Ógra Shinn Féin Dinner Dance Celebrates Na Fianna Centenary

Ógra Shinn Féin recently organised a dinner dance to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the founding of Na Fianna Éireann. The dinner dance was hosted in Quinn’s Corner in County Tyrone on the eve of Na Fianna’s centenary, Saturday 15th August.

Quinn’s Corner was packed with a crowd who had turned out to commemorate this significant anniversary and to remember the vital role and the sacrifice that the many young Fians played in the struggle for Irish freedom.



Guest’s of honour on the night where the family of Fian Tobias Molloy who where presented with a special portrait of Bobby Sands.

A number of poems, ‘The weeping winds’ and ‘Young guard of Erin’ where read by Stephen McGahan and Aoife McNaught, before a short bio of Fian Tobias Molloy and Vol. Martin Hurson where read by John McDermott and Lee McMahon.

Throughout the formal proceedings Ógra activist and singer/songwriter Liam O’ Lapain sang ‘Flag of Na Fianna’, ‘Martin Hurson’ and ‘The Voice of Ógra Shinn Féin’.

The main speaker on the night was lifetime republican activist Jim ‘Flash’ McVeigh, a former Na Fianna activist, former political prisoner and last OC of the IRA prisoners in Long Kesh, who spoke very honestly and passionately of his time in Na Fianna, and the vital role that they played in the struggle, and the important role that Ógra activists continue to play today.

Following the dinner, Ireland’s biggest rebel band ‘The Spirit of Freedom’, provided the entertainment for the night, singing rebel songs into the wee hours.

Speaking on a successful dinner dance, Ógra activist Laura Gildernew said,

“We organised this dinner dance as a series of events, in order to fittingly remember the centenary of the founding of Na Fianna, and to commemorate the sacrifice of the over 50 Fians who have died in Ireland’s freedom struggle.”

“We were proud and honoured to host the family of Fian Tobias Molloy, and the former members of Na Fianna Éireann, who joined with us in a night of celebration and remembrance for the first republican youth movement.”

“100 years on from the founding of Na Fianna Éireann, we are mindful of the massive sacrifice that has been paid by the young activists who went before us, we are also mindful that much more needs to be done to ensure the freedom, and better society for which they died. Ógra activists and young republicans today are up to that task, and our inspiration is derived from Na Fianna.”