Proclamation should inspire modern Ireland, says Higgins
Cillian Sherlock, Irish News, April 21st, 2025
PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins yesterday laid a wreath during the annual commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin.
It marks the last time he will lead the event as president.
Mr Higgins laid a wreath to commemorate those who died in the Rising, for the 109th anniversary of the armed rebellion against British rule in Ireland.
Proceedings began before midday as a large crowd gathered on Dublin’s main thoroughfare, O’Connell Street, as the parade began to form from 11am.
The national tricolour flag above the General Post Office was lowered to half-mast at noon for the ceremony before a prayer service, the laying of the wreath by Mr Higgins and a minute’s silence.
Defence Forces personnel, including a brass band, a pipe band and representatives of the army, the Air Corps and the Naval Service, participated in the ceremony.
The GPO is the most famous location associated with the Rising having been designated the headquarters of the Provisional Government, and yesterday’s commemoration also included a reading of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic by Captain Conor Gibbins from Barna, Co Galway.
The proceedings ended with a return of the flag to full-mast, the national anthem and a flypast conducted by the Air Corps.
The event was also attended by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Simon Harris and outgoing Defence Forces chief of staff Lieutenant General Sean Clancy.
Michelle O’Neill among attendees
First minister and Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill, former president Mary Robinson, Lord Mayor of Dublin Emma Blain and some members of the cabinet were also among attendees, including Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan.
Captain Connor Gibbons based at Defence Forces Headquarters reads the Proclamation during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising at the GPO on O’Connell Street, Dublin, yesterday
Labour leader Ivana Bacik, centre left, and First Minister Michelle O’Neill, second right.
Former president Mary Robinson was also among the attendees, also Labour Party Labour Ivana Bacik.
President’s written statement in Irish Times, April 21st, 2025
In a written statement released yesterday, Mr Higgins said “the men and women who participated in the 1916 Rising were inspired by the declaration of a republic, and the dream of a better, fairer future”.
He noted the proclamation called for a republic that would “pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all the children of the nation equally”.
“As we commemorate the Easter Rising, this ideal should continue to inspire us,” Mr Higgins said.
Remembering their fathers
Ettie Fullam, from Cabra in Dublin, attended to commemorate her father, Patrick Roe, who participated in the Rising and went on hunger strike during the period.
Mr Roe was born in the Liberties in Dublin in 1896. Ms Fullam said her father would tell her and her three older brothers stories about the Rising and bring them along to commemorative events.
“I’m really only one of the few direct descendants of someone who fought in the Rising, most of them are grandchildren.”
She said she was proud to represent her family at the event.
“I’m delighted I came.”.
Kevin Cusack, who served in the Civil Defence for more than 10 years, travelled from Co Meath for the commemoration.
“I marched here myself with the Civil Defence in 2016 for the 100th anniversary,” Mr Cusack said.
“It’s only right to pay our respects to our founding fathers.
“It’s a part of our national identity. It’s important to remember our history, where we’ve come from. If you don’t learn from your history, the past will repeat itself.”
Large crowds turn out for Belfast Easter Rising commemorations
Connla Young, Irish News, April 21st, 2025
HUNDREDS of republicans have taken part in parades across Belfast to mark the 109th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.
The largest turn-out was in west Belfast where a succession of marches made their way around Falls Road.
These included the annual National Graves Association Belfast procession from Beechmount Avenue to Milltown Cemetery. Up to 1,500 participants and 5,000 supporters were expected at the annual event supported by Sinn Féin.
Later members of the Workers’ Party and supporters made their way along Falls Road from Beechmount Avenue to the nearby cemetery for their yearly commemoration.
Several bands had earlier taken part in an IRSP-linked parade from Dunville Park to Milltown.
At the other end of Falls Road republicans took part in a parade organised by the Falls Cultural Society from Barrack Street to the garden of remembrance. Some of those involved were former ‘D’ Company ex-prisoners along with supporters.
Belfast republican feud victim Sean O’Reilly is understood to have attended a commemoration organised by Republican Network for Unity at Milltown Cemetery yesterday.
He was shot twice as he sat in his parked taxi in the Bell Steel Manor area of Dunmurry in February.
The shooting came after months of escalating tensions linked to dissident group Óglaigh na hÉireann (ÓNH).
