Speech of An Taoiseach Simon Harris T.D., Béal na Bláth Commemoration

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Prologue

102 years ago, this spot unexpectedly became a place of violence, resulting in a terrible, tragic death.  The killing of Michael Collins haunted our new Irish State, depriving us of the vision and leadership of the person who had done so much to bring it into existence, someone who understood that the future of our nation is our people.

 

Our coming here every year is a symbol of our great respect.  It is also, in a very real way, an act of defiance.  We are sending out a message of hope from this site of tragedy, reaffirming to each other and to the Irish people that the gunman failed to kill the idealism that inspired a revolutionary generation.

 

That same idealism inspired the generations that followed, and it continues to inspire us today.

 

Introduction

Lord Mayor, Mayor, Canon O’Mahony, Superintendent, it is my great honour to stand here today to deliver the annual oration at Béal na Bláth.

 

My thanks to Garret Kelleher and all the members of the Michael Collins Commemoration Committee for this invitation, and for making this event one of our country’s most significant annual commemorations.

 

I am also delighted to welcome Fidelma Collins here representing the Collins family.

 

Two days after the terrible tragedy that took place here, George Bernard Shaw wrote a letter to Hannie Collins, the sister of Michael, in a doomed attempt to cheer her up.  He suggested that instead of mourning the leader we had lost, we should ‘rejoice in his memory’, and ‘hang out our brightest colours in his honour’.

 

I quoted these words in my maiden speech in Dáil Éireann in March 2011, when, as the youngest member of the House, I had the privilege of nominating Enda Kenny as Taoiseach.  I returned to them last March, when I gave my first speech as the new leader of Fine Gael in Athlone.

 

It is a part of the Michael Collins story that has always resonated with me because it reminds us that even in the darkest of days we need words of hope, to light the way and direct us forward.

 

Having provided hope to an entire nation during years of fear and uncertainty, Michael Collins would have understood that message better than anyone.

 

It is no surprise that so many of us find inspiration in the life and legacy of Michael Collins.

 

He was the idealist who dreamed of freedom.

 

The revolutionary who brought a new energy to an old conflict.

 

The administrator who made the War of Independence possible.

 

The Minister for Finance who built up the administrative apparatus of this fledgling state, and who successfully created, marketed, and utilised the loan fund to make dreams a reality.

 

He was the intelligence chief who laid the foundations for victory.

 

The peacemaker who found a new path to freedom.

 

The visionary who saw the enormous possibilities for the future.

 

The statesman who believed in democracy, and the consent of the people above all else.

 

The leader who became a martyr at Béal na Bláth.

 

The realist who never stopped being an idealist.

 

For so many of us, Michael Collins is not an abstract figure, far removed from our lives.  We know him from books and television, from stories and films.

 

In life, he was larger than life.  In death, he has become even larger still.

 

Every town, every community, has a Michael Collins story.  My own hometown of Greystones has many.  It is said that he proposed to Kitty Kiernan at the Grand Hotel in Greystones, and that they hoped to live on Trafalgar Road, near St. Brigid’s School, an area I know very well, after they got married.  On the morning he sailed to Britain to negotiate the Treaty, he went to the Catholic Church in Greystones at 5.30 a.m. to make his confession and receive holy communion, before heading to what is now Dun Laoghaire, to board the steamship.  Even more poignantly, he returned to the same church on the 19^th of August 1922 to have his confession heard before making his final journey homeward bo und.

 

Over the years I have attended the annual commemoration of Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith at Glasnevin Cemetery and have paid my respects at their graves.  Last year, it was my great privilege to deliver the annual oration at that solemn event.

 

I was proud to honour Michael Collins as the ‘enduring symbol of all that we are proud of in our past and hope for in our future’.  And I acknowledged the debt we owe to him for bequeathing us ‘the ability to self-determine, to be free, and to chart our own course and our own future’.

