Republican Sinn Féin Cork City and County

On Sunday, January 22, 2012, Republicans from all over Connacht and further

a field gathered at Sooey cemetery in Sligo for the annual Kevin Coen

commemoration. The assembled crowd formed up behind a colour party and

marched to the grave of Volunteer Coen.

The commemoration was chaired by veteran Republican, ex-internee and POW

Dan Hoban from Mayo. In his opening address he said that he was “very

privileged and honoured to chair this ceremony as Kevin Coen was a special

friend of mine and I served time in prison with him. He was a dedicated

Republican who had only one thing on his mind when he paid the supreme

sacrifice and that was the freedom of his country. Also today we honour a

great Republican family, the McGoldricks of Riverstown. Sean McGoldrick,

who gave a lifetime to the Republican Movement, his son and his wife Teresa

are also buried here.”

A decade of the rosary was recited by Val Harden. Wreaths were laid on

behalf of the Republican Movement by Tom Cull from Arigna and on behalf of

Republican Sinn Féin by Mick Cullen from Bundoran. Dan then introduced the

main speaker for the event Republican Sinn Féin Galway County Councillor

Tomás Ó Curraoin to give the main oration.

“Friends and Republicans we may be small in numbers but we are here as the

true standard-bearers. We stand up for what our predecessors did and what

Kevin Coen did when he gave his life on January 20, 1975 at Cassidy’s Cross

in County Fermanagh. He fought for the all-Ireland Republic, a Republic

that has not yet been achieved but some day it will. It may not come in

some of our time but there are younger people here who may see it in their

lifetime.

“There were, and are, talks of freedom in every country in the world - yet

not one ounce of talk about our Six Occupied Counties or our rights, which

are the rights of the people who stood up against the British for the last

840 years since they first came here and set foot on Irish soil in 1169 not

1969 as you would be led believe by some.

“I am glad to see here present today Joe O'Neill who always mentioned that

his father said of all the defeats we ever had from the first great

uprising of 1798 right through to the Tan War of 1920, all the defeats we

had we were together and after 1922 we saw the division of the Irish people

and executions carried out by successive Free State administrators.

“No more evidence of that than in the county of Kerry in Ballyseedy Cross,

at Bahaghs workhouse outside Cahersiveen and Countess Bridge in Killarney

to mention but a few. At Tuam workhouse in 1923 when a previous Patron of

Republican Sinn Féin, a man who fought against the Black and Tans in the

Tourmeakeady ambush, Tom Maguire had his brother Sean, at the age of 17

brought out and executed by the very same Free State.

“There is no short cut to Irish freedom there never was and there never

will be. The freedom is the day that the British are driven once and for

all out of all the counties of Ireland and when they have no say in any

part of Ireland.

“As a member of Galway County council for the last number of years I can

see at local level where people who get elected turn their back on

Republicanism. You have to psyche yourself and you have to say to yourself

that you will be the same person coming out from that meeting as you were

going in and never to forget what you were put there for - the rights of

the people who elected you.

“That’s what is going on. Kevin Coen didn’t give his life for such things.

People who slept in dugouts and in hills and fought; I never was in the

hills, I don’t know would I be of that calibre but I have to admire them,

the people who went out and left the comfort of their home and took on the

might of the British empire; you would have to admire them and they did so

with one thing in mind - unpaid, unmoved to get rid of Imperialism and to

build a new Ireland for the people of Ireland like the people who went out

in 1916 did for us.

“I couldn’t go without mentioning the current situation that in Dublin, on

Wednesday, saw a protest outside Leinster House. Connemara against septic

tank charges are organising a rally on these charges, ie septic tanks,

water rates and household charges, taking everything away from the ordinary

people. We had a meeting in Bart Gormley’s town of Tuam last Friday night –

I’m glad to see Bart here as well - and we decided Connemara against septic

tank charges will be having a rally at Leinster House. It isn’t known yet

where we will start off but we would appreciate support from everyone from

all counties because it just doesn’t concern Connemara, it concerns all of

rural Ireland and I mean all 32 Counties of Ireland.”

Dan Hoban then brought the commemoration to a close and thanked all those

who attended.

Posted by RSF Cork City & County on January 31, 2012 at 12:44 PM

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