Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Some want to bask in the commemorative glow of Pearse and Connolly while hundreds of thousands remain on housing waiting lists and thousands more remain homeless. Some use the word "equality" and stretch it, but how can it be used when billions of euro are being spent to repay unsecured debts while elderly people remain on trolleys? One in six Irish people live abroad. Tens of thousands of grandmothers Skype their grandchildren's first words in an Australian accent, their first days at school and their first Holy Communions. Is this the justice that inspired the men and women who risked death in 1916?

Irish republicanism is a powerful objective and a realisable goal. It is a remedy to the mé féin sickness at the heart of this State. It is not the property of one political party, and is certainly not an elastic, meaningless tool for some spin doctor to rebrand decades of neglect and indifference. The goals of full independence, equality and justice cannot be achieved solely by my party or any other party. That will only happen when all political parties play their parts. Sinn Féin has held 1916 commemorations for nearly 100 years. We tended the graves of fallen heroes when others found no political profit in it. However, this is not a closed shop. It is open to all who hold these objectives true.

History often sterilises the humanity of the past, but it is important to remember that each of the men and women who were involved in 1916 were just like the Minister of State and me. They had the struggles, distresses and strains of life. They were gripped by fear and often lacked confidence and second-guessed whether their republic would be possible. Despite these frailties, they achieved something real and of lasting value.

Another debate rages among the chattering classes as to how best to commemorate these men and women. The establishment has tied itself in knots trying to commemorate the people while ignoring the objectives of those same people. The truth that is the only way to commemorate these heroes is for this generation to complete their objectives. This is not a job for other people; republicanism is not a spectator sport. We all live under the same sky and are responsible for one another, and it is important that people do not let these commemorations pass without stepping up to the plate.

The Bill introduced by Deputy Ó Snodaigh simply allows for a day on which people can lay down their tools, be with their family and friends and focus on the sacrifice of the men and women of 1916, as well as on their political objectives. Earlier, the Minister of State made a strong effort to suggest that this was non-political, but 1916 is one of the most political actions in the history of Ireland. This was a movement of national liberation that produced a political document called the Proclamation, and for anyone to try to neuter or sanitise the politics of 1916 and the commemorations does an injustice to those same people.

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