Madam, - The 1916 Rising should be commemorated quietly, with reflection and dignity. It is a historic and defining moment in Irish history and a sad and tragic event. Death and destruction were the immediate effects of the Rising, followed by executions, followed by a renewed awakening of Irish nationalism and sense of identity.
The Rising is the most important event in Irish history as it was the beginning of the end of an occupation and the spiritual birth of the present Ireland. We should commemorate it with an examination of ourselves as a people and a nation, and of how we relate to other nations and other cultures.
We should remember the lines from the 1916 Proclamation stating: "The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all the children of the nation equally. . ."
Ninety years on, we should ask ourselves: have we achieved the lofty aims of the patriots? The events of Easter 1916 should be remembered through simple ceremonies, historical exhibitions and other acts of remembrance. It is not an occasion for militarism, for drum-beating or the march of military boots. The patriots of 1916 fought for an ideal; and in commemorating them and their struggle we should remember their ideal, not their militarism. - Yours, etc,
Cllr KEITH MARTIN, Pairc Na Coille, Westport, Co Mayo.
Madam, - We have a diverse coalition preparing to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Rising. This coalition includes Sinn Féin, which believes that "republicans" have a mandate from the dead generations to kill for Ireland (even if they do happen to kill the "wrong people" in the process). The Government parties, along with the Opposition, sometimes seem a bit uneasy about fully endorsing that version of democracy. Nevertheless this will not stop them from commemorating the violence that Pearse and his associates brought to the streets of Dublin.
The problem with the 1916 Rising is that it is not just history but also politics. The very reason that the State stopped commemorating it the way it now proposes to do so were and are related to current political realities. It is because 1916 is essentially a political issue that much of the debate about it is adversarial. It might therefore be useful to try and approach it, if possible, from those key historical aspects on which there is more or less agreement and tease these out. As I see there are two agreed areas:
1. There was no democratic mandate for the Rising at the time.
2. Its aim was a 32-county republic.
The hundreds of deaths and terrible destruction caused by the Rising, so manifest in your supplement of March 28th, could only have been justified in the most extreme circumstances and, even then, only with a democratic mandate. Accepting that such a mandate did not exist leads to the inescapable conclusion that the Rising was morally and politically inexcusable.
Retrospective endorsement cannot make an undemocratic action any less undemocratic; democracy does not work backwards.
When one views 1916 against the stated aims of its leaders it was a dramatic failure. The main aim was the establishment of a 32-county republic. Ninety years after the event, this is no closer to being achieved than it was at the time. And I think it is safe to say that this position is unlikely to have changed by the centenary of 1916.
The argument that 1916 should be celebrated officially lest it become the exclusive possession of irredentist republicans hardly seems justified. Three former taoisigh were 1916 veterans and another two taoisigh were the sons of veterans. The journey of 1916 veterans from starry-eyed idealists who had nothing against democracy provided democracy had nothing against them to genuine democrats is something that should be loudly proclaimed and acclaimed. We should indeed be grateful to many of the 1916 veterans for the painful compromises they subsequently made in the interests of peace and democracy.
Let us just say that 1916 was not their finest hour. So let us not be too concerned about extremists claiming to be the true inheritors of the men of 1916. One deals with this by facing up to the fact that the Rising was undemocratic and therefore has no place in democratic politics. Pretending it to be otherwise is merely playing into the hands of those from whom the Government would claim it is trying to protect us. - Yours, etc,
TONY MORIARTY, Shanid Road, Kenilworth Park, Dublin 6W.
Madam, - In the lead-up to Sunday's Easter Rising celebration the Taoiseach has invited the people of Ireland to engage in a conversation about what it means to be Irish.
Would those men who gave their lives 90 years ago be happy to see that the Ireland that has emerged since their demise is more anglicised than ever? It has been utterly colonised by English culture to an extent that makes their sacrifice somewhat gratuitous.
Ireland's main streets today are dominated by English retailers. Irish people know more about the current story-lines of every English soap opera from EastEnders to Coronation Street to Emmerdale than about Fair City or Ros Na Rún. English politicians and celebrities are given prominence in the Irish media and press, English popular music dominates the charts and the country's music venues, and certain Irish notables are happy to be dubbed by the Queen of England and wear their knighthoods with pride.
Many Irish people are proud to have alligned themselves with an English premiership football team. Indeed the colours of such teams can be seen on any Irish main street on any given Saturday. Isn't the Taoiseach himself an ardent Manchester United fan? Confusingly, most Irishmen will be wearing the colours of their Premiership team of choice this summer while they cheer on England's opponents during the World Cup! To be Irish means to be able to identify with all things English while retaining the right to be anglophobic when it suits - without appreciating the supreme irony of the situation. - Yours, etc,
DEREK ROSS, Blessington, Co Wicklow.