Thousands attend Easter Commemorations at Drumboe

Over 2,000 participated in the Easter Commemoration march in Stranorlar on Sunday afternoon making it one of the biggest in recent times. It also saw proceedings taking place at the actual execution site at Drumboe Woods, something that hasn't ahppened for over 20 years.

The event heard Sinn Féin TD and main orator, Pearse Doherty predict change was coming and it was only a matter of time before a United Ireland became a reality.

This year's parade which started at the top of Stranorlar, stopped for a short ceremony and included two bands from south Derry, one from Strabane as well as tAn t-Sagairt Mac Phaidin band from Gaoth Dobhair; two historical colour parties and numerous Cumann branches from various parts of Donegal, Derry and Tyrone

Wreaths were laid on behalf of the Republican movement at both memorials by Gerry McIvor while the 1916 Proclamation was read by the chairperson of the Drumboe Commemoration Committee, Maria Doherty. The Republican Roll of Honour was read by Christina McGranaghan while the West Tyrone Roll of Honour was read by Paul Boggs.

Representatives from the families of the Drumboe martyrs from south Derry and Kerry were also warmly welcomed while there was an acknowledgement of the role Joe McKelvey from Doochary also played during that era.

Padraig Mac Lochlainn and Pearse Doherty at the commemoration event in Drumboe on Sunday Photo: Gerard McHugh Photography

Padraig Mac Lochlainn TD was the master of ceremonies for the event and after delivering an introduction to put the day's proceedings in context, he introduced Deputy Doherty calling him one of their great national leaders and very soon to be a republican Minister for Finance.

Deputy Doherty said the ideals and aspirations of the four Drumboe martyrs as well as the many who fought and died for the republic were as alive today as they were the morning the martyrs were shot 100 years ago.

"We can never take the promise of the republic for granted and that is why the legacy of the Drumboe martyrs is so important. It is why we remember them here today and why we remember all of those who struggled in the pursuit of Irish freedom, to remind us of their sacrifice and to recommit ourselves to the republic that they dedicated their lives for and to making their hopes and dreams a reality for this generation and for generations to come."

He also addressed the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement saying it confronted the underlying causes of the conflict and set equality and reconciliation firmly at the heart of politics and society.

"To those who undermine or seek to undermine the strides that have been made since 1998 will never succeed. The Good Friday Agreement charted a path to the future, to equality, to opportunity and to Irish unity and there is no going back," he said.

He spoke of the current situation in Northern Ireland, the success of his party, the elevation of leader Michelle O'Neill in the North to First Minister designate, the DUP boycott of the political institutions and declared there was no more time for time wasting, the executive needed to be up and running to deliver for the people of the North.

He added he wanted to wish all their candidates well in the forthcoming election there adding support from Donegal to help them achieve their targets would not be found wanting.

"Our priority is to deliver good government, to strengthen our economy, to create good jobs and to build a better future for our people.

"Achieving a united Ireland is not simply bolting the North to the South, that is not our aim. Building a true republic is much more than that. The principles of the proclamation, social justice, equality, and democracy guide us in the actions and the journey to the republic that we hope to build."

Status Quo

He accused Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael of circling the wagons after the 2020 general election to keep Sinn Féin out of government to maintain the status quo which was failing the people every single day.

"Since taking office the crucial problems pressing down on people have not been solved. Indeed things are getting worse. The right to secure shelter for citizens and their families has been eroded and chipped away by a housing crisis that has been created and deepened by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

"Secure and affordable housing is the cornerstone of so many other rights. Today, we have a generation of our people locked into insecure and unaffordable rental markets, locked out of any real hope of owning their own homes. This affects young and old, parents and children, men and women, those working and those vulnerable.

"Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, supported by the Green Party have chosen to unleash the worst consequences of their housing failure by ending the eviction ban, shame on them, condemning thousands of families through anxiety, insecurity and indeed homelessness. a cruel and inhumane decision, the very antithesis of the Easter proclamation to which we pledged ourselves today.

Mr Doherty added they refused to accept this as well as the dysfunction of the health system, the disempowerment of the workers who were suffering under the cost of living crisis.

"In 2020 the establishment bought itself time. They can delay change but they cannot stop it and change is coming and we in Sinn Féin are more determined than ever to deliver that change. Sinn F éin will lead government, North and South, on both parts of this island sooner rather than later and we are determined to deliver a government for the people, a real government of change building a united Ireland."

He said the Good Friday Agreement provided the right to a referendum and that time to exercise that right was coming.

"Momentum is building every day towards that opportunity, to reunite our country and to control our own destiny for once and for all. The interests of the people of Ireland have not and never will be served by any government in London. New opportunities await us and a new and united Ireland are there to be seized. Now is the time to lay those foundations, now is the time to deliver on a Citizens Assembly that is required to prepare for constitutional change. Referendums can be won and won well but nothing can be taken for granted.

Change

"Our country is changing, the old certainties are being brushed away by the people and despite all the tactics that have been deployed against Republicans down throughout the years, republicans remain unbowed and unbroken, confident and ambitious. The Unionist majority in the North is gone. We have a Republican First Minister-designate for the first time in our history. The conservative establishment in the South is in retreat and Sinn Féin is on the rise.

"Change is coming. The demand for change is growing. Our responsibility is clear, to rededicate ourselves to the mission of the proclamation. Irish Republicans today are as committed to that mission as those who read that proclamation on the steps of the GPO in 1916 and all of those who strove to achieve its noble aims.

"Our mission is to build a republic, a united Ireland with social justice and equality as its foundation stone - a fitting tribute to the Drumboe martyrs and to each and every one of the volunteers on the republican roll of honour whose names were read here today. We have the means, we can do it, let's do it together, let's rededicate ourselves to finishing the journey, to finishing the job of building a republic as a fitting tribute to the legacy of all of those who gave their lives," he said.