The weekend opened with a keynote address from local MLA Martina Anderson, who gave a warm welcome to all delegates for making the journey, and commending the activists present for their efforts to promote Sinn Féin among young people throughout the year, and on their campaigning and activism. She also emphasised the importance of allowing young people the space to lead.
This was followed by a presentation by the chair of the National Youth Committee, Darren O’Rourke, on the contents of the National Youth Strategy. He outlined the importance of the strategic approach, in setting local youth engagement plans, the different nature of work involved in engaging disparate groups of young people, but the importance of keeping our youth structures as the one project, and the need to be ambitious and target serious flagship projects to make inroads among the young people of Ireland.
The floor was then opened to the delegates who broadened out the discussion, with questions and observations on a number of issues, with party chair Declan Kearney also commending it to the comrades present. This was followed by a brief period of motions, before the event concluded for the evening and activists relaxed.
The following morning activists arose the following morning and began straight in to the greater body of the motions, with many interesting contributions and passionate debates on a wide variety of issues, which concluded at 11.30.
There followed perhaps the most powerful and affecting part of the weekend as Mark Thompson of Relatives for Justice, Tony Doherty of the Bloody Sunday families and Pat Quinn of the Ballymurphy families spoke on their experiences in the search for truth and answers from the authorities for the death of their loved ones and friends. The discussion was attended a number of others who had been affected by the Ballymurphy and Bloody Sunday atrocities, and indeed many others who had been affected by the conflict. As well as being deeply moving and emotional, it was a talk which gave those present a real insight in to the need for truth recovery, the effect of such loss on families, or even in to what it required to keep the pressure on for a public enquiry.
Following more motions, and a hearty lunch in the gasyard cafe, activists returned to the hall for the evening’s keynote address with the deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness
Martin outlined the crucial importance of the youth strategy;
‘It comes as the culmination of the process of engaging young republicans the length and breadth of this country, and I look forward to seeing it come to fruition etc.
However probably the most crucial aspect of this strategy is that only you can deliver this strategy. The leadership are fully supportive of this initiative, but they can’t deliver it. This initiative is dependent on every young person in the party taking on this strategy, bringing the republican project to your school, your workplaces, your college and your street. We need all young activists to make this your priority for the coming years, and making sure that Sinn Féin is the seen as the most relevant political project for young people. After the assembly and general elections, there could be a period of a number of years without an election. The coming period signifies a significant opportunity for Ógra and young republicans to make the youth project one of our priorities as a movement over the coming years and to ensure that Sinn Féin is seen as the voice of young people on this island.’
He also commended Ógra on its work over the proceeding months and outlined the importance of seeing young leaders coming to the fore and commended the young people who had put themselves forward for elections in the coming twelve months;
‘Candidates connected to the youth project will be contesting seats in Derry City Council, Dungannon Council, Armagh Council, Fermanagh Council, Craigavon council, for the assembly in Fermanagh South Tyrone, and in Upper Bann, and the general election in Cavan/monaghan . Many young people are stepping up to the mark, and providing leadership, and they should be commended. They represent a new generation of leadership, who will be to the forefront of our struggle in years to come, and I wish Ógra all the best over the coming period in producing high quality activists. The lest year or two has seen a number of former Ógra activists gain a profile as national leadership figures, people such as Daithi McKay, Toiráasa Ferris and Pearse Doherty, who's performances in the by election, and in the media since then, has brought many around to our type of politics. We need more like him, and I am glad to see young people stepping up to the mark.’
This followed neatly on to a debate on the current economic crisis and, the solutions to it, involving Mitchel McLaughlin MLA of Sinn Féin, Pol Callaghan MLA of the SDLP, Michael Gallagher of ILEX urban regeneration, and Eamon McCann of the People Before Profit.
After interesting opening contributions from each speaker, the floor was opened up, and activists, along with members of the public in attendance, asked a number of highly relevant, and insightful questions, which focused on the role of the public sector in the economy, how best to respond to cutbacks, the impact of partition on politics of this island, and even abstentionism. The questions provoked further debate, and led to some interesting and often impassioned exchanges, between the panel members as well as with the crowd.
After the discussion wrapped up, activists took a few minutes out before attempting to conclude that night’s business. The last few motions were debated on voted upon, and the floor was opened up for the various reports and addresses. First up were the cúige organisers, who each gave a brief summation of the work that had happened in their cúige since the last congress. The congress was then addressed by SIPTU activist Martin O’Rourke, who congratulated activists on the congress, and urged the importance of a resurgent left, as well as organising at work for fairness and justice. All activists were encouraged to get involved in Trade Unionism, and he noted that a motion had been discussed and debated by the Strabane Cumann on the importance of being involved in Trade Unions.
This was followed by addresses by the international guests, with JERC from Catalonia being present, as well as, for the first time, SUF, the Socialist Youth Front, from Denmark, who both thanked Ógra for the invitation, and wished the republican movement success over the forthcoming years. A statement was also read on behalf of the Irish Basque Solidarity Committee, which outlined the current difficult situation in the Basque country and asked for continued solidarity, as well as thanking Ógra for its solidarity work to that point. The evenings proceedings were wrapped up with a brief address by the National Organiser, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, who thanked all for coming and all who had contributed to the event, in particular the National Executive and Derry Ógra, as well as noting the great potential that lied ahead, in particular noting the current climate, but also the possibilities which the National Youth Strategy created.
Following a rousing rendition of the national anthem by UCC’s Seán Ó Sé, activists congregated at Free Derry Corner to protest against cuts in the EMA, part of a continuing Ógra campaign.
The evening drew to a close with a lively and well attended function in the Culturlann with Shebeen, and plenty more craic and ceol.
The fresh Sunday morning saw comrades get on a bus for a republican tour of derry, starting at the first Battalion IRA monument in the bogside where the crowd were addressed by Gerry McCartney, following on to the second battalions monument in Creggan where comrades were addressed by Mickey Kinsella, (brother of vol. Paul Kinsella), then up to the 3rd Battalion in Shantallow where Seamas Soal gave a speech, and while there, took in an Ógra mural commemoration the 100th anniversary of Na Fianna. The tour also took in the 4th Battalions monument in the Waterside, Patsy O’ Hara’s house, the bloody Sunday memorial service, Mickey Devine’s house, and finishing up at the city graveyard.
The weekend ended on a historic note, as comrades joined in along, with tens of thousands for the last Bloody Sunday March, though not the last weekend. A number of the activists carried enormous portraits of the victims as people entered guildhall square. Proceedings were chaired by John Kelly, brother of Michael Kelly and involved addresses from Mark Durkan MLA, from the Ballymurphy families, and from Gerry Adams, who had started proceedings in style, stepping in during what can only be described as a musical malfunction to deliver the national anthem in style.
Following the addresses the day wrapped up with a moving and powerful rendition of ‘We shall overcome’ by Frances Black, a song with long and historic links to the civil rights movement in the north, and indeed to the Bloody Sunday and Ballymurphy families.
As ever republicans, and in particular, young republicans must be to the forefront in the struggle for justice and equality, along with those families, and with the Irish people generally, over the next crucial twelve months.
1 comment:
good stuff. tiochfaidh ar la
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