Report from Connolly Festival 2007

dublin | history and heritage | news report

Thursday March 29, 2007 10:45

by Labour Youth

The Connolly Festival was a great success. The talk by Bob Doyle was packed to the brim with about 30 people standing around the walls and the back of the hall.

Cuban Ambassador Noel Carrillo

The festival began on Friday with a talk titled “End the blockade of Cuba”. Cuba’s Ambassador to Ireland, Noel Carrillio, reviewed the decades of US aggression against the Cuba people. He wanted to see Bush go-but he has not the confidence that a Democrat in the White House will bring about a change in policy form the US towards Cuba. The ambassador insisted that there is no anti-Americanism amongst the Cuban people and that there is recognition that the American people are not responsible for the US blockade. And he explained that the blockade has its advantages “we see the big American films as soon as they come out-we just don’t pay for them”.

The discussion form the floor extended beyond the blockade. One speaker remarked from the back that there are more Cuban Doctors working in the third world than the entire world Health organisation delegation. The meeting shifted to discussion about the Miami 5, the five Cuban men imprisoned in the US on charges of terrorism. Those interested in getting involved in the campaign to free the Miami 5 were urged to contact freemiami5youth AT gmail.com.

The crowds that gathered for Spanish Civil war veteran Bob Doyle showed that he is one of the biggest draws in Dublin for a public meeting of this kind. In an in inspiring address, Bob recalled the conditions of the fight in Spain, the motivating factors behind the decisions of Irish men and women to join the Connolly Column and support the international brigades and the sacrifice of his comrades who did not return from Spain. Bob advised us of the tools for our political approach today-organisation, education and civil disobedience.

With Bobs talk completed, Manus O’Riordain, head of Research for SIPTU and son of Spanish Civil war veteran Michael O’Riordain, gave an historical appraisal of the contribution of the International Brigades. He alluded to the bemusment his Father would get from the renaming of the UCD labour branch to the UCD/Michael O’Riordain branch-given that his father was expelled from the Labour Party.

The discussion from the floor allowed an opportunity for debate on both contemporary and historical questions. A Trotskyite intervention on the question of coalition was welcomed by Labour Youth speakers who used it an opportunity to put forward their rejection of coalitionism and point towards an alternative approach. Amidst calls for Left unity, there was debate and division about the tactics of the anti-fascists in the Spanish Civil war. One speaker put forward concerns about the treatment of the Anarchist wing of the Republican forces.

The Connolly festival resumed at ten o’clock on Saturday morning. This meeting proved to be the most fractious of the weekend. In her talk, Biddy Connors focused on her experience as a traveller living in Tallaght. She argued that education is the key to empowering travellers and looked at some of the traditional handicaps for travellers in the Irish education system. Jennifer’s contribution focused mainly on the role of community development work. Declan Bree's talk was shaped by his experience as a public representative over a period of thirty years. He argued that the organised labour movement must assist travellers in their struggle for justice. There appeared to be consensus on the platform on the role of the settled community in supporting travellers in this regard.

The Consensus on the platform did not extend to the floor. A contribution from a member of the Sparticist Group (Ireland) welcomed the fact that Labour Youth had hosted a meeting on traveller’s rights-but he had harsh words for Labour Youth's political approach. This was followed by an exchange of views between Declan Bree and a member of the audience on Brees voting record on the question of Traveller accommodation as a Councillor in Sligo.

The final meeting of the weekend was the most powerful political meeting that many present had ever attended. The meeting was titled “Justice for Terence Wheelock” and the speaker was Terence’s brother, Larry. Terence died as a result of injuries received in Garda custody in September 2005. In his talk, Larry spoke of the circumstances of Terence’s death, the victimisation of the Wheelock family by the Gards and the need for an independent inquiry into Terence’s death. Larry’s contribution is best summed up by his own words. “Our family can not grieve for Terence until we get a proper public inquiry”. There were several contributions from the floor from members of the community living in the North inner city about Garda harrassment. The weekend proceedings concluded with a donation collected by Labour Youth over the weekend from attendees of the Connolly festival, towards the Justice for Terence Wheelock campaign.