SEAN Mateer came from humble beginnings in Leeson Street, which is part of what propelled him to become the man he was and the beliefs he held.
He was a courageous and compassionate man who had a deep respect for human values. He understood the dignity of men and women and opposed whatever attempted to rob them of that dignity.
He had great pride in Irish history, with the core principles of the 1916 Proclamation to the fore, with its cherished notions of equality, national freedom and sovereignty, the proclamation still hangs proudly in his living room.
Sean lived through some of the most challenging and difficult periods for Irish Republicanism in the 1960s and 1970s with his good friend Billy McMillen, who was the OC of the Belfast IRA and Sean was his staff driver.
Being a genuine republican was not fashionable in that period. The Free State, British and American governments were keen to ensure that socialist republicanism would not gain a foothold in Ireland, hence their support for militant sectarian nationalism and unionist death squads.
He experienced deceit and betrayal from false friends but also loyalty and respect from comrades and friends. He was a man of patriotism who loved his country for its people and the history of the people's struggle.
He visited Spain with his old friend Paddy McAllister, who fought with the International Brigade and was wounded at the battle of Jarama, which was an attempt by Franco's Nationalists to dislodge the Republican lines along the river Jarama, east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War. It was this understanding and those values of Internationalism that grounded his Irish republicanism.
He played a leading role in the defence of the Falls during the pogroms of 1969 and again in the defence of the Falls area during the curfew in 1970, when he raced from Dundalk to Belfast with a large cache of arms and ammunition to defend the area, this operation became the largest engagement between armed Irish republicans and the British army since 1916.
Sean held to an ideal that humans should believe in something, in a cause that will make their lives worth living, or they have wasted their life. He lived most of his own life through his activities in the finest cause in the world – the social and economic liberation of Ireland.
He also lived for his loving family and made a living as a joiner in building sites in England when employment in Belfast was scarce.
As well as being an activist in the backstreets of the Falls Road where the Belfast IRA and the republican tradition were deeply rooted, Sean was well respected in his community and held in high regard by all who knew him. It is they and his own sons and daughters who will feel his loss the most.
In these difficult times for socialist republicans, we remember Sean and despite all the betrayals and petty cliques, he serves as an inspiration to those who knew him well.
Sean died peacefully at hospital surrounded by his loving family on October 24. Beloved father of Sean, Gerard, Kathy, Eamonn, Maura and Una; a loving grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle and friend to many.
