1916 Societies

25/06/2026

24/06/2026

There has been fantastic dedication and hard work put into the monument for Roddy McCorley in Toome. It is a credit to all those over this last year who have volunteered their time and effort to giving this monument the life it should never have lost.

Join us this Sunday 28th of June at 2:30pm, assembling on the Shore Road, Toome. Bands will also be in attendance. Remember Ireland's patriot dead! 🇮🇪

22/06/2026

The DUP spent decades portraying itself as the party of Christian virtue, moral authority and family values, For God and Ulster.
Its representatives routinely condemned others from positions of supposed moral superiority, claiming to uphold God's law and defend the sanctity of family life. Today, that image is in the gutter.
The conviction of DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson exposes a profound contradiction at the heart of a movement that has built much of its political identity on preaching morality while demanding the public's trust.
For years, DUP politicians wrapped themselves in the language of faith, respectability and righteousness.
Yet the man who led that movement became the embodiment of its failure.
Equally striking is the silence of its politicians who are quick to express outrage when migrants, minorities or political opponents commit crimes the same voices that recently took to the streets, claiming to 'defend' communities and 'protect' women and children from rapists are far less willing to confront abuse when the perpetrator comes from within their own political and cultural background.
If the protection of children is truly the priority, then outrage cannot depend on the nationality, religion, skin colour or political affiliation of the offender.
The lesson is clear. Moral authority cannot be built on selective outrage. It cannot be claimed through flegs, religious rhetoric and political grandstanding. It is earned through integrity, accountability and a willingness to confront wrongdoing wherever it exists.
The two young woman deserve enormous praise for their unbelievable courage.

20/06/2026

1916 Societies Béal Feirste member Seán Doherty is currently participating in an international educational training course in Catalonia on the Ecology of Social Movements, attending on behalf of Community Action Tenants Union (CATU).

The programme has brought together more than 40 activists from around the world representing a diverse range of social movements, community organisations, and grassroots campaigns. It has provided a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, learn from diverse experiences, and foster international solidarity among those working towards social and political change.

During his time in Catalonia, Seán has engaged with local Catalonians, community activists, and campaigners, discussing their experiences during the movement for Catalan independence. Many shared their memories of the 2017 independence referendum. They spoke about the response of the Spanish state to the campaign and the polling day itself, when police actions against voters and activists attracted international attention.

These discussions have offered valuable insights into the challenges faced by movements seeking self-determination and the importance of maintaining broad public support. The advice consistently offered by local activists was the importance of keeping movements rooted in communities, maintaining a non-violent approach, and placing culture, language, and identity at the forefront of any campaign for national and social change.

Their experiences highlighted how strong community networks, cultural confidence, and grassroots organisation can sustain movements through difficult periods and help build long-term support among ordinary people.

These conversations also provided an opportunity to discuss the Irish struggle for unity and the practical steps needed to build popular support for Irish reunification. Through engagement with activists from Catalonia and elsewhere, there has been a deeper understanding gained of different approaches to organising and how communities can be brought together around shared goals.

A key lesson from the experiences of local people was the need to continue strengthening Ireland's own cultural revival through the promotion of the Irish language, music, history, and community activism. Building awareness of what a united Ireland could look like must involve not only constitutional change but also a vision of social and economic justice that improves the lives of working people.

Seán also spoke about the One Ireland, One Vote campaign and the potential it has as a democratic tool to engage and mobilise people across the island of Ireland. Through marches, demonstrations, public meetings, educational events, and door-to-door engagement, the campaign aims to raise awareness, encourage discussion, and actively involve communities in shaping Ireland's future.

Drawing inspiration from James Connolly and the ideals contained within the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, discussions throughout the programme reinforced the importance of building a people's movement capable of advancing a democratic and socially just future. The vision of a Workers' Republic, based on equality, popular participation, and the common good, remains relevant as communities organise for change.

Importantly, new friendships, contacts, and links have been established with activists and organisations in Catalonia and across the world. These relationships will help keep channels of communication open for future dialogue, the sharing of experiences, and mutual support as movements continue to develop their own paths forward.

International solidarity and the exchange of ideas remain vital tools in building strong, confident, and community-led campaigns for freedom, unity, and social justice. The lessons learned in Catalonia have reinforced the importance of community organising, cultural revival, non-violent activism, and popular participation in building a movement capable of delivering real and lasting change.

19/06/2026

45th Anniversary Commemoration for Vol. Martin Hurson.

Monday 13th July, assemble at 2.30pm, Galbally Community Centre parade to Galbally Graveyard.

East Tyrone Remembers 🇮🇪

19/06/2026

*REMINDER*

RODDY MCCORLEY: MONUMENT REDEDICATION

The Sean Larkin 1916 Society South Derry, along with the Patrick Loughran 1916 Society - Cookstown and the Thomas Ashe 1916 Society Dūngiven are holding a rededication of Roddy McCorley monument in Toomebridge.

