First of all I’d like to thank everybody for coming here today. I know many of you have travelled great distances and hope you found today challenging and a rewarding use of time. I’d like to thank all the volunteers for their efforts in making today’s event such a success, raising sponsorship, organising food, marking the course, transport, web development, negotiating with land owners. We must always remain mindful why we’re here. We are here not just to relish in the beauty of our city, forests, boreens, & lakes, we are also here to honour & remember republicans departed before us. The Jack Crowe Memorial Dublin Mountain Challenge is named after a man who committed his life to search for justice and equality at a time when most people would turn their heads and ignore the human rights abuses that were taking place on this island. I believe that those same attributes are shared by those who have given so much to the organisation of today’s event and who share our political goals. I often wonder what would Jack Crowe think of today’s event and would like to think that he’d be proud of the legacy left behind, when we witness the effort contributed by so many people in the organisation of this event. One person, absent today, in particular stands out. Last month we heard of the death of Geoff Keegan. Geoff had been involved in the organisation of this event and his death came as a shock to all of us and especially to those working with him in Dundrum. What struck me about Geoff’s death was the high regard in which he was held and the dedication he showed to our cause. I felt truly humbled in the presence of his family in the days after his death, so much so that the Walk’s committee agreed to ask Geoff’s family for permission to remember Geoff every year this walk is run. On behalf of the committee, I would like to thank Geoff’s family for their kind permission to allow us use Geoff’s name on the family stage of the walk. When thinks like this happen, we are reminded that we are all part of the broad republican family. We are a group of people who share a common vision of equality and unity and we are a group of people who honour the commitment of those passed and honour the vision we share with them. I remember reading once that we all die twice, the first is our physical death and the second is when nobody remembers us. To ensure both Jack & Geoff’s memory in this event is the least we can do to give justice to their memory and to keep their spirit alive today. There is another reason why we are here today. This event is a key fundraiser for local areas of Sinn Féin and for Sinn Féin Áth Cliath in the construction of the next wave of our mission. Next year, we will fight two elections. One is to elect an MEP to reinstate our position in Brussels and the other will see another historic breakthrough when we put forward a host of quality candidates to bring forward our politics on Dun Laoire Rathdown County Council. Dun Laoire Rathdown Council is politically leaderless, void of innovation & offering no vision, no solutions, nor offering of hope of a brighter tomorrow for those trading and living there. The council’s housing record is atrocious. Young families are stuck rearing children in one and two bedroom apartments with little or no hope of moving to larger accommodation while we have the ridiculous situation of those housed with housing trusts being forced to move places like Arklow away from their families & friends. When elected Sinn Féin will hold the cosy cartel of the same old cronies to account. We will make housing a priority and we will seek to reverse the council’s shameless record on this issue. Next May‘s election will not be a foregone conclusion. Every victory we’ve won has been hard fought and to assume victory next May would be naive and foolish. Our political enemies will throw everything at us to discredit our viability – why? Because the fear us and they are right to!! We are not here to make up the numbers, we ARE going to rock the boat. We ARE going to bring politics to the people who need it most – those forgotten, those most in need, those with no confidence in the political system, those struggling to keep their businesses afloat & and those struggle to sleep worrying about the future of their children and homes. The creation of a type of country we want is viable. We can have a United Ireland of equals. We can have a diverse Ireland of many cultures, a prosperous Ireland and peaceful Ireland, where the rights, value and traditions of all its citizens can be protected under a new constitution. To create the Ireland of tomorrow requires another Geoff Keegan, requires another Jack Crowe and it requires more people with the commitment of Bobby Sands. Who will step into their shoes? Who amongst you will help us create the Ireland of tomorrow? Our task is achievable and it requires us ALL working together in harmony, it requires those distant members of our republican family to come back to the vision, not as a dream but a definite goal. While everyday more and more people see us as people who carry through on our commitment, we will reinvigorate DLRCoCo, we will show our opponents, the council & the people that we are for real!! Go raibh mile maith agaibh agus Berimd Bua
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 15:04:50 +0000
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