Sunday, August 5, 2012

Cole / Colley and Hunger Strikers to be Remembered on August 25th


02/08/12
Cole and Colley lying in stateéirígí Dublin North East will mark the 90th anniversary of the execution of Volunteers Cole and Colley with a wreath-laying ceremony on Saturday, August 25th, assembling at 12.30pm at Beaumont House before the short walk to Yellow Road.
Sean Cole (17) and Alfie Colley (18), both from Dublin’s north inner city, were senior members of Na Fianna Éireann at the time of their summary execution. The young patriots were returning from a meeting on August 25th 1922, when they were abducted by Free State forces on the North Strand, before being taken to an isolated field in Whitehall. Witnesses reported that the two were then summarily executed at a spot on what is now the Yellow Road. Their executions were widely believed to have been in retaliation for the death of the Commander-in-Chief of Free State forces, Michael Collins, who had been killed just three days earlier at Béal na mBláth.
Speaking ahead of the commemoration éirígí representative for Dublin North East Ursula Ní Shionnain said, “Cole and Colley’s brutal deaths were not random, nor did they happen by mistake. Their executions were part of a systematic programme of state terror directed at republican activists, their families and the wider republican base.
“The state resorted to such tactics out of fear; fear of the power of the risen people; fear of a disciplined revolutionary movement; fear of the working class. And it is those same fears that motivate the actions of the Dublin government and their special police today. The challenge facing republicans today is to complete the work of Cole and Colley by bringing the worst fears of the political establishment to life.”
Ursula concluded by encouraging people to attend the commemoration, “This year’s anniversary is particularly important given that it marks exactly nine decades since the execution of these two young men. I would encourage people from across Dublin and the rest of the country to make the effort and join with us on August 25th to remember their sacrifice.”
Second Annual Hunger Strike Memorial Football Match
The Cole/Colley commemoration will be followed by a memorial football match to mark the 31st anniversary of the 1981 Hunger Strike. This annual event is now in its second year, with the winners taking the Hunger Strike Memorial Cup home for the next twelve months.
As happened last year, Dublin’s Northside will host a team from the Southside of the city. The match will throw in at 3pm at Innisfail’s GAA club, Carrs Lane, Balgriffin, Dublin 17. The match will be followed by refreshments in the club bar. Anyone who is interested in playing on the day should email info@eirigi.org. All welcome.