Successful weekend as Ógra bring Kilkenny to Standstill again!

Last weekend the second annual Kilkenny Youth Weekend took place in Kilkenny City. The in weekend saw Ógra activists from all over the country descend on the South-East. The weekend saw a mixture of political discussion and healthy debate as activists were treated to a wide-ranging Clár of events throughout the weekend. The aim of the weekend was two-fold. Firstly, to galvanise support for Ógra in the area. The secondly was to bring Ógra activists from all over the country and provide them with a forum for debate and discussion. It was clear as activists returned home on Sunday afternoon that both aims were an overwhelming success.

The weekend began on Friday as Ógra members began to arrive in the city. At half past seven that evening General Election candidate in Carlow / Kilkenny, Kathleen Funchion shared her thoughts on the election with the group. The talk began with a quick summary of the campaign followed by a questions and answers session. A lively debate ensued in which all activists took an active part. The debate eventually concluded and gave way to the next part of the clár, a function in south Kilkenny. The function was a great success. Ógra activists took the wise decision to return to their lodgings early as the clár for their following day was indeed a hectic one.

The clár continued on Saturday beginning with a talk from UL Professor Ruán O'Donnell. The subject of the talk centred on the Border Campaign around which Ruán is currently writing a book. Ruán's talk was exceptionally comprehensive and wide-ranging. Having interviewed several people who were involved with the campaign Ruán was more than capable of keeping the interest of the crowd. Following Ruán's talk Páraic Ó Conaire from Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge addressed the crowd. Páraic spoke about the Official Languages Act 2003, advising the group how best to use the act to their benefit when dealing with state bodies. The talk was a great success and succeeded in awakening those present to the possibilities to use the Irish language in their dealings with the 26-county state.

The next item of business on the clár was the Ógra march through Kilkenny City. It was a massive success in 2006 and there was great hope that it would be the same this year. As a result the march was to be the centre-piece of the entire weekend. The theme of the previous year was the Hunger Strike where the crowd was addressed by MLA Paul Butler. That march was the first to be held in the city in more than 20 years. Since Ógra organised the march last year three republican marches have taken place in the city making republicanism ever more relevant in the area.

This year the theme of the march was the 140th anniversary of the 1867 rebellion, in which Kilkenny man James Stephens played a major part. There was an increased turnout for this year's march. Alongside those attending the weekend were several Sinn Féin members from across the South-East. The march followed the same route as the previous year again marching to the tunes of the Ed O'Brien Flute Band who again put on an excellent show. Local people lined the streets to see the march passing by. The march assembled outside Kilkenny Castle where Ógra organiser for the area addressed the crowd before calling on the band to play Amhrán na bhFiann and return to the train station afterwards.

After a short break those on the weekend came together again for a talk with comrades from the Basque country who were attending the weekend. They spoke to the activists about the continued incarceration of the SEGI national executive. The political process in the Basque country was also a topic for discussion. The debate lasted for just under an hour in which our comrades Amaia and Uriz answered several questions and engaged in a multi-faceted, informative debate. The Ógra activists were clearly interested in the ongoing situation in the Basque country as the discussion continued long after the end of the day's clár. After the hectic day the group went out in Kilkenny to relax and, inevitably, continue the day's debate.

The events of the final day were slightly easier on the Ógra grouping. The final day saw the Ógra National sponsored walk take place in the city. The walk took place around the periphery of Kilkenny Castle. The scenic route around the castle gave activists a refreshing break from the intense debate of the weekend. Shortly after the end of the walk activists began to make their way home with plenty of food for thought after the weekend on the way home.

Ógra Shinn Féin in Kilkenny were extremely pleased with the second weekend in the city and hope that we can build on it yet again next year and see it grow even further. The weekend combined discussion, debate and education and gave members both new and not so much so a chance to interact in the true spirit of republicanism. It's clear from the calibre of activists present at the weekend that the struggle is in safe hands. ÓSF in Kilkenny will continue onwards and upwards on the road to the achievement of a free democratic socialist republic.

For video of March click here.