Republican Network for Unity’s Easter speech 2017. Delivered by Ex- POW Gary McNally at RNU’s annual Na Fianna Éireann commemoration in Ardoyne on 15 April.




A chairde agus comradaí,

Easter is a time for reflection. Over the past number of years RNU and the wider republican family have gathered at this spot to commemorate 4 young Fians and all those who pursued the republic and lost their lives in the process. The only fitting monument to them is the erection of an Ireland free from external impediment. It is my pleasure to welcome you all here today to Ardoyne, as we gather once again to remember the four young Fians who dived into the bearna baoil to defend their community and defend the republic. With great energy, commitment and dedication Bernard Fox, David McAuley, Joseph McComiskey, Josh Campbell and thousands of others reacted to the situation on the ground in the 6 counties at that time. They saw what was happening outside their front doors and they acted.

Their sacrifice will continue to inspire generation after generation of freedom seekers. Republicans of this generation must take inspiration from the past. We must learn the lessons of history – looking back at mistakes and successes. But we must also carve our own identity and design our own contribution to the republican struggle. This must contain substance and be meaningful. Rhetoric and clichés will not sustain us. Long held slogans will not drive political development in the face of a changing political arena. Previous generations of republican activists did not shirk their responsibility. They did not shirk the responsibility of bringing the republican struggle in line with their time. They did not shirk their responsibility to make their own print on Irish republicanism. A chairde, like these four young men, we mustn't shirk our responsibility. 

The centenary has passed - we commemorated it as best we could, with the little resources we have. A huge acknowledgement must be extended to all those who played a part. Easter is a time for reflection, and we must reflect on our gains and also on missed opportunities. The chance for unity of purpose among all republicans to commemorate the rising wasn't taken and we must begin to rectify that glaring mistake. We must reflect on the latest happenings at Stormont and effectively communicate to the Irish people why the system continues to stumble from crisis to crisis. 

Is cáisc am le haghaidh machnaimh.

The denial of rights - cultural rights, social rights and human rights remains the political hallmark of Stormont. 19 years since the Good Friday Agreement and 11 years since the St. Andrews agreement our people are still denied their rights, as the political administration in the 6 counties attempts to reduce them to bargaining chips and shallow vote grabbers. Irish language activists have fought long and hard for the recognition of our native tongue. They have maintained the promotion of the Irish language with distinction. In recent times, they lobbied for an Irish language act to ensure every person can access their language rights. This has been denied time and again by an administration that believes cultural suppression will kill the demand for national self-determination.

The LGBT movement has lobbied for marriage rights to ensure all citizens can access matrimony. This has been denied time and again by an administration that wishes to maintain archaic practices upheld by an undemocratic veto.

Republicans have lobbied for political and human rights to ensure that political activists can live free from police harassment, barbaric strip-searching, controlled movement and forced isolation. These have been denied time and again because the administration wants to marginalise and isolate any opposition to the status quo. Here we state clearly; Rights are not bargaining chips; they are not vote grabbers to be wheeled out during elections and they are not tools for repression. They are real concepts and must be delivered post-haste, however, like all great political initiatives, they will be delivered from below.



There are various sections of our communities attempting to attain their rights and improve their lives through struggle. Republicans must be found amongst them. Remaining in an isolated bubble detached from the real world and everyday struggles serves no purpose and advances no cause. The Stormont project has been a failure from its inception. All it has to offer is a bulwark between the Irish people and Ireland’s reunification. While the turnout at recent elections may be higher than previous years, the result will inevitably be the same – Stormont cannot work. However, in the wake of these results Irish republicans must give serious thought to the future and begin to ask how we can challenge the status quo.

Is cáisc am le haghaidh machnaimh.

Easter is a time for reflection. 

We have few opportunities throughout the year to engage in reflection. To question where we have come from, where we are and where we are going in the struggle to end partition and bring about a United Ireland. Easter is one of those opportunities. The republican movement has been involved in a process of serious revaluation. We have looked at the struggle holistically and examined closely it's trajectory over recent decades. We have deduced that a strategic rethink is required from both the individual republican activist and organisational republicanism. 

For a protracted period, the republican movement has been engaged in a process of debate, discussion and deliberation about the future of the republican struggle, and in particular, the future of our movement. We have assessed our strengths and weaknesses, we have taken stock of our capabilities and our inabilities, we have looked at what we do well and what we do poorly, we have measured this against the current political climate, the will of the average person in our community and recent local and global changes in the political arena.

