Dr Tim Horgan's speech

The National Graves Association held a commemoration to mark the centenary of the assault on the Four Courts on 28 June 1922 which started the Irish civil war. This is Dr Tim Horgan's speech.

Excerpt:

"For 750 years England had ruled this country by force of arms. In this city on Easter Monday 1916, the Irish Republic was declared on the steps of the GPO. Five years later, and following two years of guerrilla warfare, Britain conceded that Ireland could no longer be coerced, could no longer be subjugated, the croppies would no longer lie down. But our erstwhile colonial masters contrived that if Ireland could not be ruled by the Crown, then Ireland would be ruled for the Crown.
It was the sound of artillery around this building a hundred years ago that ominously
proclaimed that from that day forth, Ireland would be ruled not by Britain but would be
ruled for Britain.

The Irish Republic conceived by the United Irishmen on Belfast s Cave Hill would now
be destroyed by divided Irishmen here on Dublin's quays. Across these walls one hundred years ago stood two armies. One, the army of the Republic was an army without banners, without uniforms, lightly armed but resolute in their defence of that for which generations had died. Outside these walls stood a hastily assembled army whose oath was to the King, whose uniforms were supplied by the British, who fired British rifles and artillery and who served the policy of Britain in Ireland. England had declared that there would be no republic. It had been decreed that those loyal to that republic must be crushed and this suppression would mercilessly begin where we have assembled."

Listen to the rest of the speech in the video above (subtitles available).