A Letter from Ireland
a Chara,
We are always living at the point at which the past and future converge. This week, I was in Washington with Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald to meet with political leaders, members of the Irish American Community, and labour leaders. The conversations were focused on the future and Irish Unity.
Twenty years ago, this week, a former political prisoner, Seanna Walsh, announced the end of the IRA military campaign. While the organisation had been on a ceasefire for ten years, the announcement made headlines across the world.
I was working for Sinn Féin in our Head Office in Dublin. My memory of the day was a frantic round of party meetings and briefings.
The IRA statement and accompanying video of Seanna marked the formal end of conflict, the eventual resolution of demilitarisation and disarmament, and a new chapter in the peace process. Irish unity would only be achieved by peaceful and democratic means as per the Good Friday Agreement.
The only guarantee of success for Irish Republicans was the strength of our argument and the commitment of activists to build support for Unity and Sinn Féin.
Seanna Walsh is now a Sinn Féin Councillor in Belfast. His commitment to Irish Unity remains as resolute as when he entered Long Kesh gaol at the age of 17, when he first met his good friend and comrade Bobby Sands.
Sinn Féin is now the largest party across Ireland. It leads the government in the North and the official opposition in the South. The unity question is now centre stage in Ireland. Research is being conducted, books have been written, and conferences have been hosted. It is a respectful and inclusive discussion about the future.
Twenty years on from that announcement I never envisaged that I would be in the Capitol or meeting the leaders of some of the largest Unions in the US to discuss Ireland and Irish Unity.
Momentum is building, but nothing is inevitable. The British and Irish Governments have acted to block the right to self-determination as agreed on Good Friday.
A right denied is not a right. It is time to plan and prepare for Irish Unity referendums and to allow the people their democratic right to define their future.
As it was twenty years ago, so it is today. We rely on the force of argument and activism to secure and win unity referendums. When we work together, we are unstoppable. Ireland, the US, Canada and supporters across the globe can build a new and united Ireland.
The world we live in today seems more chaotic and dangerous than twenty years ago. The international rules and institutions that safeguard against wars are being undermined. Relationships between nations are deteriorating. Inequality, poverty, and division are on the rise.
Genocide in Gaza is played out on social media, Russia continues to attack Ukraine, and sometimes we feel powerless. One of the lessons of the Irish peace process is that conflicts are man-made and can be resolved.
Much has changed over the past twenty years. The future is ours to define. The work we do today can and will deliver a united Ireland.
Have a great weekend
Is mise,
Ciarán
Ciarán Quinn is the Sinn Féin Representative to North America
