Young Republicans continue to lead the way in Ógra Shinn Féin

Jim Gibney

In the summer of 1969 it was teenagers between the ages of 14 and 19 who were the first line of defence protecting people’s homes against attack by loyalists in the Short Strand-Ballymaccaret area of Belfast.

When internment was visited on the area and the district was plunged into violent upheaval, leading to war, it was teenagers who pitted themselves against the might of the British crown forces.

Young lads with whom I grew up, went to primary school with, had my first drink, went to dances and met girls – died in a premature explosion, all members of the local IRA.

That same year, 1972, four more young IRA volunteers died in a premature explosion in the district’s Anderson Street along with four civilians. I knew the volunteers and some of the civilians.

On my three occasions in jail I met teenagers from all over the north.



In jail I learned about the history of Ireland, republicanism, the Irish language, conflicts in other countries and got a general introduction to politics while I grew from a youth to a man.

There is nothing special about my early history. Hundreds of young people from nationalist districts experienced the same treatment as did some loyalists.

Some of my friends went to jail as teenagers and spent their entire youth and more there.

Many young people lost their lives in the conflict at the hands of, and as members of, republican, loyalist or crown force organizations.

Young people are highly motivated. They think the unthinkable and often do the undoable. These qualities emerge at times of great challenge such as those we have experienced from the mid-60s. I met very brave young people in my youth.

There is nothing romantic about war, about jail, about the consequences of living in an unjust society and trying to end that injustice.

That is why armed struggle is not entered into lightly. That is why republicans say that armed struggle is the option of last resort.

They do so with the experience of being involved in armed struggle and the personal challenges that come with it.

I was thinking some of these thoughts when I attended Ogra Sinn Féin’s national congress a few weeks ago. As I looked around the room at some two hundred young people from across Ireland I wondered how many of them are alive today; how many of them did not spend years in jail because the peace process replaced the IRA’s armed struggle?

And that is one of the hidden benefits; one of the unsaid advantages that the peace process has brought to this generation of young republicans born twenty years ago.

For them the IRA’s armed struggle is history; important and immediate history but history nonetheless.

And so when young republicans gather to discuss this country’s future, as they did at Ogra Sinn Féin’s congress, it is politics and politics only which decide their agenda.

A look at the fifty odd motions on the Irish-English bi-lingual clar discussed at the two day conference reflects the political focus which is now centre stage for all republicans.

The delegates voted to oppose a motion blocking Sinn Fein from entering a coalition government in the south on the grounds that with enough TDs and left of centre parties to coalesce with nothing should be ruled out.

Several motions opened up a lively debate on the need to defend workers’ rights, in particular public sector pay, and opposition to privatization of public services.

A motion urged the BBC and UTV to treat the Easter Lily with the same respect and parity of esteem as the Poppy and to give the same coverage to republican commemorations as is given to Twelfth marches.

Gender inequality in Sinn Féin; the right of same sex couples to marry; a boycott of Israeli goods until they withdraw from Palestine; the renaming of the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister to remove the term ‘Deputy’, was among many of the other issues Ogra delegates debated.

But for me the highlight of the weekend was seeing young republicans enthralled in debate and knowing that this was made possible because of the sacrifices made by other young republicans.