Irish Examiner, 17 April 2006
Ahern pledges to work for peace and reconciliation
By Ed Carty
TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern yesterday pledged to continue to work for peace and
reconciliation in Ireland as wreaths were laid in Dublin's Kilmainham Gaol
in honour of the 1916 Easter Rising revolutionaries.
In the first of a series of State ceremonies marking the 90th anniversary of
the rebellion at a private service in the jail, Mr Ahern urged people to
strive for a new future.
"As we look to the future, we must be generous and inclusive so that all of
the people of Ireland can live together with each other and with our
neighbours in Great Britain on a basis of friendship, respect, equality and
partnership," he said. "And every day, in every place, we will continue to
work for peace, for justice, for prosperity and for reconciliation between
all who share and who love this special island."
The ceremony was the first of a series of events to be held across the
country culminating in a military parade of 2,500 troops past the iconic
GPO, where the Proclamation of the Republic was read out. Mr Ahern said
holding a commemoration 90 years on from the rebellion was testament that
this generation still cherishes the ideals of the courageous men and women
who fought for Ireland in Easter week and during the War of Independence.
He said it showed the honour and respect Ireland has for their selfless
idealism and patriotism. And he said it was a symbol of our gratitude for
the great sacrifices they made for us.
"Today is a day of remembrance, reconciliation and renewal. Today is about
discharging one generation's debt of honour to another."
Mr Ahern was joined in Kilmainham by invited guests including Fr Joseph
Mallin, son of the Commandant of the Irish Citizen Army Michael Mallin and
the only surviving child of any of the 1916 leaders. "Michael Mallin's
generation fought heroically to vindicate the Irish people's right to
self-determination and it is fitting that we rightly honour them," said Mr
Ahern.
In a solemn tribute to those who fought to liberate Ireland, wreaths were
laid only yards from where many of the leaders of the Rising, including
Padraig Pearse, were executed in the Stonebreaker's Yard - also known as the
Execution Plot.Mr Ahern said the vision and bravery of Mallin, Pearse, James
Connolly and Thomas J Clarke and the other 1916 revolutionaries, in their
lives and in their deaths, was recognised by the Irish people.
He noted that only two years after the Rising the people of Ireland backed
the cause of an Independent Republic by a massive and sweeping majority.
"The justice of the cause, not simply the willingness to fight for it,
contributed much to its success," Mr Ahern said. "The men and women of
Easter 1916 gave their lives so that Ireland could gain her freedom. The
generations that came after them used that freedom to support peace across
the world through the efforts of our Defence Forces, Óglaigh na hÉireann."
'Remembrance, reconciliation and renewal'
Text of Bertie Ahern's speech:
"TODAY is a day of remembrance, reconciliation and renewal. Today is about
discharging one generation's debt of honour to another.
Today, we will fittingly commemorate the patriotism and vision of those who
set in train an unstoppable process which led to this country's political
independence.
By gathering here today, 90 years on from the Easter Rising, our presence is
testimony to the fact:
* That our generation still cherishes the ideals of the courageous men and
women who fought for Ireland in Easter Week and during the War of
Independence.
* That we honour and respect their selfless idealism and patriotism;
* And that we remember with gratitude the great sacrifices they made for us.
We, in our time, are privileged to be living through one of the most
exciting times in Ireland's history. The country we inhabit today is an
island of unprecedented prosperity, peace and opportunity. The potential for
progress has never been greater. Independent Ireland is now in full stride
and beginning to fulfil the hopes and expectations that all the patriots of
the past knew we possessed.
I have always maintained that when we consider our successful struggle for
independence, we should honour the achievement of all those who took part.
Today, we remember all those who participated in Easter Week and we
especially recall the leaders of the Rising, many of whom spent their last
hours here before being executed in the Stonebreaker's Yard at Kilmainham
Gaol.
We are all privileged and pleased to be in the company of Fr Mallin, son of
Michael Mallin, Commandant of the Irish Citizen Army. Fr Mallin is the only
surviving child of any of the 1916 leaders. He has travelled a long distance
from Hong Kong and we are honoured that he has taken the trouble to be here
with us today.
In Commandant Mallin's final letter to his wife - dated 7th May, 1916 - he
poignantly informs her of the verdict of the Court Martial. The letter opens
and I quote: 'My darling wife, pulse of my heart, this is the end of all
things earthly; sentence of death has been passed, and at a quarter to four
tomorrow the sentence will be carried out by shooting and so must Irishmen
pay for making Ireland a free nation?'
Michael Mallin's generation fought heroically to vindicate the Irish
people's right to self-determination and it is fitting that we rightly
honour them.
His final letter is also important for its marked absence of bitterness and
for the emphasis he places on reconciliation. 'I find no fault with the
soldiers or police. I forgive them from the bottom of my heart. Pray for all
the souls that fell in this fight, Irish and English.'
The vision and bravery of Mallin, of Pearse, of Connolly, of Clarke and all
the other men and women of 1916, in their lives and in their deaths, was
recognised by the Irish people, who only two years later decided to back the
cause of an Independent Republic by a massive and sweeping majority. The
justice of the cause, not simply the willingness to fight for it,
contributed much to its success.
The men and women of Easter 1916 gave their lives so that Ireland could gain
her freedom. The generations that came after them used that freedom to
support peace across the world through the efforts of our Defence Forces,
Óglaigh na hÉireann.
This generation used that freedom to support peace and reconciliation in our
own country when, in an overwhelming and historic act of self-determination,
we voted for the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
We now aspire to a future where the next generation of Irish men and women
can confidently build on these foundations of prosperity and peace and also
make their own contribution both at home and in the wider world.
Today's ceremonies relate to the circumstances that led to the foundation of
this State and the great courage of those involved.
We have much to be proud of as a country. As we look to the future, we must
be generous and inclusive so that all of the people of Ireland can live
together with each other and with our neighbours in Great Britain on a basis
of friendship, respect, equality and partnership.
And every day, in every place, we will continue to work for peace, for
justice, for prosperity and for reconciliation between all who share and who
love this special island."