Republican Network for Unity members gathered at a monument put in place by the group in 2023.
It is understood a rival faction also held a short commemoration at the same site on Saturday.
Both factions also took part in a series of low-key events across the north over the weekend.
Unionists lash out over O'Neill speaking at 'morally repugnant' commemoration
Kurtis Reid, Belfast Telegraph, April 21st, 2025
FIRST MINSTER TELLS EASTER EVENT THAT HONOURING DEAD IS EVERYONE'S RIGHT
First Minister Michelle O'Neill has faced criticism after speaking at a republican Easter commemoration.
The DUP and TUV both condemned her appearance at the event in Coalisland, Co Tyrone, on Saturday.
During a speech to around 50 people at the republican plot in a local cemetery, she said “everyone has a right to remember their dead”.
It was her first public appearance at an Easter commemoration since taking on the role of First Minister.
Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart questioned Ms O'Neill's presence at the event.
“Sinn Fein are once again highlighting their acceptance of those who committed heinous crimes in the United Kingdom,” she said.
The DUP representative claimed the party “celebrate as heroes those who murdered fellow citizens”.
Separately, TUV leader Jim Allister said the First Minister's presence at such events was a “reminder of Sinn Fein's unfitness for government”.
In a dig at the DUP, Mr Allister said it should “cause unionists who sustain them [Sinn Fein] in office to reflect on the nature of those they sit with around the Executive table”.
‘Moral bankruptcy’
He said “few things illustrate the moral bankruptcy of republicanism than its actions around Easter. This is graphically illustrated by the actions of the self-styled First Minister for all today who chose to address a commemoration of those thankfully taken out by the SAS at Clonoe in 1992,” he added.
“One has only to take a moment to reflect on what East Tyrone IRA did in the area — including the murder of 30 people prior to the SAS ambush — to see how morally repugnant this event was.”
Ms O'Neill had said she was there to remember and honour “all of those who have struggled for our freedom”.
Speaking at the Saturday event, organised by Coalisland/Clonoe Sinn Fein Cumann, Ms O'Neill told those in attendance: “We honour the sacrifices that were made by those during Easter week of 1916, but also in every generation before and since. Ordinary people born in extraordinary times.
“Today we're very mindful and thoughtful of all the families of those that have lost and we're particularly thinking of you all today. Everybody has a right to respectfully remember their dead.”
During her graveside address, she said “we stand at a pivotal moment in history”, adding “we are in the end days of partition”.
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein president Mary-Lou McDonald has accused the Taoiseach of having “his head in the sand” on Irish unity.
In an interview with the Belfast Telegraph earlier this month, Micheal Martin dismissed Sinn Fein's call for a referendum in the near future, saying “we're not planning for a border poll in 2030”.
‘We must prepare for unity’
But speaking at a commemoration in Carrickmore, Ms McDonald said “we must prepare for unity referendums this decade”.
“Building a new and united Ireland is the most important task for a generation,” she added.
“It's not good enough for Taoiseach Micheál Martin to stick his head in the sand and stand against the momentum for unity.
“To the Irish and the British governments, we say — the days of treading water are over. It's time to plan and prepare for constitutional change and for reunification.”
She called for the establishment of a “citizens' assembly” on the issue.
She added: “Our message to unionists is clear — the united Ireland we seek belongs every bit as much to the families of Dungannon as it does to the families of Carrickmore, every bit as much to the families of Tyrone as the families of Dublin, Cork and Galway. A united Ireland is about everyone.”
The Dublin Central TD spoke of the “revolutionary heritage of Tyrone” and said: “The Irish nation has lived and breathed through the resilience of the people of Tyrone.”
Paying tribute to First Minister Michelle O'Neill, she said “it was meant to be that the first nationalist to lead the Executive is a woman from Tyrone.”
Ms McDonald repeated calls for a public inquiry into the murder of GAA club chairman Seán Brown.
Separately, at Arbour Hill,in Dublin, North Belfast MP John Finucane said it is time to begin planning for a unity referendum.
“The reunification of Ireland is not inevitable — we must work for it, we must build it and must win it,” he said.
“The conversations are already happening. Across every county, every community, in living rooms, workplaces, universities and sports clubs — people are talking about Irish unity.
