Comrades and Friends, 

 

We are gathered here today to commemorate the Easter Rising of 1916 and the effort then to establish an independent republic, free from outside interference and a republic in which the full political, economic and social rights of Irish citizens would be guaranteed. 

 

Easter is a significant date in our calendar as not only do we remember those of Easter Week but also in more recent times our own members and supporters who gave their lives in the modern day struggle to establish a democratic, secular, socialist, unitary state on the island of Ireland – a Republic. We might add that it is also an opportunity to reflect upon present political conditions and to chart a way forward in pursuit of our goal of a Socialist Republic. 

 

For us, our presence here today cannot be simply a ritual nor a nostalgic look at the past. It must be a cold hard examination of our present condition and of the steps that have to be taken to realise those unfulfilled objectives of Easter 1916 and of the efforts of those who have gone before us in the Workers Party to establish a socialist Ireland. 

 

We are also very mindful that this year marks fifty years since 1975, a year of tremendous upheaval in Northern Ireland but also a year in which we,ourselves suffered the grievous loss of comrades and friends in the face of murderous attacks from both the ultra-left and right-wing factions who sought to destroy us. 

 

109 years after 1916 we might ask ourselves what has been achieved, how much of the ideals of freedom from foreign interference, the advancement of political, social and economic rights, how much of that do we enjoy today? 

 

The answer is all too clear. A cursory examination of society, North and South, can show us that in Northern Ireland we have a deeply divided people and sectarian attitudes and practices permeate almost all aspects of life; across the island there are deep rooted economic inequalities, widespread poverty, lack of adequate housing and healthcare to name a few side by side with the existence of vast wealth and personal fortunes; Ireland, north and south, is subject to the external influence of imperialism, primarily that of the United States and the European Union - both of which are hostile to the democratic ideals and social aspirations contained in the proclamation of 1916; we live in a world where war, famine and forced starvation and misery are commonplace and where we see the rise of racism in our own country. 

 

This is far from the realisation of the ideals of Easter 1916. 

 

Of course today, all around the country there will be all manner of groups and individuals lining up to commemorate 1916.  

 

What marks us out as different from all these others? 

 

It is this. Between 1972 and 1974 they constantly sought to undermine and reverse that brave ceasefire decision.  

 

In late 1975 the Provisionals, perhaps in the mistaken belief that our organisation was so weakened that we could be destroyed, sought to do just that. They too had always rejected the democratic decision of both the IRA and Sinn Féin, as it was then, in the late 60s to move towards new political thinking and forms of organisation.

 

All of that, and events like the Falls Curfew, internment, and Bloody Sunday delayed until 1982 the historic decision to adopt the name the Workers Party and to reinforce the ideas on which that decision was based.  

 

Once again, it falls to us today to summon up the same courage, fortitude and political foresight that those who have gone before us did, in order to build the Workers Party once again as a significant political force capable of fulfilling our historic mission. 

 

It will not be easy, it will require careful analysis, commitment and hard work. But we owe it to ourselves, to the working class, and to our dead comrades, friends, and supporters to do so. That, comrades, would be the most fitting memorial to their lives.

Thank you.