 

Today, I am proud to come here as Taoiseach, to speak at this solemn spot where a giant of Irish history fell.

 

The Genius of Collins

The genius of Michael Collins was that he was so many people in one.  He cannot be viewed simply through a single lens, because his roles and responsibilities went beyond any simple categorisation.  Believing that ‘people who are busy are never so busy that they cannot do something extra’, he kept taking on more work, more responsibility, to further the cause of Irish freedom. His energy and enthusiasm was infectious, and it proved unstoppable.

 

All this means, of course, that there are many different ways to honour his life and legacy and draw lessons from it.

 

I think this is why this commemoration has been able to hear from some very different voices over the years, each person bringing their own personal insight and powerful message.

 

Last year, Tommie Gorman took the opportunity to praise the pragmatism of Michael Collins as he pointed the way to building a better relationship with Britain and a better future.

Sadly, Tommie passed away a couple of months ago, only a few weeks before we were able to reset British-Irish relations and begin a new chapter in our shared history.

 

We also remember Tommie on this day of remembrance.

 

The year before, Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar, both took the opportunity to draw a line under civil war politics, and to champion the democratic ideals that drove Michael Collins.

 

Frances FitzGerald reminded us in 2015 of the role of women in the Irish revolution, and how the death of Collins was a blow to their participation in the new Irish State.

 

Enda Kenny has spoken here twice.  Once, in 2006, when he set out a vision for the future of this country, and again in 2012, when he returned as Taoiseach, to promise that he would not rest until Ireland had reclaimed and restored its economic sovereignty.  It was a promise he kept, and then some.

 

President Michael D. Higgins was here to mark the centenary of the 1916 Rising and spoke of the terrible price paid by all sides in the Civil War.  He reminded us how Michael Collins wanted us to devote our country’s resources to the benefit of all.

 

During the difficult days of Brexit, Mairead McGuinness drew inspiration from the negotiating skills of Michael Collins, and urged us to be as brave as Collins when facing the challenges ahead.

 

In 2010 Brian Lenihan stepped into history by becoming the first Fianna Fáil politician to deliver the oration.  In the final year of his own life, he spoke powerfully of the fiscal challenges faced during the War of Independence, and the courageous strategies his predecessor as Minister for Finance had introduced to resolve them.

 

In 2013, the late Bill O’Herlihy, used the opportunity to pay tribute to a man ‘of unique character, gumption and backbone’, recognising how his fellow Corkman, Michael Collins, understood the value of sport and how it could galvanise the nation.  And we saw that recently with the wonderful performances of our Olympians in Paris.

 

Rereading the orations over the past few decades brings something into clear focus.  Every generation carries forward the vision of Michael Collins, and every speaker finds new meaning in Collins’ words and actions that put today’s challenges in relief.

 

The pragmatism of Michael Collins led to the freedom to achieve freedom.  Today political leaders need to offer a new kind of freedom.  Freedom from hopelessness.  Freedom from fear for the future.

 

Taking inspiration from Collins’ life, my theme today is how we secure those freedoms.  And I believe it is only by planning carefully and acting decisively that we can secure our future.

 

Democracy

The Irish State was built on the dream of freedom.  The democratic ideal – our sacred flame – wasn’t just a system to choose our elected representatives.  It was a promise that every voice matters, and every vote counts.

 

A promise that every voice would be heard, and every vote was equal.  A promise from one generation to the next.

 

Today democracy is under threat, from those who would tear it down and those who would let it wither.

 

Around the world democratic values are being assailed and attacked by disinformation, polarisation, and the erosion of trust in institutions.

 

Around the world, and much closer to home.

 

But while these threats are real, they also present us with an opportunity: the chance to reaffirm and strengthen our commitment to the democratic values that define us.

 

We unite in defiance of those who try to silence elected politicians, who try to thwart the will of the people by violence and intimidation.