We recognise that we must move forward With our people, not without them and not ahead of them or eventually they will move forward without us. For too long Irish republicans have remained on their knees, constrained by an inability to modernise and accept the situation on the ground. 

Not bartering our ideological principles, we must act in a mature and realistic manner and act in accordance with the will of the people, the base from which republicanism draws its support. The four brave Fians, for whom we gather here to remember, along with thousands of other republicans reacted to the situation on the ground and the political climate in which they found themselves, we must do the same. We need to take heed of the wants and desires of the Irish people. There is no merit in attempting to represent them while continuing to ignore them. This should be the antithesis of republicanism. 

Republicanism historically has offered the people of this island a vision of self-determination, free from the benign influences of foreign power holders, a democratic ideology which seeks not only a constitutional change but offers ownership of the Ireland to the entire people of Ireland. The proponents of this vision have offered the only viable alternative to imperialism in the past three centuries, degrading that status to that of a political quagmire or a bit part attempt to remove the British connection would be a denigration of past struggles and regressive to the objectives of Irish separatism. This cannot happen, we will not allow it to happen - for both ourselves and for the future generations who deserve our efforts to be directed into building a credible, cohesive and capable vehicle. One that can deliver an end to partition and secure Irish sovereignty. 

The integrity of the republican position must be maintained by those who espouse it. This can only be done through avant garde thinking, future orientated strategies and sincere attempts to advance that position. Sticking to handed down narratives and continuing to pursue failed or failing ventures in the hope of remaining relevant is accelerating irrelevancy. Wallowing in mediocrity created by this irrelevancy is sapping the integrity of the republican position. Irish republicans must make innovative, creative and bold decisions to uphold this integrity.

Republicans recognise that we not only need to get our house in order, but we must begin its construction. Therefore, the republican movement is moving forward with a 21st century agenda. We are refining our message and strategizing our own unique way of articulating political dissent. We are reshaping our public outreach and appearance. This change will be too much for some people. Some people will lose their seat at the table, many already have. We are not republican elitists, but we won’t allow anybody to undermine the integrity or forward trajectory of a rejuvenated republican base. Republicans have demonstrated this in recent times. 

Irish republicans must provide a coherent vision of the future, what a United Ireland will look like, how it will benefit the Irish people and how we can achieve this. The window of opportunity has been made smaller by the latest election results. Republicans must begin the change this and widen the window. An opportunity, albeit small, exists for republicans to forge together and ensure our vision of the future enters national debate. I appeal to each of you here today, to go from here and think about our message. Think about the republican position in the local and global context. Think about how best to advance that position in line with current political realities. 



Easter is a time for reflection and opportunities are for those who seize them.

Beir bua.


RNU Easter 2017

Republican Network for Unity’s Easter speech 2017. Delivered by Ex- POW Gary McNally at RNU’s annual Na Fianna Éireann commemoration in Ardoyne on 15 April.




A chairde agus comradaí,

Easter is a time for reflection. Over the past number of years RNU and the wider republican family have gathered at this spot to commemorate 4 young Fians and all those who pursued the republic and lost their lives in the process. The only fitting monument to them is the erection of an Ireland free from external impediment. It is my pleasure to welcome you all here today to Ardoyne, as we gather once again to remember the four young Fians who dived into the bearna baoil to defend their community and defend the republic. With great energy, commitment and dedication Bernard Fox, David McAuley, Joseph McComiskey, Josh Campbell and thousands of others reacted to the situation on the ground in the 6 counties at that time. They saw what was happening outside their front doors and they acted.

Their sacrifice will continue to inspire generation after generation of freedom seekers. Republicans of this generation must take inspiration from the past. We must learn the lessons of history – looking back at mistakes and successes. But we must also carve our own identity and design our own contribution to the republican struggle. This must contain substance and be meaningful. Rhetoric and clichés will not sustain us. Long held slogans will not drive political development in the face of a changing political arena. Previous generations of republican activists did not shirk their responsibility. They did not shirk the responsibility of bringing the republican struggle in line with their time. They did not shirk their responsibility to make their own print on Irish republicanism. A chairde, like these four young men, we mustn't shirk our responsibility. 

