Mark the Hand Over of Dublin Castle by Building a United Ireland

100 years ago today the British government started the process of withdrawing from Dublin Castle. The Castle had been the center of British political rule in Ireland for over a centenary.

The handover followed a narrow Dáil vote to accept the Treaty which entrenched the partition of Ireland and fell well short of the Republic proclaimed in 1916.

Six months later the British Government demanded the pro-treaty forces fire on Irish Republicans opposed to the treaty that had established a headquarters in the Four Courts Complex. The British military provided the artillery for the attack. The pro-treaty forces followed the demands of the British Government and a civil war was started.

The North was left to the mercy of a repressive and sectarian unionist government.

There are some who believe that today marks an Independence Day for Ireland ignorant of the fact that six counties remain under British Governance.

Let us mark the day, not with false claims of independence, but with a commitment to build a united and independent Ireland that is home to all who share the Island.