Tag Archives: Fianna Fáil

Silence is Violence

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artane-demo-3Today a group of us took to the streets of Coolock at Northside Civic Centre where my motion regarding the history of the Artane Band and the Artane Industrial School was put before the North Central Area Committee. In what can only be described as a gross act of denial only one Councillor voted in favour of the motion. (Cllr Michael O Brien)

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Denial ruled the day. It was an act of shocking violence the deafening silence.  How can it be that the findings of the Ryan Report and the finding of serious Garda inquiry into child abuse, wholesale criminal and sexual violence that was perpetrated in Artane industrial school can be written out of history?
It is a great shame that the Cllrs in this instance chose to keep Ireland and it’s people in the dark and protect the Christian Brothers and their manifestation through the present Artane Band.  The people of Artane and indeed the North Central Area need now to stand up to this shameless shameful act.
The paedophiles and rapists and child abusers will take great comfort in today’s decision by this area committee and its councillors.  While we, the people who experienced this abuse in our childhood, carry a much heavier burden as a result of today’s refusal by the Cllrs to acknowledge the true and proven history of the Artane Boys Band, the Artane Band and the Artane Industrial School.
Like the dark days of the beginning of this journey for justice, we stood alone against the Catholic Church, the Christian Brothers and the orders of nuns.  Sad today, that we stood alone again at the North Side Civic Centre.


We take comfort from the many people, local residents  who we met, all of whom understood our issue and were fully supportive.
We thank you for your hospitality and we will be visiting with you again soon.
Truth and Justice are what we seek.

These two motions below were fully supported last month by all but two Councillors at the North Central Area Committee Meeting. 

Again supporting a true denial of the accurate and true history of the Artane Industrial School and the Artane Boys Band – Artane Band.  History repeats itself in the form of gross denial.  Our lives don’t matter.

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An tAthair Pádraig Ó Fiannachta -Oidhreacht

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Tonight celebrate Culture Night and those who make it.

I was privileged to know, and have some of my work translated by, the magnificent Irish scholar, priest, poet, publisher and sage Pádraig O Fiannachta.  His cultural breath still breathes on this great land of ours and its influence gives life throughout the cultural world.

The text below is a translation from our 2006 work ‘Letting Go of That which you most Ardently Desire’ an artwork that dealt with the issue of armed struggle in Irish history and our recent decommissioning process.

An tAthair O Fiannachta passed away in July of this year into the mythical.

                                                  Ní fheicimíd a leithéid arís ann

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  The Grip That Binds Us

As human beings we are constantly trying to deal and come to terms with internalised trauma.  Being unable or unwilling to resolve certain issues, we cling even tighter to them and, though we yearn for peace and rest and progress, we can’t seem to let go of that which threatens to destroy us.

What is it like to walk away from conflict, to put your weapons beyond use?  To dwell upon all the years committed to the never ending cycle of fright, fight, flight.  Resentment, hatred, fury and denial all form part of the energy field that has dominated us human beings for thousands of years.
Along with the hardware, these emotions need to be deactivated if the grip that has bound us for generations to armed conflict is to be loosened finally and permanently.

Letting go is always a process of loss, a process of grieving. The dawning realisation that you cannot retake what you’ve reconciled to let go of.  And the final, slow acceptance that it is no longer of service to you anyway.
The grip that binds us is a reflective process which offers participants a chance to engage with the emotional dynamics  that underlie letting go and the emergence of something new.

© Gerard Mannix Flynn

Glas-snaidhm orainn

Bímid, mar dhaoine daonna, de shíor ar gor ar chréachtaí inmheánaithe, agus ag iarraidh bheith réidh leo. Toisc nach féidir linn, nó nach toil linn, fadhbanna áirithe a réiteach, is daingne fós ár ngreim orthu; cé go mbímid ag tnúth le síocháin, le suaimhneas agus le dul chun cinn, ní bhíonn ar ár gcumas, de réir dealraimh, scaradh leis an rud seo a bhíonn á bhagairt sinn a scrios.

Conas a mhothaíonn sé cúl a thabhairt le coimhlint, d’airm a chur ó mhaith?
Bheith ag cuimhneamh gan stad ar na blianta gan áireamh gafa ag sceon agus comhrac, tóir agus teitheamh, teitheamh agus tóir.
Tá fuath agus fíoch, fearg agus faltanas i réim i ngarraí treafa polaitíochta Éireann leis na cianta cairbreacha.

Ní hiad na hairm chogaidh amháin atá le cur ó mhaith agus le scrios ach freisin na mothúcháin úd go léir a nasc sinn, glúin ar ghlúin, le cogaíocht an ghunna – táid le scaoileadh go deo faoi dheireadh thiar thall.

Is geall le cailliúint, le caoineadh, i gcónaí rud a scaoileadh uait. Tuigeann tú de réir a chéile nach féidir leat greim a fháil go deo arís ar an rud ar ar réitigh tú scaradh leis. Glacann tú leis de réir a chéile nach aon tairbhe duit é cibé scéal é.

An glas-snaidhm a cheanglaíonn sinn, is próiséas meabhrach é a thugann caoi dóibh siúd a bhíonn páirteach ann dul i ngleic leis na fórsaí mothaithe is bonn don scaoileadh ar shiúl agus do shaolú na nua-bhreithe.