The centenary has passed - we commemorated it as best we could, with the little resources we have. A huge acknowledgement must be extended to all those who played a part. Easter is a time for reflection, and we must reflect on our gains and also on missed opportunities. The chance for unity of purpose among all republicans to commemorate the rising wasn't taken and we must begin to rectify that glaring mistake. We must reflect on the latest happenings at Stormont and effectively communicate to the Irish people why the system continues to stumble from crisis to crisis. 

Is cáisc am le haghaidh machnaimh.

The denial of rights - cultural rights, social rights and human rights remains the political hallmark of Stormont. 19 years since the Good Friday Agreement and 11 years since the St. Andrews agreement our people are still denied their rights, as the political administration in the 6 counties attempts to reduce them to bargaining chips and shallow vote grabbers. Irish language activists have fought long and hard for the recognition of our native tongue. They have maintained the promotion of the Irish language with distinction. In recent times, they lobbied for an Irish language act to ensure every person can access their language rights. This has been denied time and again by an administration that believes cultural suppression will kill the demand for national self-determination.

The LGBT movement has lobbied for marriage rights to ensure all citizens can access matrimony. This has been denied time and again by an administration that wishes to maintain archaic practices upheld by an undemocratic veto.

Republicans have lobbied for political and human rights to ensure that political activists can live free from police harassment, barbaric strip-searching, controlled movement and forced isolation. These have been denied time and again because the administration wants to marginalise and isolate any opposition to the status quo. Here we state clearly; Rights are not bargaining chips; they are not vote grabbers to be wheeled out during elections and they are not tools for repression. They are real concepts and must be delivered post-haste, however, like all great political initiatives, they will be delivered from below.



There are various sections of our communities attempting to attain their rights and improve their lives through struggle. Republicans must be found amongst them. Remaining in an isolated bubble detached from the real world and everyday struggles serves no purpose and advances no cause. The Stormont project has been a failure from its inception. All it has to offer is a bulwark between the Irish people and Ireland’s reunification. While the turnout at recent elections may be higher than previous years, the result will inevitably be the same – Stormont cannot work. However, in the wake of these results Irish republicans must give serious thought to the future and begin to ask how we can challenge the status quo.

Is cáisc am le haghaidh machnaimh.

Easter is a time for reflection. 

We have few opportunities throughout the year to engage in reflection. To question where we have come from, where we are and where we are going in the struggle to end partition and bring about a United Ireland. Easter is one of those opportunities. The republican movement has been involved in a process of serious revaluation. We have looked at the struggle holistically and examined closely it's trajectory over recent decades. We have deduced that a strategic rethink is required from both the individual republican activist and organisational republicanism. 

For a protracted period, the republican movement has been engaged in a process of debate, discussion and deliberation about the future of the republican struggle, and in particular, the future of our movement. We have assessed our strengths and weaknesses, we have taken stock of our capabilities and our inabilities, we have looked at what we do well and what we do poorly, we have measured this against the current political climate, the will of the average person in our community and recent local and global changes in the political arena.

We recognise that we must move forward With our people, not without them and not ahead of them or eventually they will move forward without us. For too long Irish republicans have remained on their knees, constrained by an inability to modernise and accept the situation on the ground. 

Not bartering our ideological principles, we must act in a mature and realistic manner and act in accordance with the will of the people, the base from which republicanism draws its support. The four brave Fians, for whom we gather here to remember, along with thousands of other republicans reacted to the situation on the ground and the political climate in which they found themselves, we must do the same. We need to take heed of the wants and desires of the Irish people. There is no merit in attempting to represent them while continuing to ignore them. This should be the antithesis of republicanism. 

Republicanism historically has offered the people of this island a vision of self-determination, free from the benign influences of foreign power holders, a democratic ideology which seeks not only a constitutional change but offers ownership of the Ireland to the entire people of Ireland. The proponents of this vision have offered the only viable alternative to imperialism in the past three centuries, degrading that status to that of a political quagmire or a bit part attempt to remove the British connection would be a denigration of past struggles and regressive to the objectives of Irish separatism. This cannot happen, we will not allow it to happen - for both ourselves and for the future generations who deserve our efforts to be directed into building a credible, cohesive and capable vehicle. One that can deliver an end to partition and secure Irish sovereignty. 