 

In the 102 years since Michael Collins’ assassination, the methods of silencing voices may have evolved, but the intent, the implied violence, and insidious effects on our society have not changed.

 

Like Collins’ generation, we will fight those forces, and we will win.

 

Our own history is a testament to the power of democracy.  Born out of struggle, our democracy has been a vehicle for peace, progress and prosperity.  The Treaty gave us our independence.   But we became a truly free country when we empowered our people – women and men – to participate, to voice their opinions, and to hold our leaders accountable.

 

Today we must protect that sacred flame by fostering a culture of critical thinking, one where truth is valued, and where debates are conducted openly with respect, and not in the shadows or the sewers.

 

Ireland in the World

Our values as a nation were forged in the fires of our history.  Michael Collins lived through a period of intense global instability.  He saw at home the terrible cost of division and the inestimable value of peace. Ireland emerged from that traumatic time with a profound commitment to peace and nation-building, and we carry these values with us in our interactions with the rest of the world.  Our values are gifts to the world if we have the courage to live by them ourselves.

 

In Ukraine we stand firmly against aggression, in defence of the principles of sovereignty and self-determination.

 

In the Middle East we champion dialogue over division, and call for solutions that respect the dignity and rights of all people.

 

And in the parts of the world threatened by famine and civil war, we remember our own history, speak out for those seeking fairness and justice and life itself, and act to make things better.

 

In an increasingly unstable world, Ireland’s role is to mediate, to listen, and to lead with credibility and compassion.  We know from our own painful history that true peace is built on respect, co-operation and the recognition of our shared humanity.

 

These are the values that Ireland brings to the world: a dedication to peace, a respect for diversity, and a steadfast belief in the power of dialogue over discord.  True strength does not lie in force.

 

The world would be in a much better place if some countries had the courage to realise this.

 

Education

There are many paths to freedom, but they all begin with education, because it is the foundation upon which every other part of our future is built.  It provides the bedrock of a successful democracy and a prosperous society.

 

My vision is to create an Ireland where every young person, no matter their background, can realise their full potential.  This means guaranteeing access to education for all, and it also means revolutionising the quality of education, so that we can empower the next generation to pursue the challenges of today and the jobs of tomorrow with confidence and resilience.

 

Opportunity should never be a privilege reserved for the few.  Our country is only fair and just and truly free if every student is given the tools they need to succeed.  Education can unlock doors by closing the achievement gap, boosting student engagement, and responding to the needs of the 21st century.

 

Securing our Future

Michael Collins provided hope to an entire nation during years of fear and uncertainty and he would have understood the challenges facing us today,

 

He would have understood that hope is crushed when challenges are allowed to seem endemic, overwhelming, insurmountable.

 

When our separate worlds are lived through the prism of social media.

 

When fatalism and smallness are part of political discourse.

 

When the demons of fear and division are allowed to thrive.

 

Today, we must stand together in defiance of the attempts to divide and distort.

 

And the challenge has never been greater.  Anger is now an accepted form of political discourse by some.

 

Hate and violence are common responses to difficult decisions.

 

Misinformation and lies are the greatest risk of democracy and peace in our time.

 

Nowhere is that more evident here than in the area of migration.

 

There is a small group of people who want a country whose history has been woven by mass emigration to diminish the value of migration.

 

They seek to create a division among those who were once forced to leave their home in search of a better life with others who are now seeking to do the same.

 

There are some who wave a tricolour and claim patriotism while betraying the founding principles this country prides itself on – freedom, equality, opportunity.

 

It is up to each of us, and especially those in leadership positions, to be the solution we seek.

 

It is up to each of us to use our voice to call out the racism, the hate, the ugliness we see.

 

This is a country of brightness, youth, dynamism, hope.  Made better by the talent and ambition of those who choose Ireland as their home.

 

We are also a nation of laws.  It is vital we hold those who break our laws accountable.

 

Those who attack our security forces, who attack the democratically elected politicians.