“The onus is now on the Irish government to lead preparations for referenda — creating the space which enables us to build a new Ireland that truly belongs to everyone who lives here.”
Junior Labour Minister sparks renewed speculation on Border Poll
Amy Cochrane, Belfast Telegraph, April 21st, 2025
A Northern Ireland Office minister has indicated that opinion polls will determine if and when a border referendum is called.
Fleur Anderson's comments are the first indication of the criteria that could trigger a vote on the constitutional arrangements.
Last night, the NIO appeared to distance itself from her comments, saying “responsibility for a referendum sits solely with the Secretary of State”.
The comments from Ms Anderson, who is Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, appeared in an Agenda NI article.
It came on a weekend which saw Sinn Fein renew calls for a border poll by 2030.
Under the Good Friday Agreement, the power to call a border poll rests with the Secretary of State.
The legislation states the NI Secretary should call a referendum on Irish unity “if it appears likely to him that a majority of those voting would express a wish that Northern Ireland should cease to be part of the UK and form part of a united Ireland”.
No criteria
However, there are no set criteria for when a referendum would be triggered.
Previous secretaries of state have refused to outline what exactly would be required.
Asked by Agenda NI, Ms Anderson said: “It would be based on opinion polls.”
Last night the NIO said: “The responsibility for a referendum sits solely with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
“This is clearly set out in the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which gives effect to the Good Friday Agreement and the principle of consent.
“This has been — and remains — the only condition. The Secretary of State has been clear that there is no evidence that this condition has been met.”
Asked if she would campaign in favour of maintaining the Union in any border poll, Ms Anderson says: “That is up to the people of Northern Ireland. We want to support all communities. If it ever came to a vote, we would support the democratic process.”
Asked if she is a unionist, the MP for Putney says she is “not sure” if she is and that she is “not one community or another. I am not one side or another.”
However, when asked if she favours Northern Ireland remaining part of the UK, Ms Anderson replied: “Yes, I think the Union is a strong way of supporting everyone across the United Kingdom.”
Poll figures
Earlier this year, a LucidTalk poll published by the Belfast Telegraph showed that 48% of Northern Ireland voters want to stay in the UK, whilst 41% are in favour of constitutional change.
In last year's Westminster election, the total unionist vote was just over 43% while the nationalist vote was slightly over 40%.
The margins on the constitutional status have narrowed slightly, according to polls for this newspaper.
In a survey last year there was a 10-point gap between the two sides; with 49% supporting staying in the UK, while 39% wanted Irish unity.
In our most recent survey, 10% of people said they were unsure how they'd vote, while 1% would abstain or spoil their ballot.
While almost nine in 10 nationalists (86%) want a border poll within the next decade, three-quarters (74%) of unionists say one should never be called.
Generation gap
Support for Irish unity is strongest with the younger generation. Among voters under 35, 50% want a united Ireland, with 44% choosing the Union.
The DUP has previously said Northern Ireland does not need a “divisive” border poll.
However, Sinn Fein has urged the Dublin government to begin planning for a referendum.
This isn't the first time an NIO Minister has commented on a border poll.
In 2023, then NI Minister Steve Baker reportedly said a border poll should need the support of a “super-majority”, rather than a simple 50% plus one majority.
Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris later said there had been no shift in UK government policy on the terms of any future referendum
Ms Anderson, who has been an MP since 2019, was appointed to her NIO role by Prime Minister Keir Starmer after last July's election.
Anti-Agreement group Éire Nua launches its ‘unity programme’
Connla Young, Irish News, April 21st, 2025
A RECENTLY formed anti-agreement republican organisation has launched a new “Irish Unity Programme” as it held a series of commemorations to mark the 1916 Easter Rising.
Éire Nua, which includes former members of Republican Sinn Féin and Sinn Féin, was launched at the end of last year. The group takes its name from a long-standing policy linked to Republican Sinn Féin which promotes a federal united Ireland.
In an Easter statement the leadership said its programme will “empower the four historic provinces while addressing the conflict in the six counties through decentralised government”.
It also said “the republican demand for an Irish unity referendum is growing”.
“Éire Nua are ready to help in developing the conditions which will allow for a meaningful process free from preconditions of any kind through the Irish Unity Programme which we are very happy to launch here today,” the statement said.
“We must remind people that the British have no mandate or right in Ireland and they will not be permitted to set any preconditions.
