Cole and Colley Commemoration

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

02/08/12

éirígí 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.

Coolock Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes: The People’s Campaign

26/07/12

In September 2011 éirígí Dublin North-East assisted in the formation of the Coolock Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes (CAHWT). Since then the Coolock CAHWT has grown in strength and played an important role in building mass non-payment of the home tax in the area.

Tens of thousands of pieces of CAHWT literature have been delivered through the doors of homes across Coolock and Santry, while thousands more have been handed out at regular stalls. A series of very successful public meetings have been held in Santry, Kilmore, Priorswood and Darndale. And pickets outside the offices of 26-County government TDs have put the “We’re not paying the home tax!” message across loud and clear. In just under a year of constant activity the Coolock CAHWT has successfully agitated, educated, and organised.

The initial activities of the Coolock CAHWT saw it hold its first series of public meetings in venues in Kilmore, Santry and Darndale in Autumn/Winter 2011, in preparation for the Dublin government’s introduction of the home tax in January 2012. These initial meetings had good attendances, encouraging many local people became involved in the Coolock CAHWT.

With greater numbers of activists the Coolock CAHWT went on to sign up several hundred local people to the campaign through door to door recruitment in the area. Stalls have been held at local shopping centres, with the Coolock CAHWT stall at the Northside Shopping Centre becoming a regular fixture for engagement with local people.

With the introduction of the home tax in January 2012, and the subsequent scaremongering and bullying by the government, the level of activity of the Coolock CAHWT increased. In the build-up to the March 31 deadline for payment, another series of very successful public meetings was held in Kilmore, Priorswood and Darndale. Two large public meetings were held in the Kilmore Community Centre, which were addressed by éirígí activists, CAHWT TDs and local residents. Not only was the introduction of home and water taxes discussed, but also the wider failed economic policies which have resulted in nearly 500,000 people becoming unemployed and tens of thousands more emigrating.

At the Priorswood meeting last March, in the week of the publication of the Mahon Report, the corruption of the political establishment was discussed. The level of anger at Bertie Ahern & Co was very high to say the least. An attempt by the local Sinn Féin representative to undermine the non-payment campaign was quickly and politely dismissed. The CAHWT call for a full boycott of home and water taxes was fully supported by local people attending this meeting – there was no middle ground on the issue.

On March 31, the deadline for payment of the home tax, more than 10,000 people marched on the Fine Gael Ard Fheis in Dublin, while more importantly the majority of homeowners had joined the boycott by refusing to pay the tax. Following this victory the Coolock CAHWT kept activity constant, with more public meetings in Santry and Darndale under the banner of “Keep Up the Boycott!” Pickets, which were held at local Labour TDs’ offices and clinics, received very positive support from passing pedestrians and motorists alike.

The strength and success of the Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes in Coolock has been the fact that is has been largely driven by local people from within the community. At several meetings of the Coolock CAHWT the campaign has been referred to as a “People’s Campaign”. With the Dublin government attempting to introduce a property tax in 2013 and water tax in 2014, the CAHWT will need to build across the state on the successes to date. The Coolock CAHWT, now well organised with the support of large numbers of local people, will continue to resist these unjust and immoral taxes.

If you want to become active in the Campaign against Household and Water Taxes in Coolock or anywhere in the Twenty-Six Counties, please contact 1890 98 98 90.

Poblacht na nOibrithe. Dublin north-east Earrach 2012.

Coolock C.A.H.W.T puts pressure on           Ó Ríordáin.

On Saturday last, 23^rd of June, members of the Coolock Campaign against Household & Water Taxes held a successful picket outside of Dublin North Central Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin’s office in Marino. Ó Ríordáin didn’t bother to turn up. A member of Coolock CAHWT had arranged an appointment with Ó Ríordáin to discuss their concerns about local issues, the Household Tax, & the Fine Gael & Labour introduction of Water Taxes.

                                                                             

The Ó Ríordáin office didn’t even have the decency to inform the constituent that he would be a no show. Undeterred by this the Coolock CAHWT held a successful picket outside his office, receiving encouraging support from passing motorists and shoppers, while at the same time keeping an eye out for Ó Ríordáin.

This was not the first time the Coolock CAHWT had a no show from Ó Ríordáin. He along with four other Labour & FG TDs were each sent an invitation to attend The Coolock CAHWT very well attended public meeting on the 21^st April in the Kilmore Community centre, which none of the invited TDs bothered to attend. Aodhán Ó Ríordáin is on a wage of over 90,000 euro, plus God knows how many thousands of euro’s in expensive, which is provided by the Tax Payer.

The same Tax Payer which Ó Ríordáin , Labour, & Fine Gail will attempt to bully into paying on average 1,200 euro a year in Home & Water Taxes.Yet despite all this, Ó Ríordáin can’t be bothered to reply to people who he is paid, & paid very well to represent.

The continual lack of answers coming from local TD’s, motivates activists even further to defeat these unjust & immoral Tax. Don’t Register, Don’t Pay.

Coolock Steps Up the Anti-Home Tax Campaign

21/04/12

Thursday last [April 19] saw almost eighty people attend the most recent in a series of successful anti-home tax meetings in the Kilmore community centre in Coolock on Dublin’s northside. The meeting, organised by local members of the Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes, was called to discuss the next step for the campaign in the area and nationally.

Speakers on the night included Martin Farrell from éirígí and Joe Higgins from the Socialist Party. Both spoke convincingly to the assembled crowd in relation to the current status of the home tax campaign and recent developments in relation to the proposed water tax.

Martin Farrell spoke about the importance of keeping the campaign strong in the Coolock area. He said, “This is only stage one and there is a long way to go yet. The groundwork that has been done in building a mass boycott of the household tax must be built upon as the campaign enters its next phase, one that will probably include fines and court cases. We must remain strong and focused if we are to defeat these unfair home and water taxes.”

Many people on the night were particularly angry at the cowardice shown by the three local government TDs who refused to show up to the meeting, despite being invited by letter and email to explain their stance on the household tax.

Speaking after the meeting éirígí’s Ciaran Heaphey said, “Tonight has seen yet another well attended meeting organised by the CAHWT in the Coolock area. Over the last number of months hundreds of local residents from Coolock and the surrounding areas have attended and taken part in a number of these meetings. It is clear that these meetings have paid a vital role in providing information and reassurance to people who have now joined the boycott of the home tax.

“The challenge ahead of us now is to maintain the boycott of the home tax and increase the pressure on the government to scrap it altogether. And then we need to use the state wide organisation of the CAHWT to mount an effective campaign of opposition to the introduction of domestic water taxes.”