Republican Sinn Féin and Sinn Féin held two separate commemorations, at separate venues, in Co Kerry yesterday to mark the 80th anniversary of what is still regarded as one of the most terrible atrocities of the Civil War, the blowing up of republican prisoners at Ballyseedy, near Tralee, writes Anne Lucey Ballyseedy.
One man, Mr Stephen Fuller, survived to tell what happened. The next day there were similar executions in Killarney and later also in Cahersiveen and other places in Kerry.
Republican Sinn Féin held ceremonies at the monument in Ballyseedy, where eight republican prisoners died. The commemorations began with a march led by pipers and by Mr Dan Keating (101), a veteran of the War of Independence and the Civil War, and Mr Jack Godley, a trustee of the memorial committee.
Mr Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, president of Republican Sinn Féin, told reporters: "It was said five years ago when the Stormont agreement was signed, militant republicanism was dead after 200 years.
"This is one such event which shows militant republicanism is still alive." There was an alternative to the Good Friday agreement, he wished to tell the unionist people.
The nationalist population was increasing, and his organisation did not wish to see the unionist people suffer the same "humiliation" as nationalists had since 1922, he said.
A solution existed within a four-province federal Ireland as devised under the Eire Nua programme. In a nine-county Ulster unionists would still have a majority with the safeguards of democracy and devolution.
Ballyseedy illustrated the depths to which those who compromised on the fundamental principles of Irish republicanism were prepared to go in suppressing the ideals they had once shared, Mr Des Dalton, ardchomhairle member of Republican Sinn Féin, told the gathering.
Mr John Mangan, chairman of Republican Sinn Féin in north Kerry, spoke of a growing rift between his organisation and Sinn Féin. Mr Martin Ferris, the Kerry North TD, had followed Mr Gerry Adams and Mr Martin McGuinness down "the cul de sac" of power-seeking, and there was growing resentment among republicans, he said.