Dáil debates

Friday, 9 October 2015

Public Holidays (Lá na Poblachta) Bill 2013: Second Stage [Private Members]

 

10:20 am

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill, which proposes the introduction of a dedicated bank holiday on 24 April to celebrate the 1916 Rising. Most, if not practically all Irish people, would agree with this proposal for the centenary year of 2016. The Bill goes further and provides for a bank holiday on 24 April on a permanent basis. The least we can do, as an initial step, is agree to the proposal for 2016, the centenary year. The merits of introducing an additional bank holiday have been well argued, including that the number of bank holidays in Ireland is below the European average. The Bill facilitates a proper examination of this issue.

I am disappointed with the Minister of State's contribution, in which he took a party political approach, specifically in his reference to parties being divisive. I had hoped the Government would not go down that route.

Next year, 2016, will be an incredibly important commemorative year and it should be celebrated with dignity and respect. Most other countries have an independence day, whether on 4 July in the United States, Bastille Day in France or the other dates to which Deputy Ó Snodaigh referred.

The Fianna Fáil Party is very proud of its direct roots in the rebellion of 1916. The first leader of our party was the most senior leader to survive the rebellion. Furthermore, the entire founding generation of the party was made up of people who risked everything for the cause of the country in 1916. We believe, however, that the commemorations do not belong to any group or party but to all Irish people and this must be respected.

I understand military tactics were the reason the date of Easter Monday 1916 was chosen for the Rising. The day was scheduled to be a normal bank holiday and, as such, people knew that many of the British forces would attend the races in Fairyhouse, meaning the military presence would not be especially strong. The decision to stage the Rising on 24 April 1916 was taken by the leaders of the rebellion for military reasons, rather than on the basis that it was Easter week. While the Rising was suppressed and many of its leaders executed, by any fair measure it was a remarkable success. A poor people with few resources was inspired to stand up in the face of overwhelming odds and the Rising subsequently received irrefutable democratic endorsement. What was achieved in 1916 was the very definition of a revolutionary event.

The modern and progressive vision of a republican Ireland, which is so wonderfully expressed in the Proclamation, should be reflected on more widely. The Proclamation contains a message of friendship and unity between groups and rejects sectarianism and the types of aggressive nationalism evident in many other countries. It sets out a positive vision of a state which serves the people and demands that those who promote the Republic do not dishonour it by using illegitimate means. It also insists on the full rights of all Irish people, irrespective of gender, religion or privilege.

Ireland never gave in to the ideological extremes which caused so much tragedy in the 20th century. We have one of the world's oldest continuous democracies and our democratic, republican Constitution was the first of its kind ever adopted in a free referendum. These many factors provide a direct and positive link to the events of 1916.

I have never spoken previously in this House about my family's immediate and direct involvement in the 1916 Rising. It will be news to many people in Dublin that the first event of the Rising took place in Clonad outside Portlaoise. The countermanding order standing down the rebellion planned for the Easter Monday did not reach Portlaoise on Easter Sunday.

The people in Portlaoise and surrounding areas went out on the mission they had planned as part of the lead-up to the event commencing in Dublin the following day. Their mission was to derail the train coming from Waterford through County Laois carrying reinforcements of British troops to put down the rebellion in Dublin. The mission given to a small group of men and women in County Laois, including those on the look-out, was to take up the railway track to derail the train such that the train carrying reinforcements would not reach the capital. That was done successfully, but the train company spotted that the tracks had been taken up. It sent out a spotter train to see what was happening on the line. In that time, there was an exchange of one, two or three shots. I am not quite sure of the figure as there are different accounts, but in any event the first shots of the 1916 Rising were fired in a place called Clonad outside Portlaoise, County Laois. I am particularly proud that it was my uncle Eamon - not grand-uncle or great grand-uncle, but my direct uncle - who was the officer in command of that mission. He was assisted by many others on the day, including his brother Patrick Fleming who went on to a major participation in the War of Independence. The event at Clonad has been celebrated over the past decade by a local committee and there is a significant monument on the side of what was the old N7 Dublin to Cork road outside Portlaoise. It is now bypassed by the motorway, but a significant event is held there every year. The people in Laois are proud of their county's direct involvement in the Easter week events which were not just confined to Dublin.

My uncle Patrick was arrested several times during the War of Independence. Prior to that, he was imprisoned in Portlaoise Prison and went on extensive hunger strikes which ultimately threatened his health. They eventually released him. He went on hunger strike to get status as political prisoner and he was released to get him to discontinue that. He was subsequently rearrested and eventually sent to Mountjoy where he led a famous escape over the prison's walls which is written in folklore. One of the programmes in TG4's "Éalú" series of the past two years which shows famous escapes from Irish prisons was dedicated to that particular event. A great many people have co-operated on a film being made locally in Laois to commemorate the event and it will be launched early in the new year. When my uncle Paddy was in Portlaoise Prison, the British authorities tried to force feed him during his hunger strike. They put him in a straitjacket because he tried to break out and damage the furniture. They had to remove the ceiling above his cell to make it a double-height ceiling on which they could place heaters to heat him against his will. He also broke those. Some Sinn Féin Members beside me were imprisoned in Portlaoise Prison in more recent years. Whenever I meet Deputy Martin Ferris and others, they talk about the famous history of Paddy Fleming and the Paddy Fleming cell in Portlaoise Prison. As such, it would be remiss of me if I failed to support the Bill.

I am a Member quite a number of years but have never spoken in the Dáil Chamber of my direct family history. My uncle Paddy went on to stand for Fianna Fáil as a candidate in the 1927 general election, but 1916 is not just about Fianna Fáil, it is about everybody. We played our part as did the other parties in the House. In the spirit of the centenary year, a special bank holiday to commemorate the actual date of the Rising is appropriate. The Irish people will support it.

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