Hundreds of people including leading figures in Sinn Féin are expected in Killarney on Friday night for a “closed door” event which honours the “lifetime of struggle” of Martin Ferris, ex-TD and former member of the Provisional IRA.
The €50 tickets carry a picture of a younger Ferris with his clenched fist raised in the air, which appears to have been taken when he left the Bridewell, Cork in 1984 under arrest for the Marita Ann gunrunning. A version of the same image was also used on the back cover of his 2005 biography.
“North of 700″ tickets for the night of music and storytelling headlined “Martin and Marie Ferris: A Lifetime of Struggle” were sold in the days following the Sinn Féin ard fheis, John Buckley, one of the organisers, said.
The event is taking place behind closed doors, with no media invited.
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Leading figures from Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland and the Republic are expected and €50 tickets have been bought by party leader Mary Lou McDonald and deputy leader Michelle O’Neill, Mr Buckley of Sinn Féin in Kerry said.
It was not a retirement benefit but was simply “an honorary” event for his political service and struggle, Mr Buckley said. Both Mr Ferris and his wife Marie will be honoured, Mr Buckley added.
He did not wish to comment on the photograph being used on the ticket as he was not sure of its context.
The event taking place at the Inec Gleneagle hotel in Killarney had been planned for 2019 but was postponed because of Covid-19.
Mr Buckley said it was not a fundraising event - the proceeds from the tickets will be used to pay for the music and the venue - and anything left over will go to Sinn Féin.
Ferris (70) was twice jailed in the 1970s for his membership of the IRA. He was handed down a ten year sentence in 1984 for his part in attempting to import tonnes of explosives, firearms and ammunition on board the fishing vessel The Marita Ann.
He was elected to Kerry County Council in 1999 and in 2002 to the Dáil, remaining as a TD until 2020.