Members of Éire Nua at a monument in south Armagh to IRA man John Francis Green, who was killed in 1975
“It is self-evident that the British denial of democracy in Ireland is at the core of the conflict and republicans must continue to challenge this.
Federal solution regurgitated
“The resolution of that conflict demands justice and the fundamental right of the people to decide.”
The group says its Irish Unity Program will “put forward the case for a federal democratic republic of Ireland in the context of Irish unity”.
“It is our desire and resolve that all revolutionary parties in Ireland will come together in an assembly to create circumstances for which will allow for the core issues at the heart of the conflict to be addressed and resolved as the GFA [Good Friday Agreement] has failed to do this and is merely a tool to cement British rule in Ireland,” the statement said.
“All who seek a genuine and lasting peace in Ireland should work with Éire Nua for that same end and help promote the Irish unity program.
“Éire Nua are ready to meet our responsibilities.
“Others, not least the British and the Free State government, the reformists of failed partition must do likewise.”
The group said that “over a century of partition we see the effects of division remain visible in political instability, economic disparities, and social fragmentation”.
“Our Irish Unity Programme will offer a revolutionary solution, a federal Ireland where power is shared, and unity is forged through collaboration and respect for diversity,” it added.
Lyons accused of £250k Ulster Scots US ‘personal pet project’
Conor Coyle, Irish News, April 21st, 2025
DUP minister Gordon Lyons has been accused of using a trip to Washington to promote a “personal pet project” of Ulster Scots links with the US.
The communities minister presented portraits of 10 US presidents with Ulster Scots connections to Washington officials during the recent visit.
A freedom of information request by The Irish News showed the minister stressed the importance of the links on multiple occasions.
Earlier this month Mr Lyons announced his department would provide £250,000 of funds for events across Northern Ireland to mark the 250th anniversary of the US declaration of independence.
He attended 16 events and meetings over four days during the trip, ahead of St Patrick’s Day, with minutes being taken at two of those – both largely related to the US 250 celebrations.
In the first meeting with Mungo Woodifield, minister counsellor for trade and global issues at the British Embassy, Mr Lyons “underlined the strong Ulster Scots links to 17 US presidents”.
Lyons criticised over funding for Ulster Scots links with US
Ten Ulster Scots Presidents
In a second meeting with organisers of the America 250 programme, Mr Lyons presented Commissioner Joe Crowley and executive director Jennifer Condon with “a framed reproduction of portraits of 10 presidents with Ulster-Scots connections and a print of the front page of the News Letter report on the signing of the declaration of independence”.
Notes from the meeting added: “Minister Lyons welcomed the update and added that he and his team wanted to add to the celebrations by ensuring they had as much information as possible to be able to tell the story of the contribution of the Ulster-Scots/Scots-Irish to the historic event.”
The minutes, taken by an official from The Executive Office, reflected that Mr Lyons stressed the importance of “bringing to life the contributions of those involved in the events leading to the declaration and its signing who had come from Northern Ireland”.
The minister also added he was “keen to ensure there was practical cooperation between NI and the America 250 programme”.
Ms Condon advised that President Donald Trump has “tremendous interest” in the programme of celebrations being organised, but a number of further details were redacted from the FOI response as the information “would enable those with malign intent to plan attacks on specific locations and dates”.
Among other events attended by the minister during the visit included a reception at the Irish embassy, a reception at the White House with President Trump, and an Ireland Funds gala dinner.
Communities mnister Gordon Lyons presents framed portraits of US presidents with links to Ulster Scots
Less than a month after returning home from Washington, the communities minister announced the £250,000 funding for celebrating next year’s US independence anniversary in the north.
“We have always had strong cultural and historical bonds with the United States with early settlers from Northern Ireland playing a significant role in communities across the US,” Mr Lyons said.
‘Fantastic opportunity’ or ‘waste of time’?
“The celebrations planned in 2026 offer a fantastic opportunity for Northern Ireland to be part of this historic milestone, to strengthen relationships with the US and promote our shared cultural connections. “
People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll questioned the Stormont spend and said he believed the trip was a “waste of time and public money”. He added: “Not only did Gordon Lyons visit Washington with the express purpose of sucking up to the Trump administration, which is funding and fuelling the genocide in Gaza, but the communities minister has inexplicably wasted time and public money on multiple meetings to discuss the 250th anniversary of US independence.
