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POBLACHT NA H
ÉIREANN
THE PROVISIONAL
GOVERNMENT OF THE IRISH REPUBLIC TO THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND
IRISHMEN AND IRISHWOMEN:
In the name of God and of the dead generations from which she
receives her old tradition of nationhood, Ireland, through us,
summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom.
Having organised and trained her
manhood through her secret revolutionary organisation, the Irish
Republican Brotherhood, and through her open military organizations,
the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army, having patiently
perfected her discipline, having resolutely waited for the right
moment to reveal itself, she now seizes that moment, and, supported
by her exiled children in America and by gallant allies in Europe,
but relying in the first on her own strength, she strikes in full
confidence of victory.
We declare the right of the people
of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered
control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible.
The long usurpation of that right by
a foreign people and government has not extinguished the right, nor
can it ever be extinguished except by the destruction of the Irish
people.
In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to
national freedom and sovereignty; six times during the last three
hundred years they have asserted it to arms.
Standing on that fundamental right and again asserting it in arms in
the face of the world, we hereby proclaim the Irish Republic as a
Sovereign Independent State, and we pledge our lives and the lives
of our comrades-in-arms to the cause of its freedom, of its welfare,
and of its exaltation among the nations.
The Irish Republic is entitled to,
and hereby claims, the allegiance of every Irishman and Irishwoman.
The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights
and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its
resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation
and all of its parts, cherishing all of the children of the nation
equally and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an
alien government, which have divided a minority from the majority in
the past.
Until our arms have brought the
opportune moment for the establishment of a permanent National,
representative of the whole people of Ireland and elected by the
suffrages of all her men and women, the Provisional Government,
hereby constituted, will administer the civil and military affairs
of the Republic in trust for the people.
We place the cause of the Irish
Republic under the protection of the Most High God.
Whose blessing we invoke upon our arms, and we pray that no one who
serves that cause will dishonour it by cowardice, inhumanity, or
rapine. In this supreme hour the Irish nation must, by its valour
and discipline and by the readiness of its children to sacrifice
themselves for the common good, prove itself worthy of the august
destiny to which it is called.
Signed on Behalf of the
Provisional Government.
Thomas J. Clarke, Sean Mac
Diarmada, Thomas Mac Donagh, P. H. Pearse,
Eamonn Ceannt, James
Connolly, Joseph Plunkett
Easter Statement from the leadership of the Republican Movement,
2021
ON this the 105th anniversary of
the Easter Rising 1916 the Leadership of the Republican Movement
sends greetings to Irishmen and Irishwomen at home and abroad. We
extend solidarity greetings to Jonathan Hawthorn, POW, Portlaoise.
This year we mark with pride the 40th anniversary of the heroic
sacrifice of the ten H-Block hunger strikers.
Again, this year due to the
continuing COVID-19 pandemic, Republicans cannot hold the usual
commemorations at the graves of our patriot dead. However,
individual members of the Republican Movement will lay wreaths at
graves and memorials in Ireland and abroad. Our members will fly the
National Flag at their homes and at Republican monuments and we will
wear the Easter Lily with pride.
We have declared for the
All-Ireland Republic proclaimed on Easter Monday 1916 and ratified
by the First (All-Ireland) Dáil Éireann in 1919. In our allegiance
to this Republic, we have, and we will reject all other political
entities in Ireland.
Lately many political commentators
and politicians of various hues of Irish nationalism are suggesting
that the “United Ireland” is around the corner and that physical
force Republicans should “leave the stage”. Ireland was united
before our country was partitioned by Britain under threat of
“immediate and terrible war”. That united Ireland was under British
rule. Beware of what “United Ireland” is on offer.
Any “new” Ireland that comes as a
result of a border poll or two-state referenda will be negotiated by
the political establishment of Leinster House, Stormont and
Westminster. They have all proven that they have no love for an
Ireland “sovereign and indefeasible” as stated in the 1916
Proclamation. The men and women of 1916 and 1919-23 and those who
followed did not fight for a unitary state ruled by a political
elite whose main interests is in protecting the cosy cartels they
have built up in Stormont and Leinster House.
They have all stood in the way of
national forces opposing British rule in the Occupied Six Counties.
They have already flown the kite of Ireland joining the British
Commonwealth and speak of our shared history. Our shared history is
nothing but a history of invasion, murder, torture, rape and
genocide. Now is not the time for the Republican Movement to leave
the field, it must remain as a guarantor of traditional Republican
ideals. The Republic is not for sale.
This Easter we take this
opportunity to remember the Volunteers and Republican activists who
have died since last Easter. We express condolences to their
families, friends and comrades. Regretfully due to the COVID-19
pandemic many of us could not attend the funerals of our deceased
comrades. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anamacha.
We send salutations to Sinn Féin
Poblachtach, the public face of the Republican Movement. It has
withstood the onslaughts of criticism from without and within. The
path SFP members choose is not an easy one. As well as harassment
from the 26-County and British States they constantly face down
those who would try to destroy the Organisation’s reputation in the
media and on other forums who attempt to engage in futile social
media discussions.
We commend Sinn Féin Poblachtach
members and supporters who have marked the 100th anniversary events
of 1920 and 1921. The leadership has been heartened by the reports
we have received. We acknowledge all Republican activists and
appreciate your commitment to Irish Republicanism. We ask you to
take further steps to build the Movement in your local area and play
a part in the national effort to finally bring about British
disengagement from Ireland.
