Republican, radical and relevant AN PHOBLACHT STOOD STRONG IN THE STORM AND CHANGED THE POLITICAL DISCOURSE IN IRELAND BY MARY LOU McDONALD The role played by An Phoblacht in shifting the political discourse in Ireland over the last half a century is undeniable. Over the course of fifty years, it gave an authentic voice to the politics of Irish republicanism. This is particularly true of the dark days of Section 31 when the establishment did everything possible to ensure that the republican message and analysis was suppressed. We have to remember that Gerry Adams gave his first interview to RTÉ television in January 1994. Due to the state directed policy of censorship, it was hard for republicans to be heard and it was easy for the establishment to demonise republicans. An Phoblacht stood strong in the midst of that storm. It was the main outlet for the opinions and arguments of the Republican leadership for three decades. An Phoblacht’s editors, reporters, cartoonists, distributors, and sellers risked their lives to get out the truth about what was happening. It wasn’t easy. Often, they did this even as the threat of death and imprisonment hung over themselves, their families, and their communities. We owe them great debt of gratitude. We might never have built the political strength we enjoy today if it wasn’t for their work. The publication has been fundamental in advancing Republican politics and in preserving the morale and unity during some very difficult times. The paper’s reporting on the dark and heart-wrenching days following Bloody Sunday and during the 1980-1981 hunger strikes are key examples of how An Phoblacht married the responsibilities of politically challenging the injustice of Britain’s brutal policies in Ireland, while also describing poignantly the human loss experienced within nationalist communities. An Phoblacht’s reporters were eyewitnesses to history as it unfolded on their streets and their writings covered important events ignored by the mainstream media. An Phoblacht writers bravely countered the propaganda and lies of Britain’s dirty war in Ireland. It was the newspaper of the risen people. When a real opportunity for peace
An Phoblacht has been a debating ground for big ideas on the issues that matter in the everyday lives of ordinary people in all thirty-two counties 4
presented itself, An Phoblacht was again to the fore in articulating the republican position, in facilitating debate, and it played a unique role in maintaining the cohesion as Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness, and others led Irish Republicans in a new direction. An Phoblacht was a front row witness and chronicler of the historic moments in the peace process and to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. Those editing and writing the An Phoblacht were acutely aware of the inseparable relationship between national liberation, the ending of partition, and the pervasive socioeconomic inequalities experienced by workers and families across the entire island. While shining a bright spotlight on the systemic abuses of the Orange State in the North, An Phoblacht also took on the anti-worker, anti-republican politics of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and the southern state. An Phoblacht has been a debating ground for big ideas on the issues that matter in the everyday lives of ISSUE NUMBER 4 – 2020 - UIMHIR EISIÚNA 4 anphoblacht
