of neutrality and military non-alignment has proven invaluable in allowing Irish governments to use the United Nations and other international bodies to win support in defence of human rights.

Uachtarán Michael D Higgins’ recent assertion that the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen was "not speaking for Ireland” when she gave unqualified support for Israel was widely welcomed. His insistence that the international community “retain and insist on the veracity and cogency of international law” was also supported. His remarks underline the importance of Irish neutrality. It must not be eroded or undermined.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine there was anger last year at comments by Micheál Martin that suggested that the Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael/Green Party government was moving away from neutrality. Martin said: “We need to reflect on military non-alignment in Ireland and our military neutrality.” His claim that: “We don’t need a referendum to join NATO. That’s a policy decision of government” was challenged and criticised.

The crisis in the Middle East and the illegal and brutal assault on the people of Gaza reinforce the imperative of the policy of neutrality.

By remaining neutral and non-aligned to military alliances the Irish government has the opportunity to build on the state’s positive contributions in the United Nations and to its peace keeping role. Ireland is known for our work on peace building and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Irish neutrality has served the island of Ireland well and is generally welcomed by the majority of states within the U.N. This is evidenced by the support it received several years ago to join the UN Security Council.

Through diplomacy, humanitarianism, peace-building and co-operation we have the ability to make a real difference in international matters; to play an important role in an increasingly dangerous world. By investing in conflict resolution rather than conflict participation the Irish government can make a solid, positive contribution to de-escalating the language of war, sectarianism and racism.

Neutrality is not being isolationist. It is not about indifference. It’s not about turning our backs on the world. As the International Committee of the Red Cross said two days ago neutrality is a way of helping that allows “us to reach those who need it most.”

That means condemning those who breach international law – whether it is Hamas or Israel – and standing up for and with an impoverished, imprisoned Palestinian people living under the brutal rule of apartheid. Silence in this dark time is complicity in the genocide of the people of Gaza.

 

Peacemakers

30 years ago on Monday an IRA bomb exploded on the Shankill Road killing nine people and IRA Volunteer Thomas Begley. It was a shocking event compounded a week later when eight people were shot dead in Greysteel. These were two of many atrocities which occurred during a quarter century of conflict in the North. Their impact on families and communities reverberates still today, as do the more than 3,000 other deaths and the thousands of injuries that resulted from those desperate years. The families of the dead and the injured have lived with the consequences ever since. 

Today we are in a much better place. Not least because many of those who suffered directly from the violence became peacemakers. Citizens willing to step beyond their own personal tragedies and provide support and comfort to the bereaved and injured and to become advocates for peace and for justice.  We are mindful of their loss and grateful for their courage and dedication in breaking down barriers. Alan McBride - who lost his wife Sharon and her father Desmond in the IRA bomb - is one such person. He is an example to the rest of us, including this columnist. 

 

 

Tír Chonaill Thuaidh

Bhuail mé le spéirbhean

Ar bharr portaigh

I measc na sléibhte

I dTír Chonaill Thuaidh.

 

Thug sí a lamh dom

Ar bharr portaigh

I measc na sléibhte

I dTír Chonaill Thuaidh.

 

Thug mé póg di

Ar bharr portaigh

I measc na sléibhte

I dTír Chonaill Thuaidh.

 

Fan anseo liom,

Arsa an spéirbhean

Ar bharr portaigh

I measc na sléibhte

I dTír Chonaill Thuaidh.