1916 Societies

15/10/2026

STRABANE — ‘UK’ TOWN OF CULTURE BID

A STATEMENT FROM THE JOSEPH PLUNKETT 1916 SOCIETY

The Joseph Plunkett 1916 Society is launching a public campaign opposing Strabane's participation in the UK Town of Culture competition.

For us, the objection begins with the very title itself. We see this competition as an attempt to celebrate and promote a UK national cultural identity, which directly conflicts with our republican principles and beliefs.

Strabane and the surrounding communities of West Tyrone have a long and proud tradition of Irish republicanism. Generations of men and women from these communities dedicated themselves to the cause of Irish freedom, national sovereignty and the right of the Irish people to determine their own future.

Those principles did not disappear with the passage of time.

As republicans, we remain committed to the ideals of the 1916 Proclamation and the objective of a sovereign, independent, 32-county socialist republic.

It is from that position that we oppose Strabane being promoted under a UK national cultural designation.

We are not opposed to cultural investment, regeneration or opportunities for the people of Strabane and the surrounding areas. But we draw a clear distinction between celebrating our Irish culture and accepting a designation that, from our republican perspective, reinforces and legitimises the very system of British rule and partition that has, for generations, subjected the people of Strabane and communities across the six counties to injustice, discrimination, hardship, suffering and deprivation.

OUR POSITION IS CLEAR: WE ARE CALLING FOR STRABANE'S WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UK TOWN OF CULTURE COMPETITION.

⬇️ Continued Below

15/10/2026

"A soldier without any political training is a potential criminal"

Today, 39 years ago, the revolutionary leader of Burkina Faso was murdered by apologists for colonial rule in Africa.

15/10/2026

The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the r**e of a 7-year-old child and the sexual abuse of another child over 23 years.
This conviction exposes the hypocrisy and contradictions at the heart of political unionism; these white supremacist bible thumpers have long presented themselves as defenders of family values, morality and law and order.
Political unionism must now face uncomfortable questions about the seismic gap between the values it publicly proclaims and the hypocritical conduct of those who represent it.

14/10/2026

STRABANE — ‘UK’ TOWN OF CULTURE BID

A STATEMENT FROM THE JOSEPH PLUNKETT 1916 SOCIETY

The Joseph Plunkett 1916 Society is launching a public campaign opposing Strabane's participation in the UK Town of Culture competition.

For us, the objection begins with the very title itself. We see this competition as an attempt to celebrate and promote a UK national cultural identity, which directly conflicts with our republican principles and beliefs.

Strabane and the surrounding communities of West Tyrone have a long and proud tradition of Irish republicanism. Generations of men and women from these communities dedicated themselves to the cause of Irish freedom, national sovereignty and the right of the Irish people to determine their own future.

Those principles did not disappear with the passage of time.

As republicans, we remain committed to the ideals of the 1916 Proclamation and the objective of a sovereign, independent, 32-county socialist republic.

It is from that position that we oppose Strabane being promoted under a UK national cultural designation.

We are not opposed to cultural investment, regeneration or opportunities for the people of Strabane and the surrounding areas. But we draw a clear distinction between celebrating our Irish culture and accepting a designation that, from our republican perspective, reinforces and legitimises the very system of British rule and partition that has, for generations, subjected the people of Strabane and communities across the six counties to injustice, discrimination, hardship, suffering and deprivation.

OUR POSITION IS CLEAR: WE ARE CALLING FOR STRABANE'S WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UK TOWN OF CULTURE COMPETITION.

We also recognise that as a Society we are not alone in holding this position.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM THOSE WHO SHARE OUR OPPOSITION.

As the first step in this campaign, we invite individuals, community representatives and organisations who oppose the designation to make their views known publicly in the comments below, explaining their position in their own words.

Our republican beliefs are not confined to the pages of history. They continue to inform our position on the political and cultural future of our communities today.

Joseph Plunkett 1916 Societies

11/10/2026

Yesterday, a contingent of youth from the 1916 Societies met for several hours to discuss strategic next steps, upcoming campaigns, and the current trajectory of Irish Republicanism. Plenty discussed and more actioned! Watch this space 🔥🇮🇪

To join the 1916 Societies, click on the link provided or PM the page: https://www.1916societies.ie/contact/

09/10/2026

Irish Republicanism United is a force to be reckoned with!

Over the last few weeks, we've seen Catholics, Protestants, and Dissenters unite around a common cause.

