This was the confident but careful leadership of Sinn Fein, who addressed the faithful at Milltown Cemetery on Sunday.
the Republican conspiracy holds the graves of IRA hunger strikers, what Mary Lou MacDonald called a “holy land”, a place of worship, and it is no coincidence that this is where the party held its annual Easter celebrations before one of the most important elections in decades. .
All eyes are on Sinn Fein this weekend, with political rivals wanting to take advantage of any “glorification” of the IRA so close to the date of the vote.
As the party is about to take over as prime minister, any blunders noticed will be used by opponents.
Ms. MacDonald was careful to signal to Republican believers, who had gathered for the first time in three years, and the annual event was canceled due to the pandemic.
“We stand with the families of the dead patriots. We are always inspired by your dignity and your resilience. “We will never forget the sacrifices and contributions of your loved ones,” she said.
Addressing the crowd in Irish, she spoke of The Spirit of Freedom, a phrase related to Bobby Sands, and had a reference to the 1916 martyr Padreig Pierce, but she also spoke about the future rather than the past. .
“Friends, there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. This moment is now. We live at the end of the game of division. “Now is the time to plan, to prepare for Irish unity in our time,” he said.
Unsurprisingly, Sinn Fein’s leader spoke of reunification during the commemoration of the Easter Rise, but the context will no doubt further unite unionism in a time of cataclysm, with the Republican goal now in power on both sides of the border.
In a direct message to political unionism, she said: “If Sinn Fein turns out to be the largest party, we will nominate Michelle O’Neill for that position.
“There is no office in this country that is banned or the only one reserved for one group. Those days are over – and well done. “
Ms. O’Neill also looked back at the history and significance of the Easter period for Republicans.
But she mentioned the unionists and the trade union tradition, albeit in the way they would be treated in a new Ireland.
“All identities can and will be housed in an agreed, united Ireland, because this Ireland will be shaped democratically by the will of the people,” she said.
A civic assembly is already clearly on the political agenda, with both women citing the creation of such a forum.
“Citizens’ assemblies have played a positive role in preparing the ground for previous important referendums,” Ms O’Neill added.
The National Assembly can also be key to setting a clear path for a new, united Ireland before any referendum.
The party wants to return to Stormont after the election, with Ms O’Neill citing legislation passed by the institutions in recent weeks, despite the DUP removing the executive branch.
Sinn Fein is in a more careful mode than in previous years.
Easter speeches in the past were more militant in tone, more related to the recent past and figures of the time, but this was largely a case of taking into account the impact of each word.
While the Republican dead were honored, no woman said the word “IRA.”
These were carefully written speeches.
The party feels confident and this can be seen in the words and performance of his all-female top team.
This will certainly excite Sinn Fein voters, but it has further frightened the DUP, desperate to retain the post of prime minister.
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