“The fact that the minister has allocated £250,000 for independence day celebrations is especially egregious, given that he and his party are kicking up a fuss about a £150,000 spend on Irish language signage at Grand Central Station.
“Celebrating US independence appears to be a personal pet project for Gordon Lyons, and something that matters very little to the vast majority of ordinary people across the north.”
The Department for Communities has been contacted for a response.
Loyalist heartland ends 50-year grudge with Paras over Belfast shootings
British parachute regiment flag flies this week at the Bayardo monument on the Shankill Road.
Hugh Jordan, Belfast Telegraph, April 18th, 2025
Inquiries revealed the change of heart on the Shankill is probably because Soldier F – who is due to stand trial for murder – is rumoured to be from the local area
A Para shot and killed two members of the UDA on Shankill Road in 1972.
A 50-year battle between Paras and the Shankill community appears to be over.
For five decades, residents in the hardline loyalist area of west Belfast bore a grudge against the crack British army regiment.
Although best remembered for gunning down innocent Catholic civilians in Ballymurphy and Derry, the maroon-bereted super-squaddies were also detested in the close-knit Shankill where they also shot dead two middle-aged men.
Robert Richie McKinney (49) and Robert Johnston (50) were gunned down during a night of violence in 1972, when the Paras were accused of turning on the Protestant community.
Mr McKinney was hit by gunfire while driving along Machett Street in the heart of the Shankill. He was on his way to collect a relative who was due to finish work and the family didn’t want her walking home while there was rioting on the streets.
The fatal shooting of Robert Johnston from Sydney Street West was even more bizarre. Described at an inquest as a “harmless drunk”, he was struck by rifle fire from a Para near the Berlin Bar.
Johnston had just shouted, ‘The meek shall inherit the earth’ when he was shot dead. And an eyewitness said she saw a Para take aim and fire at the victim.
Flag raised at site of Provo bombing
British parachute regiment flag flies this week at the Bayardo monument on the Shankill Road.
A Para shot and killed two members of the UDA on Shankill Road in 1972.
British parachute regiment flag flies this week at the Bayardo monument on the Shankill Road. A Para shot and killed two members of the UDA on Shankill Road in 1972.
In a rare admission of guilt, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said Mr McKinney and Mr Johnston, who was shot minutes later, were nothing other than entirely innocent civilians caught up in a situation which wasn’t of their making.
Following the double-shooting, the UDA – which was still regarded largely a community-based organisation – held a fact-finding event in a library, where locals gave witness accounts of what happened.
A booklet condemning the Paras’ behaviour was published and sold on the streets.
And more recently, when other hardline loyalist areas came out in support of ‘Soldier F’ – a Parachute Regiment soldier currently facing murder charged connected to the Bloody Sunday shootings – the Shankill community remained silent.
For five full decades, the Paras were persona non grata on the Shankill Road as a result of the McKinney/Johnston killings.
And while loyalists in other areas sang the regiment’s praises by flying ‘We Support Soldier F’ flags, the Shankill Road people preferred to remain silent in memory of the two innocent civilians.
But in recent days a maroon flag bearing the silver-winged logo of the Parachute Regiment has appeared at the top of a flagpole in the middle of the Shankill Road. It flies alongside an Israeli flag and the Union flag of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The three flags are sited on the spot where 50 years ago the IRA carried out a savage bomb and shooting attack on the Bayardo Bar, killing five people. Survivors who stumbled out through the rubble were machine-gunned as they left.
Inquiries revealed the change of heart on the Shankill, which manifested itself with the flying of the Parachute Regiment flag, is probably because Soldier F – who is due to stand trial for murder – has ties to the local area.
One man who spoke said: “I believe the change came about because it is widely rumoured around here that Soldier F has links to the area.
“At the end of the day, he wasn’t personally involved in shooting anyone on the Shankill. But if he’s ties to the Shankill and he is being charged with committing murder on Bloody Sunday, then we should be supporting him.”
He added: “It’s as simple as that.”
‘We were just like any other regiment’
The Paras responsible for the Bloody Sunday slaughter received fulsome praise from John Ross, a Shankill-born former member of the regiment, who writes occasionally on military matters.