Now, we await Loyalism's response; over the last week, many influential voices reiterated their cryptic message of 'severe consequences.' We await their response.

NO ORANGE FEET ON OUR STREETS🫡🔥🇮🇪

08/10/2026

The Education Authority's instruction to pupils and staff to "wear more clothes" rather than turn up the heating is not a piece of practical advice. It is a confession, a confession that the state has failed the most vulnerable in our society and that it has chosen to ask children to bear the cost of that failure by putting on an extra jumper in a freezing classroom. Asking children to put on extra clothing is a further drive into the individualistic teachings that this parasitic neo-liberal state has driven over 70+ years.

Child poverty is not an abstract statistic; it is a daily reality for tens of thousands. One in four children, approximately 110,000 young people, are growing up in poverty in the 6 Counties. Around 130,000 children were living in food-insecure households last year, an increase of 20,000 from the previous year. In West Belfast, Newry and Armagh, one in four children are living in poverty.

Homelessness has reached crisis levels. Between October 2025 and March 2026, 7,836 households presented as homeless, with 5,039 accepted as statutorily homeless. As of April 2026, 5,633 households were living in temporary accommodation. Over 50,000 households are on the social housing waiting list. The number of households in temporary accommodation has risen by 79% in five years.

Those who educate our children are among the lowest paid public servants. Classroom assistants earn between approximately £13.63 and £15.74 per hour. Special educational needs classroom assistants earn £14.99 to £15.74 per hour. Teachers earn between £33,000 and £51,000. These are the people being told to put on a coat and carry on.

Meanwhile, our MLAs have awarded themselves not one but two pay increases this year. In April 2026, their salaries rose from £53,000 to £67,200 — an increase of more than £14,000, or 26.8%. A further rise to £69,216 has already been proposed for the next mandate.

The men and women of the Easter Rising proclaimed an Irish Republic that would "guarantee religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens" and which declared its resolve to "cherish all of the children of the nation equally".

That promise was made to every child, not just the children of the wealthy, not just the children whose parents can afford to heat their homes. It was a promise that the Republic would be a haven for all of the children.

Ask yourself: is a child shivering in a classroom because the heating has been turned down being cherished equally? Is a child whose family cannot afford to feed them adequately being cherished equally? Is a child waiting years for a diagnosis or a surgery being cherished equally? Is a classroom assistant struggling to pay their own heating bills while teaching our children being cherished equally?

The Republic declared in 1916 was never fully achieved, and the partition of our country in 1921 created two states that have both failed the working class. The "alien government" spoken of in the Proclamation has been replaced by a native administration that has learned to speak the language of austerity just as fluently.

The Proclamation of 1916 was not a piece of history to be dusted off once a year. It was a declaration of intent. It was a promise, and that promise, to cherish all of the children of the nation equally, remains unfulfilled.

Until every child in this country has a warm classroom, a full stomach, a roof over their head and a future worth living for, we will not rest. The Republic is not yet won. The work continues. 🔥✊️🇮🇪🫡

08/10/2026

Occupation No More: From Garvaghy Road to Gaza

The 1916 Societies, in the spirit of anti-colonial and anti-imperialist resistance, stood shoulder to shoulder with the residents of the Garvaghy Road as they held a solidarity protest in support of the people of Gaza and Palestine. It was not a gesture of charity from a distance, but an act of common cause: the colonised and the occupied recognising one another, and refusing to accept that empire has the right to decide who may live freely and who must be policed, bombed, starved or displaced.

Garvaghy Road spokesperson Breandán Mac Cionnaith said the protest was intended to show that the people of Garvaghy Road had not forgotten Palestine on the third anniversary of the onset of the current genocide against the Palestinian people. His words carried the simple, message, our stance against oppression is itself is a form of resistance: the oppressed are not to be abandoned, the dead are not to be forgotten, and solidarity is a duty and not just gesture politics!

Throughout this present catastrophe, the message from the Garvaghy Road has been clear and unwavering: colonial occupation is a crime. It is a crime when it is enforced on the Garvaghy Road in Ireland, and it is a crime when it is enforced in the Gaza Strip in Palestine. Whether imposed by British rule in Ireland or by the Israeli state in Palestine, the same colonial logic runs through both, dispossession, partition, militarised policing, collective punishment, and the denial of national freedom.

Ordinary people have the right to exist in freedom and dignity under universal suffrage, regardless of creed, identity, nationality or ethnicity. They have the right to self-determination, to equal citizenship, and to live without the boot of occupation on their necks.

