' To subvert tyranny'

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June 20 1983 was the 220th anniversary of the birth of Wolfe Tone, the father of Irish Republicanism. He died by his own hand while in jail waiting to be hanged after the failure of the Irish uprisings in 1798. This short account by Tone of his principles is taken from 'Freedom the Wolfe Tone way', " edited by Sean Cronin and Richard Roche.

By 'Protestant' Tone means Anglican, and by 'Dissenter', Presbyterian. The Northern Ireland Presbyterians were at that time ardent Republicans, in open sympathy with the French Revolution.

• SUBVERT the tyranny of our execrable Government, to break the nnection with England, the never-failing source of all our political ils, and to assert the independence of my country - these were my To unite the whole people of Ireland, to abolish the memory of past ssensions, and to substitute the common name of Irishman in place of e denominations of Protestant, Catholic and Dissenter - these were To effectuate these great objects, I reviewed the three great sects.

le Protestants I despaired of from the outset, for obvious reasons.

ready in possession, by an unjust monopoly, of the whole power and tronage of the country, it was not to be supposed they would ever incur in measures, the certain tendency of which must be to lessen eir influence as a party, how much soever the nation might gain.

To the Catholics I though it unnecessary to address myself, because, at as no change could make their political situation worse, I reckoned son their support to a certainty; besides, they had already begun to anifest a strong sense of their wongs and oppressions; and finally, ' ell knew that, however it might be disguised or suppressed, there isted in the breast of every Irish Catholic an inextirpable abhorrence There remained only the Dissenters, whom I knew to be patriotic id enlightened; however, the recent events at Belfast had showed me at all prejudice was not yet entirely removed from their minds. I sat ›wn accordingly, and wrote a pamphlet addressed to the Dissenters, id which I entitled, An Argument on behalf of the Catholics of IrelId', the object of which was to convince them that they and the itholics had but one common interest, and one common enemy; that e oppression and slavery of Ireland was produced and perpetuated by e divisions existing between them and that consequently to assert the dependence of their country, and their own individual liberties, it was cessary to forget all former feuds, to consolidate the entire strength the whole nation, and to form for the future but one people. ›jects.

y means.

the English name and power. Wolfe Tone