A Letter From Ireland
a Chara,
Do you know the best question that an activist can ask? “How can we help?”
That was the first question asked by a member of the audience at the Commission on the Future of Ireland People’s Assembly in the Shamrock Club in Columbus, Ohio last week.
I had never been to Columbus before, but walking into the Shamrock Club I knew I was amongst friends. It all felt very familiar. The pictures on the wall, the layout of the hall, the craic in the bar, a Harp Lager lighted sign, and a copy of the Proclamation.
Everyone in the place seemed to know each other, and we were immediately drawn into conversations and greetings.
This was the second Commission hearing that Friends of Sinn Féin had hosted. I gave an opening comment setting out the context for the meeting, which was followed by a fireside chat with Judge Mike Mentel. After the presentations, activists discussed answers to prompts in small groups facilitated by local volunteers.
The key message is that we are living in a time when we have the opportunity to deliver a united Ireland by peaceful and democratic means.
The Good Friday Agreement presents the pathway to securing and winning Irish Unity referendums north and south. Political changes now mean that we have the potential to win these referendums.
A few weeks ago while in Washington, I came across a quote from Martin Luther King Jr, “Change does not roll on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle”.
That is why the question, “How can we help?” is so important. We live in a time of great cynicism, and the best antidote is to realize the power of activism. Those in power want us to believe that there is nothing we can do to deliver change, but our history tells us differently.
For thirty years, the conflict in Ireland was deemed intractable. Irish America saw the possibility of the peace process being developed by Gerry Adams, John Hume, and Martin McGuinness.
They advocated for a new approach by the United States. President Clinton broke with 80 years of foreign policy and adopted a new approach to Ireland that was independent of Britain. He provided a visa for Gerry Adams to visit the US and appointed a Special Envoy, Senator George Mitchell, moves all opposed by the then British Government.
The rest, they say, is history, and we have enjoyed 27 years of relative peace. The next chapter of Irish history is being written: the building of a new and united Ireland.
“What can we do?” was answered by those in the room.
“To secure and win unity referendums will require an Irish Government to plan, prepare, and advocate for unity.”
“The US should continue to protect the Good Friday Agreement and Unity Referendums are part of the Agreement.”
“To win referendums there is a need to demonstrate that people’s lives will be better in a United Ireland.”
“We need to build support across the US to vindicate the right to referendums as per the agreement.”
The people in the Shamrock Club have a role to play like others across the US and Canada and at home in Ireland.
A united Ireland is not inevitable, but it will come about through activism.
Have a great weekend.
Is mise,
Ciarán
Ciarán Quinn is the Sinn Féin Representative to North America