From Garvaghy Road to Gaza: Occupation No More. Free Palestine.

08/10/2026

NEVER AGAIN WILL THE POLICE BATON PROTESTERS OFF THE STREET

By Brian Feeney

The past fortnight has been a watershed which has graphically demonstrated the illegitimacy of this place
THE Court of Appeal heard the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition case on Monday, exactly 58 years to the day since the RUC batoned peaceful civil rights demonstrators off Duke Street in Derry.

That wouldn’t have struck a chord with many unionists, but as the jester says in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, “thereby hangs a tale”.

Here’s the thing. Regardless of court verdicts, Parades Commission determinations, or what have you, it’s never going to happen again.

The PSNI may be 70% Protestant but unionists don’t any longer own the police. They will not do their bidding.

The DUP MP Carla Lockhart (and she’s not the only one) has demanded that the “police do their job”, by which she obviously means tear into the vast crowd on Garvaghy Road with batons and water cannon.

Has she no idea that would be the end of the PSNI as an acceptable police service?
Does she care, or does she not realise the sea change that has taken place in the north?

Drumcree and Orange marches and the police are not in the same place as they were 30 years ago.
The past fortnight has graphically demonstrated the illegitimacy of this place.

As is often the case, those who have exposed its illegitimacy are the very people who should be working to pretend their “wee country” is legitimate and a viable entity.

We have a proconsul from Britain who is so out of his depth as to be utterly useless, unable to take the decision to ban the parade, which he has the power to do. He doesn’t have to wait for the chief constable to advise him disorder is out of control.

We have an Assembly which is equally useless and has no power to deal with parades. It’s exposed as the glorified county council it is.

Last Tuesday, after a slanging match which lasted two days, they packed it in because, guess what, they had no other business to transact.

So the north’s elected representatives are spectators and commentators at the events on the streets and the proconsul, police and courts have no control over them. That’s a pretty comprehensive illegitimacy, isn’t it?

And here’s the kicker. Nothing will happen to any of the protesters on Garvaghy Road, despite poor Gavin Robinson’s repeated, futile, forlorn appeals for the “extensive PSNI investigation” to bear fruit.

The past 10 days have constituted a watershed, a watershed which showed that the north can’t be run without the consent of its majority population – the nationalists. A bit of a turnaround, eh?

The contrast between the predominantly young, ebullient crowds on Garvaghy Road – with visiting bands like The Mary Wallopers, Beoga, Lankum, spontaneous cèilidhean sessions – and the sparse gathering of Orange supporters could not have been more stark.
On Saturday afternoon it’s reckoned up to 15,000 travelled from all over Ireland to stand on Garvaghy Road in a carnival atmosphere.

Sunday’s gathering on the Orange side looked like a metaphor for the state of unionism. A few hundred maybe, heads bowed in the twilight for a prayer service, then a band blattering drums.
Some of the Orangemen wearing bowler hats, the very symbol of the past.

Do you think that there’s any unionist leader capable of telling them that it’s over, that they can’t have what they want, that they’ve exposed the terminal weakness of unionism, that most unionists actually don’t support marching through nationalist districts?

Polls show over 70% of unionists either disagree or disagree strongly with marching where they’re not wanted.

Do you think the letter initiated by east Belfast Baptist pastor Rev Karen Sethuraman and signed by over 1,000 “concerned individuals from a Protestant background” will have any effect, and if not, why not?

Sunday’s gathering on the Orange side looked like a metaphor for the state of unionism. A few hundred maybe, heads bowed in the twilight for a prayer service, then a band blattering drums.
Some of the Orangemen wearing bowler hats, the very symbol of the past.

Those signatures were amassed in two days, itself evidence of the strong unionist opposition to what the Portadown Orangemen have provoked.

Can no one pe*****te the tiny particle of political brain those guys at Drumcree possess? Can no one convince them of the damage they’re doing to unionism and its project?

As my colleague Alex Kane wrote last week, the Assembly will just be unworkable now, a forum of ya boo hiss because it’s impossible to see how, if no political relations have developed over 25 years, they can develop now.

You’d think it would be in unionist parties’ interest to promote a successful regional assembly, but they seem to be competing with each other to make the north unworkable.

In the last 10 days unionists of all shades have successfully proved the republican case that partition is the problem and that the north is a failed political entity.

The past fortnight has graphically demonstrated the illegitimacy of this place

07/10/2026