“Right from the outset, my regiment has been branded, murderers, killers and all sorts,” he said.
“But we served with pride, we served with dignity, we were disciplined and we did our duty.
“Yes, we were a robust regiment and if you wanted a job well done, we would have done it.
British parachute regiment flag flies at the Bayardo monument on the Shankill Road.
“But we were just like any other regiment which served in Northern Ireland during Operation Banner.”
Eleven months after the Bloody Sunday massacre, the Belfast Telegraph reported that 30 members of the Paras had bought themselves out of the regiment.
While Soldier F is facing a murder charge, during their time in Northern Ireland many other Paras were charged and convicted of crimes ranging from armed robbery to theft.
Lurgan rally sees masked men join Easter Rising commemoration
By Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent, Irish News, April 20th, 2025
Young people have been urged to promote Republican Sinn Féin’s Éire Nua policy at a commemoration in Co Armagh to mark the 109th anniversary of the Easter Rising.
The call came as members and supporters of the party attended a Garden of Remembrance in the Kilwilkie Estate in Lurgan on Saturday afternoon.
A four-man masked colour party dressed in combat-style clothing formed at the garden as wreaths were laid during the short commemoration to mark the events of Easter Week 1916.
Lurgan based republican Martin Duffy, who chaired the event, referenced his party’s long standing Éire Nua policy, which was developed in the 1970s, and promotes a federal united Ireland incorporating parliaments in each of the country’s four provinces, along with Saol Nua, a social and economic programme also promoted by Republican Sinn Féin.
“Sinn Féin Poblachtach call on the youth of Ireland to rise once again and come together with us to promote Éire Nua and Saol Nua.” he said.
“We in the republican movement believe in giving the youth of today a voice that will keep republicanism growing within Ireland build for the next generation.
‘A strong and youthful movement vital to remove British presence’
“The purpose of a strong youthful movement is vital to remove the British presence from Ireland.”
Veteran Co Fermanagh republican John Joe McCusker delivered the main in address stating his view nothing has changed in the north.
“The six occupied counties are still economically disadvantaged, with the vast majority living in a low wage economy,” he said.
“The situation has always been so, from the inception of the state, this situation was sponsored by the English imperialist, and the leopard doesn’t change its spots, why would an English government allow and nurture the population to grow in the north of Ireland?
“Allowing nationalists and republicans the numbers for a united Ireland.”
The Fermanagh republican also spoke directly to unionists saying “those still in favour of union with England should look again, and help us all to take control of our own affairs”.
“You might believe that you have some solid cause, well it is not economics, and economics is a growing and urgent problem,” he said.
A statement was also read from the “leadership of the republican movement” by a member of the colour party.
“We will shall not fail when it comes to furthering the cause of Irish freedom,” the statement said.
“Irish freedom will never be accomplished by attending these British created assemblies.
“The objectives of this organisation are those of Theobald Wolfe Tone and Pádraig Mac Piarais, to unite the people of Ireland, Protestant, Catholic and dissenter and to substitute the common name of Irishman and Irish woman.
“In the words of Tone, ‘to break the connection with England - never failing source of all our political ills.”
Those taking part in the commemoration later made their way to nearby St Colman’s Cemetery where more wreaths were placed at the republican plot and the graves of local republicans
1916 Societies say Good Friday Agreement has ‘failed to deliver all Ireland progress’
By Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent, Irish News, April 20th, 2025
REPUBLICAN GROUP HELD EASTER COMMEMORATION IN CO DERRY
Republicans attending a 1916 Societies commemoration in Co Derry have been told the Good Friday Agreement has “failed to deliver any tangible progress towards an all-Ireland republic”.
Several hundred people from across the north and beyond attended an Easter Rising commemoration in the village of Bellaghy on Sunday, including members of Éirígí.
It emerged earlier this year that Éirígí and 1916 Societies have formed a “strategic alliance” resulting in the emergence of a new ‘Republican Bloc’.
A piper led those attending through the village to St Mary’s Cemetery, where IRA hunger strikers Francis Hughes and Thomas McElwee are buried.
1916 Societies tell Easter commemoration that Good Friday Agreement has ‘failed to deliver all Ireland progress’
The grave of ex-INLA chief Dominic McGlinchey is also located in the cemetery.
Main address
The main address was delivered by1916 Societies chair Pól O’Scannell.
