‘Theres no future without the youth’ was the message Sinn Fein president, Gerry Adams had for Ógra Shinn Féin activists at their annual Comhdháil Náisúnta (National Congress), held in Dublin at the weekend. Mr. Adams also called on young people to take up leadership roles within Sinn Féin and to ensure that their voice is heard in the discussions, which are taking place within the party about the way forward in the peace process.Ógra Shinn Féin delegates and visitors alike gathered in the historic location of liberty hall for the 8th Annual Ógra Shinn Féin Congress.
Events kicked off on Friday night with an introduction By Ógra Shinn Féin national Organiser Barry McColgan followed by a presentation on the All-Ireland agenda by Rose Dugdale and Jim Monaghan. After this delegates debated and voted on numerous motions dealing with Organisation & Structure of Ógra.
To conclude events for the day there was an interesting workshop on Islam and National Liberation struggles, facilitated by a member of the international delegation from the Socialist Labour Party (S.L.P.)
Saturday started with an internal consultation on the St. Andrews proposals with Sinn Féin’s 6 County Chairperson, Declan Kearney updating Ógra activists on the current political situation. Many Ógra activists had their say on the consultation during the debate, which was held in a very critical but comradely fashion.
Following the political update ÓSF organiser Barry McColgan launched the A.R.I.S.E Campaign. A.R.I.S.E is an acronym meaning Anti Racism, Imperialism, Sectarianism, Exploitation.
During the launch Barry McColgan said, “The aspiration of building a broad anti imperialist front is one of our national strategic objectives. This aspiration had never fully been realised and the evidence of this is witnessed today in the various anti war and progressive/left groups throughout Ireland.”
“When they are rightly calling for war planes out of Shannon and Altergrove, when they are justifiably demanding British troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan, where is the mention of occupied Ireland? We are prepared to challenge imperialism and all its evil manifestations, whether that be in Iraq or Ireland”.
Following the launch of the A.R.I.S.E campaign the Ógra Cuige Organisers reported back on an event filled year and reported a steady increase in both activism and membership within Ógra spanned the 32 counties of Ireland. Indeed a number of new cumainn were formed throughout the year and many were represented at the congress throughout the weekend.
Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams then took to the stage to give the leadership address to the congress.
In his Speech Gerry told the activists gathered that the future is in their hands.
“It is the current membership of Ógra Shinn Féin who will be the party leaders of the future. Pearse Doherty is now a councillor and, we hope, after the next election a future TD for Donegal South-West. Eight years ago, he was elected onto the Ógra National Executive. Toireasa Ferris was also at the first National Congress. She is now a councillor for the party in Kerry and was the first ever Sinn Féin Mayor of Kerry last year. Going further back, even before the founding of Ógra, Deputy Seán Crowe was the party’s youth officer in the 1980s. Look through Sinn Féin today and you will see many of our elected representatives and our activists are people who first got involved in politics through the Ógra.
“Sinn Féin needs to be bigger, and Ógra Shinn Féin needs to be bigger, we need more members and activists. We need more women members. We need to reach out to those people new to Ireland, or marginalised and bring them on board. We need to make their fight, our fight.
“I believe that one person can make a difference. But two people can make twice as much. And it is obvious that twenty, fifty, a hundred people can do even better. It is like a snowball. The more people we bring into Ógra Shinn Féin, the more people we republicanise, the stronger we are, the more change we can effect. And the more change people see us bringing about, the more people will want to be a part of that, part of changing our communities, our workplaces or our country.
Sinn Féin, as the senior party, has a role to play in providing the support and resources that Ógra needs, and perhaps there is more we could have done, and more we can do. But the success of Ógra must be your success. You must not, and cannot, be reliant on anyone but yourselves.”
Following Gerry Adams Keynote address delegates dealt with the rest of the motions from the congress. These ranged from Support for Leonard Peliter to calling for more to be done within Ógra to promote the Irish language.
Members of the Socialist Labour Party and members of the Shell to sea campaign also addressed the congress, before Eugene Garvey brought the 8th Comhdháil Náisúnta with a rendition of Amhrán na bhFiann.
Following the conclusion of the congress for the day activists gathered outside the GPO for an Anti Imperialist Protest. Protestors made their present known through chants, posters, banners and a leaflet drop. Many passers by interacted with Ógra and some even joined in the protest
Following the end of the protest delegates returned to the accommodation and put on their dancing shoes and donned their glad rags to a night’s criac agus ceol to the Spirit Of Freedom.
On Sunday morning a large number of Ógra delegates supported a protest held by the Killer Coke campaign outside the compromise rules game in Croke Park between Ireland and Australia.
With events formally over fro the weekend Ógra activists went back to their local areas enthused and motivated by the weekend, of debate, education and craic.
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