It is the duty of the Republican
Movement to oppose British occupation in Ireland to the best of our
ability and strength. In every decade armed struggle has been used,
not as a principle, not as a tactic, but as a reality of opposition
to British Crown Forces. When a sustained campaign cannot be
mounted, it is a duty to at least harass the enemy.
We have witnessed a steady rundown
of rural Ireland by the 26-County State. The winding down of Bord na
Móna, closing of rural post offices and cutting back of transport
services, yet millions are spent on greenways and other tourist
attractions. Peat products are imported from thousands of miles
away, but the local peat industry is closed down. One may ask which
peat product has the largest carbon emissions.
People in rural Ireland are being
forced to move to overcrowded cities or commute for several hours.
It seems no services for the local population but plenty for
European tourists. Is it their aim to turn the 26 Counties into a
holiday park for the EU?
We cannot allow a new 32-County
Ireland to be taken over by a Leinster House/Stormont coalition
where the “elite” and their interests will flourish while the people
most at risk, the elderly, the homeless and marginalised of our
society continue to barely survive. Éire Nua, the political
programme of the Republican Movement, provides a blueprint which
allows all the Irish people to come together and build a new Ireland
which would embrace all political opinions.
We acknowledge the work being
carried out by the Éire Nua Food Initiative and other voluntary
organisations in helping the homeless and vulnerable across our
country. It is indeed a sad indictment on the Establishment both
north and south of Britain’s Border.
In conclusion, the Leadership of
the Republican Movement assures the Irish people that no opportunity
will pass where we shall be found wanting and at the opportune time
appropriate action will be taken to achieve the independence of our
nation.
Issued by the Leadership of the
Republican Movement, Easter 2021
NIFC Easter Statement 2021
Brexit and Northern Ireland
One
hundred years after the establishment of the Northern Ireland state
by an act of the British parliament in 1920, its viability as a
self-sustaining entity in the context of Brexit is absent as it has
been in every crisis it faced since 1920. Its continued existence is
attributable to political machinations, military interventions, and
continued infusions of financial aid, all by the British government
for nothing other than preserving the perceived sanctity of the
United Kingdom, an artifact of its lost Empire. When it suits
England, it will abandon Northern Ireland without a backward glance
as France abandoned Algeria.
Brexit places Northern Ireland in the eye of the storm. It’s
difficult to predict what will happen either in the short or long
term to the political and economic entities in Northern Ireland.
However, what can be predicted is that both will be severely tested
as they are subject to the interests of outside forces who advocate
for their own narrow interests, regardless of perceived colonial
ties or cultural identities.
If nothing else Northern Ireland’s governing elites have been
consistent in their approach to the governance of the Province since
it was established in 1920. The prevailing criteria embraced by
successive Unionist governments to maintain power and reward its
loyal supporters is rooted in tribalism, sectarianism, and the
gerrymandering of election
districts. These divisive and undemocratic methods are reinforced on
a consistent basis with ritualistic bonfires, marches,
commemorations of battles, sieges, and covenants, all rooted in the
past.
Those who nurture and perpetuate the sectarian-driven political
system in Northern Ireland must be aware that Brexit poses a threat
to its viability as a political force in an age past its time where
religious and cultural differences can no longer be exploited or
where a 100-year-old line drawn across a landscape can no longer
effectively separate people who share an historic island nation.
Institutionalized sectarianism that underpinned ploys such as the
“Orange card” can no longer be depended on to maintain the status
quo in the face of a rapidly changing demographic more inclined to
openness and equality. The partisan divide that served demagoguery
so well for 100 years is being gradually eclipsed by an
ever-increasing minority of non-partisan voters who rate
inclusiveness and shared values above partisan causes rooted in
centuries past.
What then should the people of Northern Ireland do who voted 56% to
remain in the European Union knowing that England will do what is
expedient for England even if it means setting Northern Ireland
adrift? The best choice in our opinion is for Northern Ireland to
become part of a Federal Irish Republic wherein they would maintain
their own parliament, thus guaranteeing the Province of Ulster
effective home rule. They would send representatives to Dail Eireann
as they now send representatives to the Westminster parliament. In
order to ensure the distribution of political power to the other
provinces, Northern Ireland’s negotiators would insist on the
establishment of a four-province Federal Ireland over a specific
time frame that would allow for the development of a federal
constitution and government structures enshrining provisions for
devolved powers to Provincial parliaments and local councils.
Such an arrangement would position Northern Ireland to fully
participate in the broader economic landscape that Europe provides
and would provide for its young people access to the European
marketplace. It would make Northern Ireland a more attractive place
for international investment and a place where sectarianism would
give way to
utilitarianism.
The Republic of Ireland is also in the eye of the same storm. The
economic ties between both entities are substantial, intertwined and
enormously beneficial to the citizens on both sides of the political
divide. It’s incumbent on the powers to be in the Republic to be
open to a proposed deal by their Northern neighbors that would
obviate the worst aspects of Brexit and proffer a viable solution to
the partition of Ireland. It’s highly probable that the citizens of
the Republic would support a Federal solution because those who
reside outside the Dublin beehive believe that too much power and
privilege is centered in Dublin and its environs to the detriment of
the rest of the country. They bemoan the fact that in addition to
the entrenched political endowments and entitlements everything of
substance, including state-of-the-art medical centers, research
facilities, financial institutions, sports, and entertainment
facilities etc., continue to be sited in Dublin.
Issued on behalf of the Irish Republican Movement in America.
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