Who are the true inheritors of the men and women of 1916? |
MIRROR, mirror on the wall, which is the fairest Easter Rising commemoration of them all?
The question arises from tomorrow’s marches and speeches by the Dublin government, political parties and other groups, all honouring the men and women of the 1916 Rising.
The ceremonies are part commemorative and part competitive, in that each organisation claims to be the true inheritor of the 1916 Proclamation.
So, where would its signatories be found among tomorrow’s republican fashion parades? (Black berets optional.)
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The mirror might reply that there are three ways of looking at the matter: faith, doubt and reason.
The faith-type answer is based on the observation that history is the lens through which the Irish often justify their beliefs and behaviour.
It is a bit like religious faith. All Christians presumably believe that if Christ were to return to earth, He would be a member of their church.
So depending on your political beliefs, the 1916 rebels would now be members of Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, the IRSP, Saoradh, Republican Sinn Féin, the Republican Network for........