IN less than five weeks’ time the next Uachtarán na hÉireann will be elected by the people of the 26 counties. Election day is October 24. That the people of the North and of the diaspora will be denied a vote is a disgraceful consequence of the efforts over recent years by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael (FFFG) to prevent the extension of the Presidential franchise. Both parties are frightened by the prospect of people who have never voted for either party voting in Presidential elections. They want to retain the status quo, not change it. This partitionist approach also influences the resistance of Micheál Martin and others to the growing potential for a referendum vote in favour of Irish unity.
Last weekend’s decision by the Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle to endorse Catherine Connolly’s campaign is, to quote Mary Lou, a ‘game changer’. Sinn Féin has many capable, articulate leaders who would have been great candidates. But the party chose to join with others as part of a left alternative. This was a courageous decision which gives those who can vote in the election a clear choice between the conservative politics of FFFG or a progressive and positive alternative.
Catherine Connolly (and the left alliance that now support her) offers optimism for a new and better future. The Irish nation and diaspora need a People’s President – a President who can bring hope; who can lift spirits and reach out to and embrace all the people of this island. A President who believes in the core republican values of equality and fairness. A President who believes in unity.
The Sinn Féin party across the island of Ireland will now actively and energetically take up the challenge of electing Catherine as the next resident of Áras an Uachtaráin. Party members from the North will travel South to add their activism to one of the most important elections in recent years. We do so as Irish republicans committed to our objective of ending partition and the union with Britain and of creating a new Ireland, based on equality, for all the people of our island.
This election signals the coming together of all of the opposition parties within the Oireachtas in a concerted effort to break the mould of southern politics and build a practical alternative to the failed conservative politics of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the two parties that have governed since partition.
Catherine Connolly was elected to the Dáil in 2015. In the following five years, as TD for Louth, I had the opportunity to watch Catherine first hand as she spoke in Dáil debates. She is a gifted speaker, coherent and skilful, an eloquent Gaeilgeoir and a resolute and compassionate advocate for progressive causes. And for the rights of citizens. She will be an excellent Uachtarán na hÉireann and a worthy replacement for Michael D. Higgins who, along with Sabina, has for 14 years ably represented the Irish nation.
The priority for Sinn Féin in this campaign is to keep Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil out of the Áras. In addition, the building of a successful united left coalition will also provide an opportunity to demonstrate to voters that there is a real, sustainable alternative to the politics of FFFG.
An alternative which is determined to build a better life for working families and communities and is worthy of their trust and vote in the next general election.
In addition, since Martin McGuinness was a candidate in 2011, this is the best opportunity to advance the conversation about a new Ireland. The momentum around unity is growing day by day. The direction of travel is clearly heading for the unity referendum provided for by the Good Friday Agreement. So we have the real possibility of ensuring that Catherine Connolly is the next President of Ireland when that referendum takes place.
At a time when the Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael government, propped up by Michael Lowry’s group, is for ending Irish neutrality we need a President who will champion it. At a time when the genocide in Gaza and the assault on the Palestinian people in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is increasing we need a President who will speak out against that genocide and who stands foursquare with the Palestinian people and their right to sovereignty. At a time when FFFG are pursuing policies that are making it impossible for young people to buy or rent their own home, and the state is failing to build much needed housing, we need a President who will not shy away from speaking up for ordinary people.
As Mary Lou said, when announcing the decision to back Catherine Connolly, republicans believe this is an opportunity to elect an Uachtarán “who will be a voice for citizens with disabilities, the marginalised, and those too often ignored by those in power. An Uachtarán with a record of standing for fairness, compassion and economic justice.”
We are a defining moment in our journey toward unity. The presidential election of October 24 offers all of us a unique opportunity to change the script, to take the island of Ireland in a more positive, equality-driven direction. We have five weeks to make it happen. Can we do it? Absolutely. But we need your support.
So play your part. Join the campaign. Work to elect Catherine Connolly.
Now it’s Dublin’s turn to march in support of our language
UNDER the banner of CEARTA – meaning RIGHTS – tens of thousands took to the streets of Dublin on Saturday to demand equality for the Irish language. In scenes reminiscent of An Dream Dearg in Belfast three years ago, Irish speakers and activists from across the island, wearing their distinctive red with a white circle, marched from Parnell Square to the gates of Leinster House.
The protest was an exuberant and joyful celebration of our language and culture and of the demand that the Irish government implement policy changes that will protect and enhance the lives of Irish speakers and of the Gaeltacht communities. There was live music from Ispíní na hÉireann, Niamh Ní Dhubhgháin and Breandán Ó Beaglaoich and others. Niamh Ní Dhubhgháin performed a song about the needs of young people, especially those living in Gaeltacht areas who are finding it impossible to buy or rent or build a home.
The threat to the language and the failure of successive governments to invest properly in supporting ár teanga and culture was the main message of the day.
LOUD AND PROUD: The CEARTA demonstration in Dublin 
Gaeltacht communities face huge challenges because too many of our young people are being forced to leave. The impact of bad policy on communities is substantial. Without homes, there can be no communities and without Gaeltacht communities, the language will not survive. This is not just a housing crisis – it is a crisis for the future of the Gaeltacht.
Looking down a packed Molesworth Street, facing the entrance to Leinster House, Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, President of Conradh na Gaeilge, warned that the vision of the language contained in Bunreacht na hÉireann and in the Good Friday Agreement has never been realised. There needs to be a greater investment in education and in the provision of resources.
The demands of the protestors are entirely legitimate. They are also sensible and practical. Irish language activists are determined to achieve their demands and there is a responsibility on all of us, whether we speak Irish or not, to support their efforts.
Bruce's contribution well worth celebrating
IN two weeks’ time there will be a celebration in New York to mark 30 years of the Morrison Visa Programme. The event will remember the introduction of the visa legislation that provided an estimated 45,000 Irish people with a legal pathway into the USA in the early 1990s.
The Morrison Visa was the brainchild of former US Congressman Bruce Morrison who introduced a programme that allocated visas to nationals who up to that point were underrepresented in US Immigration. Bruce however, is also known for his hard work in support of the peace process. He was part of a group of Irish American business, trade union and political leaders – the Connolly House Group – who played a pivotal role in creating the conditions for the 1994 IRA cessation.
Bruce and his colleagues continued to be active for years afterward and Bruce remains so today. So, well done Bruce. Maith thú agus comghairdeas, a chara. The celebration will take place on October 1 in the Rainbow Room in New York.
For more information visit www.morrisonlegacy.com