The integrity of the republican position must be maintained by those who espouse it. This can only be done through avant garde thinking, future orientated strategies and sincere attempts to advance that position. Sticking to handed down narratives and continuing to pursue failed or failing ventures in the hope of remaining relevant is accelerating irrelevancy. Wallowing in mediocrity created by this irrelevancy is sapping the integrity of the republican position. Irish republicans must make innovative, creative and bold decisions to uphold this integrity.

Republicans recognise that we not only need to get our house in order, but we must begin its construction. Therefore, the republican movement is moving forward with a 21st century agenda. We are refining our message and strategizing our own unique way of articulating political dissent. We are reshaping our public outreach and appearance. This change will be too much for some people. Some people will lose their seat at the table, many already have. We are not republican elitists, but we won’t allow anybody to undermine the integrity or forward trajectory of a rejuvenated republican base. Republicans have demonstrated this in recent times. 

Irish republicans must provide a coherent vision of the future, what a United Ireland will look like, how it will benefit the Irish people and how we can achieve this. The window of opportunity has been made smaller by the latest election results. Republicans must begin the change this and widen the window. An opportunity, albeit small, exists for republicans to forge together and ensure our vision of the future enters national debate. I appeal to each of you here today, to go from here and think about our message. Think about the republican position in the local and global context. Think about how best to advance that position in line with current political realities. 



Easter is a time for reflection and opportunities are for those who seize them.

Beir bua.


12 comments:

  1. I think its good the Blanket magazine is still accessible online, there is a wealth of ideas in there that like all truths were scorned in their time.Much of themes can be found in this speech, and that is a good thing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. lets be honest RNU/ONH resembles a busted sofa. They've had more splits than a banana and not a leader among them worth his ideological salt. Add to that the brits tailing their every move and jailing half the members at some point or other coupled with their inability to wage anything resembling a revolutionary war it all points to some bloke in a room looking around at an empty hall and saying to his comrades "lads lets face it we are now a joke. Hands up who thinks we should call it a day and see if we can get something off the brits. sure we have nothing to lose"

    Contemporary, republican, armed groups make the IPLO's campaign look professional and coherent: that's saying something! For if we assess the Provisionals as being defeated(as many dissenters conclude)then RNU/ONH must resemble Hiroshima after the bomb. Good call lads - you were beat before you even started.

    I can see Eirigi dwindling away soon and whatever is left of the 32 county sovereignty movement. RSF in the north is knackered too. The CIRA have become a bunch or radical crooks masquerading as republicans. Lets hope the New IRA see some sense and call a halt to armed actions too before the next Scap materializes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Emmett that is a very funny take (IPLO!).There are many groups that want to take (probably the worst Republican republican maxim) "its not those that can inflict the most...." as a prime tactic.There is too little empathy about, especially these days, for that to be effective.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Frankie,
    Cheers as I was unaware that the Blanket was still operational....thought it was some new site.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Emmet Grogan

    Class!! I had a really good laugh at that. Only fault was suggesting the next Scap may appear when it is very likely there are about three dozen already in place lol

    ReplyDelete
  6. They seem to have had this reassessment of their
    strategy from a point of weakness, what's stopping
    the irish and British governments from treating
    them like ETA and basically telling them to fuck off!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I remember writing to An Phoblacht/Republican News at the height of the H-Blocks Hunger Stike suggesting that symbolisms of war and IRA triumphalism be toned down. I thought my somewhat naive reasoning was ok since focus be on the hunger strikers and not on the aims of the movement and war and in so doing allow many others protest.

    36 years later I ask the question what is all the warlike paraphernalia and beating of war drums all about? At the recent Bloody Sunday commemoration in Derry calls came band leaders of 'Aim to Kill'. Aim to kill what?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Larry, with regards to Scap, Dennis Bradley who has seen some secret army files (part of some peace initiative i think) relating to agents estimated at any one time in the troubles there was 800 informers working. What Bradley didnt realise was this only related to Belfast, and something like two branches of the BA (SB and Mi5 were not included i think). This includes both Loyalist and Republican in the total, but its still a shocking number.He recommeneded that these files never be made public because of the hurt it would cause.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Correction : It was only SB informers in Belfast, and not the other Branches of the security apparatus. Its a head spinning number, imagine the waste of effort of people transcribing conversations between informers!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Daithi D

    They loved to talk about the republican family. That was a farce, nothing but countless scoundrels out to hang one another for the better part toward the end. 800 'mates' all trying to get to the phone first!

    ReplyDelete