He recounted how both his grandfathers had played a part in the events of Easter Week 109 years ago.
The Dublin republican offered solidarity to the people of Palestine and backed calls by the family of murdered Bellaghy GAA official Sean Brown for a public inquiry.
Turning to the issue of unity, Mr O’Scannell said the British have used several “pacification strategies” since the Troubles ended, including the peace process.
But, he said the “Good Friday Agreement has failed to deliver any tangible progress towards an all-Ireland republic.”
“That was its raison d’etre - to yet again pacify Ireland.”
He warned that future attempts may be made to make Ireland a member of the British Commonwealth.
Going in Stormont meant ‘continued subjection’ to Britain
“Those who went into Stormont to implement the Good Friday Agreement and its numerous tweaks have found themselves welded to Britain’s continued subjection of this part of Ireland and of our democratic rights,” he said.
“The call for Irish unity and the Irish republic has been diluted to a call for an agreed Ireland or shared island with the very real prospect of the return to membership of the British Commonwealth for all 32 counties.
“I want to state very clearly here today, we will never, ever accept the British Commonwealth.”
He added that a “shared island concept is the polar opposite of republicanism”.
“It sets a dangerous precedent of accepting the British narrative that there are two separate nations on this island,” he said.
“It gives legitimacy to the British government’s analysis that unionists are the British presence in Ireland.”
The 1916 Societies has promoted a highly visible ‘One Ireland One Vote’ campaign, which calls for a single referendum on a united Ireland.
Mr O’Scannell said “the Irish people alone must decide our own future without interference from the British.
Elsewhere in Co Derry a commemoration organised by the counties Derry and Antrim Republican Graves Association was held in The Loup.
Threat from New IRA to ‘those who collaborate’
Connla Young, Crime and security correspondent, Irish News, April 21st, 2025
THE New IRA has said it remains active and has issued a threat to people it brands state “collaborators”.
Its Easter statement comes amid ongoing speculation about the dissident organisation’s future direction and whether it is preparing to end its armed campaign.
Using a recognised codeword, the New IRA issued a message to those it said “seek to divide or discredit” it.
“The cause of Irish freedom is just and history will vindicate those who stand firm,” the statement read.
SDLP Policing Board member and MLA Mark H Durkan urged the group to “wise up” and adopt peaceful means.
The New IRA message continued: “The Irish Republican Army reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the full establishment of a 32-county socialist republic.
“British rule in any form, whether military, political or economic, is illegitimate and will never be accepted.”
The statement said the organisation remains active.
“The British presence in Ireland is sustained not by consent but by force and this resistance not only remains justified but necessary,” it said.
“The IRA remains active, resolute and unyielding.
“While others have chosen the path of compromise and surrender, we continue to assert the right of the Irish people to resist occupation by all means at our disposal.
A clear warning to collaborators
“We issue a clear warning to those who collaborate with the forces of occupation, there are consequences for those who act against the interests of the republic.
“Let it be known that our patience is not without limit and our silence should not be mistaken for inactivity.”
The group emerged in 2012 when the Real IRA, independent republicans and members of Republican Action Against Drugs merged. It has since murdered several people including prison officers David Black in 2012 and Adrian Ismay in 2016.
The group’s last significant action is thought to have been in February 2023, a gun attack on now-retired PSNI officer John Caldwell at a sports complex near Omagh while he was still serving but off duty.
Mr Durkan said: “While everyone is entitled to their own ideological outlook, it’s time to wise up with the warnings and time to choose a peaceful, political path to pursue their objectives,” he said.
“All violence does is create victims. It has no place in politics here.”
Hardline republicans are due to hold an Easter Rising commemoration in Derry today.
The parade, approved by the Parades Commission but marked sensitive, has been organised by the National Republican Commemoration Committee which arranges events for anti-agreement party Saoradh. Formed in 2016, Saoradh has the support of New IRA prisoners. A similar commemoration in 2022 was led by a masked colour party and included men and women dressed in combat gear.
Conditions imposed by the commission include that “no paramilitary-style clothing” is to be worn and that “flags, bannerettes and symbols relating to a proscribed organisation shall in no circumstances be displayed”.
Mr Durkan appealed to people to “come to Derry and enjoy the event and please abide by the conditions set out by the Parades Commission”.
