Forum on Irish freedom struggle

WW photo: Liz Green

A forum on Irish revolutionary history entitled “The 1916 Rebellion, James Connolly and the 1981 Hunger Strikers” drew a full house of multinational participants to the Boston Workers World Party office on June 24.

A moving documentary video depicted the barbaric British military occupation in Ireland’s occupied six northern counties and the mass resistance in many forms. The video also shows unity and solidarity actions between the Irish national liberation movement and others, particularly various Native tribes during the U.S. siege of Wounded Knee in the 1970s.

Speakers emphasized the Irish masses’ resistance to English colonialism since the 12th century, James Connolly’s legacy and role in history, Irish Republican women and the movement for socialism there. The relationships of Black people living in the United States to both Irish Americans and the Irish masses in the occupied six counties sparked a discussion about self-determination and the national question. There was also discussion about the ongoing immigrant rights struggle and the U.S. war on Iraq.

Featured speakers shown here are, seated, traditional Irish artist Padraig Dolan, Bryan G. Pfeifer of WWP, Clemencia Lee of the Boston Rosa Parks Human Rights Day Commit tee and Maureen Skehan of WWP; standing, Catherine Donaghy of the Western Mass International Action Center/Troops Out Now coalition, longtime Irish Republican Movement activist Jan Cannavan and Ed Childs of WWP.

—Workers World Boston bureau