© Gerard Mannix Flynn
Aistriúcháin – Fr. Pádraig Ó Fiannachta

 

 

32nd Dáil Éireann…so far

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‘Something to Live for’ – Installation at The Ivy/Oak -Parliament Street 2016

Here’s wishing all those elected to represent the people of Ireland the very best. Reconnect the people to the Dáil the Dáil to it’s people.

FIANNA FÁIL

Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny)

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny)

Brendan Smith (Cavan Monaghan)

Niamh Smyth (Cavan Monaghan)

Timmy Dooley (Clare)

Kevin O’Keefe (Cork East)

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central)

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West)

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West)

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central)

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central)

Margaret Murphy O’Mahony (Cork South West)

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal)

Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher (Donegal)

Sean Haughey (Dublin Bay North)

Jim O’Callaghan (Dublin Bay South)

Darragh O’Brien (Dublin Fingal)

John Curran (Dublin Mid West)

John Lahart (Dublin South West)

Jack Chambers (Dublin West)

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East)

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West)

John Brassil (Kerry)

Frank O’Rourke (Kildare North)

James Lawless (Kildare North)

Fiona O’Loughlin (Kildare South)

Seán O’Feargháil (Kildare South)

Sean Fleming (Laois)

Willie O’Dea (Limerick City)

Niall Collins (Limerick County)

Robert Troy (Longford Westmeath)

Declan Breathnach (Louth)

Dara Calleary (Mayo)

Lisa Chambers (Mayo)

Thomas Byrne (Meath East)

Shane Cassells (Meath West)

Barry Cowen (Offaly)

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon Galway)

Marc MacSharry (Sligo Leitrim)

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary)

Mary Butler (Waterford)

James Browne (Wexford)

Pat Casey (Wicklow)

Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim)

FINE GAEL

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny)

Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny)

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan)

Pat Breen (Clare)

Joe Carey (Clare)

David Stanton (Cork East)

Dara Murphy (Cork North Central)

Michael Creed (Cork North West)

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central)

Jim Daly (Cork South West)

Joe McHugh (Donegal)

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North)

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South)

Kate O’Connell (Dublin Bay South)

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central)

Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal)

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West)

Noel Rock (Dublin North-West)

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown)

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central)

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West)

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West)

Maria Bailey (Dun Laoghaire)

Sean Barrett (Dun Laoghaire) – automatically re-elected

Mary Mitchell O’Connor (Dun Laoghaire)

Ciaran Cannon (Galway East)

Sean Kyne (Galway West)

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West)

Brendan Griffin (Kerry)

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North)

Martin Heydon (Kildare South)

Charlie Flanagan (Laois)

Michael Noonan (Limerick City)

Patrick O’Donovan (Limerick County)

Tom Neville (Limerick County)

Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth)

Fergus O’Dowd (Louth)

Enda Kenny (Mayo)

Michael Ring (Mayo)

Helen McEntee (Meath East)

Regina Doherty (Meath East)

Damien English (Meath West)

Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly)

Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim)

John Deasy (Waterford)

Micheal D’Arcy (Wexford)

Paul Kehoe (Wexford)

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow)

Simon Harris (Wicklow)

Eamon Ryan  (Dublin Bay South)

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown)

INDEPENDENT ALLIANCE

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North)

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown)

Sean Canney (Galway East)

Kevin “Boxer ” Moran (Longford Westmeath)

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon Galway)

John Halligan (Waterford)

INDEPENDENTS/OTHERS

Michael Harty (Clare)

Michael Collins (Cork South West)

Thomas Pringle (Donegal)

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North)

Maureen O’Sullivan (Dublin Central)

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal)

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central)

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West)

Catherine Connolly (Galway West)

Noel Grealish (Galway West)

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry)

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry)

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway)

Michael Lowry (Tipperary)

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary)

Seamus Healy (Tipperary)

Mick Wallace (Wexford)

LABOUR

Sean Sherlock (Cork East)

Brendan Ryan (Dublin Fingal)

Joan Burton (Dublin West)

Jan O’Sullivan (Limerick City)

Alan Kelly (Tipperary)

Brendan Howlin (Wexford)

PBP/AAA

Mick Barry (Cork North Central)

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West)

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West)

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West)

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dun Laoghaire)

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central)

SINN FÉIN

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow Kilkenny)

Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin (Cavan Monaghan)

Pat Buckley (Cork East)

Jonathan O’Brien (Cork North Central)

Donnchadh O’Laoghaire (Cork South Central)

Pearse Doherty (Donegal)

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central)

Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North)

Louise O’Reilly (Dublin Fingal)

Eoin O’Broin (Dublin Mid West)

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West)

Aengus Ó’Snodaigh (Dublin South Central)

Sean Crowe (Dublin South West)

Martin Ferris (Kerry)

Brian Stanley (Laois)

Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City)

Gerry Adams (Louth)

Imelda Munster (Louth)

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West)

Carol Nolan (Offaly)

Martin Kenny (Sligo Leitrim)

David Cullinane (Waterford)

John Brady (Wicklow)

SOCIAL DEMOCRATS

Roisín Shortall (Dublin North West)

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North)

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow)