Militant group in 1916 stunt at Curragh
Society broke in to army base to hold ceremony
IN A week when protesters halted restoration works at the 1916 site on Dublin’s Moore Street, the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal that a hardline republican group held a wreath-laying ceremony at the Curragh army camp.
The 1916 Societies – a splinter republican group set up in Tyrone in 2009 – left a wreath and a copy of the Proclamation of the Republic at the camp, where they also held a minute’s silence for executed IRA members.
The breach happened the week before Christmas and came to light following a routine patrol.
A spokesman from the Defence Forces press office told the MoS that military police are investigating the matter: ‘At 8.30pm on Friday 18th of December a wreath, flag and copy of the Proclamation were discovered on a fence by a routine patrol in an open, non-sensitive area of the Curragh Camp. While the matter is not considered serious, it is being investigated by the military police.’
The 1916 Societies released a statement claiming its members entered the military camp ‘under the cover of darkness’.
It added: ‘Those present made their way to a fence surrounding the Glasshouse military prison, where the Volunteers were executed by firing squad by Free State counter-revolutionaries.
‘At the closest possible position to the Glasshouse, a wreath, a copy of the Proclamation and an Irish Republic Flag were placed on the fence. The Proclamation and the names of the executed Volunteers were read out followed by a minute’s silence.’
An informed source said gardaí are aware of the breach.
‘It was a PR stunt for their own benefit. It is seen as more of a nuisance than anything else. The 1916 Societies was the crowd who erected the tricolour and the green flag of the Irish Republic over Stormont last summer. They could try something similar in the GPO or other building in the lead-up to the commemorations.’
The source added: ‘This is seen as a nuisance. Similar to republican protesters in Moore Street today. They’ve ignored it for years
‘It’s more of a nuisance than anything else’
but when work starts on the derelict buildings they appear.’
Last year the MoS reported that the 1916 Societies was in the process of setting up a New York branch. Members travelled to New York in October and met ex-Irish Northern Aid (Noraid) publicity director Martin Galvin.
Security sources were concerned. One said: ‘They set up in 2009 but are only getting up and running now. They are very militant.’
Meanwhile, a separate group of activists are continuing their protest after gaining access to the Moore Street site on Thursday. Workers were forced to down tools as the protesters entered the building.
The Government bought Numbers 14 to 17 on the street, which includes the site of the last war council held by the 1916 leaders.
Damien Farrell, a spokesman for the group and an Éirígí member, explained that a number of issues including transparency and potential damage to protected structures were some of the reasons behind the protest.