Ath-thiomnú Shéadchomhartha Rodaí Mhic Chorlaí. An Tuam, 2:30 in 28ú Meitheamh 2026
At Toome at 2:30pm on the 28th June 2026.
Meeting point: Shore Rd leading on to Main St, Moneynick Rd,Toome 🇮🇪

RODDY MCCORLEY: MONUMENT REDEDICATION

The Sean Larkin 1916 Society South Derry, along with the Patrick Loughran 1916 Society - Cookstown and the Thomas Ashe 1916 Society Dūngiven are holding a rededication of Roddy McCorley monument in Toomebridge.

Ath-thiomnú Shéadchomhartha Rodaí Mhic Chorlaí. An Tuam, 2:30 in 28ú Meitheamh 2026

At Toome at 2:30pm on the 28th June 2026.

Meeting point: Shore Rd leading on to Main St, Moneynick Rd,Toome 🇮🇪

19/06/2026

The man arrested and charged with the brutal murder of 81-year-old Waterford woman Noreen Daly is Finn Yowell, a white military-aged Irish man.
Watch how the usual anti-immigrant outrage merchants react. No endless posts about his ethnicity. No demands that white Irish men collectively answer for their alleged actions. No claims that Irish culture is the problem. No calls for reprisals against people who look like him.
Why? Because their outrage was never about crime or concern for victims.
Every time a suspect is foreign-born, they rush to social media to blame entire communities.
Calls for people to be burnt out of their homes, mass deportations, and cries of "Get them out".
But when the accused is a white Irish man, the silence is deafening. The same people who spend their days demanding collective guilt and punishment suddenly rediscover that individuals are responsible for their own actions.
The brutal killing of Noreen Daly is a tragedy that deserves justice. But it also exposes the hypocrisy of those who only highlight crimes when they can be used to stoke fear and division.
If your concern disappears when the accused is white and Irish, then your issue was never crime, it's racism.
Our thoughts are with Noreen's family, friends and neighbours in Ardsallagh.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam.

16/06/2026

With great fanfare, the Blueshirts have unveiled a "blueprint" for Irish unity. Forgive our scepticism.
Those who partitioned, administered and normalised British rule hardly inspire confidence as architects of national liberation.

The Republic Will Not Be Delivered by the Parties of Partition!
The publication of Simon Harris's blueprint for Irish unity has been met with predictable fanfare from the political establishment. Yet for Irish republicans, it raises an obvious question, why should the Irish people place their trust in parties that have spent a century managing, normalising and defending the consequences of partition?

The 1916 Societies stands firmly for the right of the Irish nation to self-determination. That right was proclaimed in Easter Week 1916 and ratified by the Irish people in the General Election of 1918.
It did not originate in Leinster House committees, nor does it depend on the permission of British governments or the political calculations of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
For generations, both establishment parties accepted partition as a permanent fact of life while republicans continued to uphold the national demand for freedom and unity. Today, as constitutional change becomes a growing reality, those same parties seek to position themselves as architects of Irish unity. Their sudden conversion is difficult to take seriously.
The national question cannot be solved through endless reports, forums and carefully managed conversations designed to avoid confronting the root cause of division, Britain's continued claim to sovereignty over part of our country. The issue before the Irish people is not administrative reform but national liberation.
We as Republicans support dialogue with all traditions on this island and recognise the need to build a future that respects the rights and identities of all citizens.
However, genuine reconciliation can only be built upon equality, democracy and an end to partition.
The Republic proclaimed in 1916 remains unfinished. Irish unity is not a gift to be granted by political elites but a democratic right to be asserted by the Irish people.
The task of this generation is not merely to discuss unity, but to organise for it and achieve it.
We in the 1916 Societies believe that our "One Ireland, One Vote" campaign offers a democratic and national pathway to Irish unity. The future of Ireland should be decided by the Irish people as a whole, through an all-Ireland referendum that allows the nation to exercise its sovereign right to self-determination and complete the unfinished business of national reunification.

16/06/2026

The recent boycott of a PSNI recruitment talk at St Colm's High School in West Belfast speaks volumes about the attitude of many within our community towards policing in the North. Speaking at Ulster University, Chief Constable Jon Boutcher revealed that more than 400 of the school's 722 pupils chose not to attend his address, with the support of their parents.
This is not an isolated incident. Recent PSNI recruitment figures show that applications from the Catholic community remain low at 26.7%, while applications to the student wing of the PSNI stand at just 19.8%. These figures demonstrate the lack of confidence many people, particularly young people, have in the force.
For many Republicans, the PSNI remains a British policing force. Concerns persist regarding the treatment of Republican activists and their families, including stop-and-search operations, house raids, and other forms of policing which are viewed as attempts to intimidate and suppress political opposition.
The message from our communities is clear: trust and support for the PSNI cannot be taken for granted.
Join the Republican movement. Join the 1916 Societies Béal Feirste and play your part in rebuilding our communities.
Onwards to the Republic ✊🏼🇮🇪