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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."


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