 

In the same way, people who break our immigration laws will be held accountable too.

 

 

The Revolutionary Opportunity that is Ireland. 

I meet lots of people, and I hear what they tell me.

 

They tell me to look after the people they care about, to develop a childcare system that works for their kids.

 

Small businesses tell me they want to feel connected and heard.

 

People also tell me their ideas for the future.   The greenways, the roads, the pitches and community centres they want to see. The nature they want to protect.

 

They tell me their fears about the future. They ask me what are we going to do about climate change.

 

Farmers tell me how they can our champions in this area, instead of being demonised.

 

I’m asked what we are going to do about migration.

 

What are we going to do about the security of the state.

 

I’m asked about housing.

 

In every case it’s about restoring hope and rebuilding faith.

 

Housing

Take housing as an example.  We each believe that every generation should be better off than the one before.

 

Home ownership, and the availability and affordability of accommodation, are not only intrinsic to our vision of society, they are also linked to the other major challenges we face – migration, child poverty and the climate crisis.

 

 

As a father of young children I want to solve this national malaise now, before it becomes their problem, and that of the generation after them.

 

My vision is to set Ireland on a path free from the cycles of boom and bust, where crises are a thing of the past.

 

This year, we will exceed our housing targets with almost 40,000 homes built.

 

This includes the biggest social housing build since 1975.

 

But I know our greatest challenge remains delivery at pace.

 

Over the next 5 year we must build 250,000 homes for our people.

 

And we will build 250,000 homes for our people.

 

The work is already underway. Each local authority has been asked to undertake the preparatory work on zoning land for 50,000 new homes each year.

 

My proposed new Department of Infrastructure will help deliver on our plans and priorities and shape the neighbourhoods, towns and villages where we will live and work.

 

The lack of adequate housing destroys the lives of children and is a major factor in child poverty today.   No self-respecting society should tolerate child poverty – we are all deprived when our children don’t reach their potential.

 

To lay the platform for transformation, we must first think big and invest in infrastructure, such as water and waste, with the same sort of entrepreneurial zeal that the First Government applied to the Shannon Scheme for electrification almost 100 years ago.

 

No house or apartment stands on its own in isolation.  Homes need to be connected to crèches, schools, medical centres and sports and cultural facilities, not to mention shopping and a myriad of other supports.

 

We must foster solidarity between generations, and here’s a tangible way to do that.  The proceeds from the sale of shares in the banks that the people of Ireland rescued should be directed toward developing housing. The generation most affected by the mismanagement of banks deserves to benefit from our proper management.   So, I think it’s only fair we explore using the proceeds from the sale of bank shares to help fund the construction of new homes.

 

Conclusion

Today, as we remember how Michael Collins died, let us also remember why Michael Collins lived.

 

Our history shows that we as a country always rise to the occasion when faced with the greatest of challenges.

 

We saw that very clearly during the pandemic when we all came together and marshalled the full resources of this great country to save lives and protect each other.

 

There are times in our history when we have been able to cut through red tape, overcome obstacles and blockages, and achieve what people thought was impossible.

 

We saw it in Michael Collins’ time during the revolutionary period when bold action and a new energy won us our freedom after centuries of struggle.

 

We need the same all-hands-on-deck mentality, to drive new thinking in our country.

 

Michael Collins was not an observer of history: he made it.

 

Today we have it in our power to define the path ahead. To shape our destiny and our future.

 

Michael Collins believed in the resolve, ingenuity, and spirit of the Irish people.

 

He dared to dream beyond the limits of his time.

 

He imagined a future not simply as it could be, but as it should be.

 

Today he demands of us to do the same.   We best honour his legacy by taking the bold steps that will ensure our country thrives in a rapidly changing world.

 

Together, let us forge a future that honours our past, embraces our present, and aspires to reach new heights as a nation.

That is our challenge and today I accept it.

Thank you.