Series of Events Commemorating Dead Irish Republicans

Dáithí Ó Conaill | Seán Sabhat | Feargal Ó hAnnluain

This is an amalgamation of three Event Notices from RSF regarding the commeration of three dead republicans, namely

Dáithí Ó Conaill - January 1st, 2009 - Assemble at 12:45 pm, Gates of Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

Seán Sabhat - Sunday, January 4th 2009 - Assemble at Bedford Row, Limerick City for march to Mount St. Lawrence Cemetery at 1:45 pm

Feargal Ó hAnnluain - Sunday, January 11th 2009 - 2pm Assemble: The Cathedral, Monaghan for march to Latlurgan Cemetery

Dáithí Ó Conaill

Dáithí Ó Conaill Commemoration

January 1st, 2009

New Years Day

Assemble at 12:45 pm, Gates of Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

ALL ARE WELCOME

He joined the Republican Movement at 17 years of age and took part in the IRA Border Campaign. On 1 January 1957 he was second-in-command of the Pearse Column which carried out the raid on Brookeborough Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) Barracks in County Fermanagh, in which Seán South and Fergal O'Hanlon were killed. He was arrested by the 26 county police and imprisoned in Mountjoy Prison for six months. Upon release, he was interned in the Curragh. On 27 September 1958 he escaped along with Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and went 'on the run'.

He would become IRA Director of Operations and joined the IRA Army Council.

In an altercation with the RUC and B Specials near Lough Neagh in 1959, he was shot and badly injured and later captured by the Royal Ulster Constabulary. On recovery he received an eight-year sentence and remained in Belfast Jail until he was released unconditionally in September 1963.

In the October 1961 26 county general election, Ó Conaill ran as a Sinn Féin candidate in the Cork Borough constituency. Winning 1,956 first preference votes (a share of 5.24 percent), he just missed taking the fifth and final seat.

Upon release, Ó Conaill took up residence in Glencolumcille, Co Donegal, and worked closely with Fr James McDyer who was active in rural development.

He was deeply involved in the drafting of the Éire Nua policy, working with Ruairi O Bradaigh, which was launched by Sinn Féin in June 1972. He also played a leading role in the truce negotiations between the IRA and the British government in June-July 1972.

He was prominent in arranging the Feakle peace talks with Protestant clergymen in December 1974.

Ó Conaill was O/C of the IRA Southern Command for much of the early 1970s until his arrest, in July 1975. Found guilty of IRA membership, and imprisoned in Portlaoise Prison, where in 1977 he was one of 20 men who took part in a 47-day hunger strike in protest at conditions in the jail.

On his release he was active in the National H-Block/Armagh Committee. Contrary to popular opinion, it was Ó Conaill and not Gerry Adams who proposed that Bobby Sands contest the Westminster by-election for Fermanagh and South Tyrone during the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike. This decision was made at the March 1981 Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle meeting.

He was the director of elections in the June 1981 Irish general election in which two prisoners were elected to leinster house: hunger striker Kieran Doherty in the Cavan/Monaghan constituency and prison protester Paddy Agnew in the Louth constituency.

In 1983, along with Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, he resigned from the position of vice-president of Sinn Féin in opposition to the dropping of the Éire Nua policy.

At the 1986 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis, he opposed the decision to drop abstentionism to Leinster House. He stood by the All-Ireland Republic and with other Republicans present , he joined in the walk out led by Ó Brádaigh. The ard fheis was reconvened and Sinn Féin reorgnanised and was chairman of Republican Sinn Féin from 1986 to 1987 and subsequently a vice-president of the party.

Shortly before his death, he wrote a document entitled Towards a Peaceful Ireland.

Seán Sabhat

Seán Sabhat Commemoration

Sunday, January 4th 2009

Assemble at Bedford Row, Limerick City
for march to Mount St. Lawrence Cemetery at 1:45 pm

ALL ARE WELCOME

Seán Sabhat Commemoration

The annual Sean South commemoration takes place in Limerick

on Sunday 4th January beginning at 1.45 pm with a march from

Bedford Row to the Republican Plot in Mount St. Lawrence

cemetery, the secretary of the local committee said today.

Joe Lynch from Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick

the secretary of Coiste Cuimneachain Sean Sabhat, the local

commemoration committee said that the parade will assemble

in Bedford Row and led by the Thomas Davis Pipe Band from

Mallow will parade to the cemetery.

Sean South was killed alongside Fergal O'Hanlon on New

Year's Eve 1957 during an IRA attack on the Brookeborough

RUC barracks.

The commemoration will be held at the grave of Sean South

in the Republican Plot and the speaker will be Tomas O Curraoin

from Bearna in Galway, a member of the Ard Comhairle of

Republican Sinn Fein.

The proceedings will be chaired by Des Long, from Corbally

in Limerick, the vice-president of Republican Sinn Fein who

is also the author of Awakening the Spirit of Freedom, a book

detailing the night South was killed during IRA Operation Harvest

campaign.

"The commemoration is open to everyone and we are appealing

to the people of Limerick to turn out and show that the

memory of men like Sean South is still revered in our

country", said Mr. Lynch.

Feargal O hAnnluain

Vol. Feargal Ó hAnnluain Commemoration

Sunday, January 11th 2009

2pm

Assemble: The Cathedral, Monaghan
for march to Latlurgan Cemetery

ALL WELCOME TO ATTEND

An Irish language activist froma Republican family, Feargal O'Hanlon was a draughtsman employed by Monaghan County Council, and was a keen Gaelic footballer. He joined the Irish Republican Army while still a teenager. Aged 20, he was killed along with Seán South while taking part in an attack on the RUC barracks in Brookeborough, County Fermanagh during the 'Border Campaign'.

Video of last years commemoration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIJz0meNhB0