HISTORIC SINN FÉIN DECLARATION

Whereas a majority of the delegates to the 82nd Ard-Fheis of Sinn Féin have today voted to allow their elected representatives to recognise the 26-County Parliament at Leinster House and take part in its administration: and,

-- Sinn Féin delegates (including Ruairí Ó Brádaigh) voting against the proposal to grant recognition to the 26-County assembly at the 1986 Ard-Fheis in Dublin.

Whereas such a decision conflicts with the two fundamental principles on which the organisation is based and which are enshrined in the Constitution of Sinn Féin, viz.
"(a) That the allegiance of Irishmen and Irishwomen is due to the Sovereign Irish Republic proclaimed in 1916.
(b) That the sovereignty and unity of the Republic are inalienable and non-judicable": and,

Whereas the experience of six decades of attempts to win full Irish freedom through the Leinster House partitionest assembly has shown such efforts to be a total failure, culminating in recent years in full collaboration with the London Government, including extradition of political prisoners and the spending of one million pounds per day of Irish taxpayers' money in protecting the border for England: and,

Whereas no group, minority or majority, claiming to serve the historic cause of national freedom and sovereignty, can grant recognition to the British-created institutions of Leinster House, Stormont and Westminster.

We, Irish Republicans who wish to uphold the basic Republican position enshrined in the Sinn Féin Constitution until today and meeting in public session declare as follows:

-- Ruairí Ó Brádaigh (centre) and Councillor Joe O'Neill, lead the withdrawal of delegates from the Sinn Féin Ard-Fheis in the Mansion House, Dublin on November 2, 1986 following the vote to recognise the 26-County assembly at Leinster House.

We renew our allegiance to the Sovereign Irish Republic proclaimed in 1916 and which was endorsed by the majority of the people of Ireland, acting as a unit, in 1918.

We uphold the Declaration of Independence proclaimed in national Parliament, Dáil Éireann, on January 21st, 1919 and heroically defended in arms by succeeding generations of Irish Republicans.

We will pursue the Republican objectives by continuing the organisation of Republican Sinn Féin whose object will be to organise the Irish people, at home and abroad, in opposition to British interference in the affairs of the historic Irish Nation: to defend the interests of the Irish people against all forms of colonialism and exploitation, political, social, economic and cultural: and to devise policies for the emancipation of all the Irish people, including a system of government which will cherish all the children of the Nation equally and give all a truly democratic voice in the government of their community, by the establishment of a Democratic Socialist Republic.

We salute the memory of our patriot dead who shall always inspire us and we express our solidarity with the families of those who died in the cause of Irish freedom in recent years. To all our Republican prisoners we pledge ourselves to carry on the struggle for which they are now suffering so much.

-- (left to right) Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, Cathleen Knowles and Dáithí Ó Conaill at the meeting of 130 delegates who re-assembled at a Dublin hotel after the withdrawal from the 1986 Sinn Féin Ard-Fheis.

We uphold the historic right of the Irish people to use whatever degree of controlled and disciplined force is necessary in resisting English aggression and bringing about an English withdrawal from our country for ever.

We confidently ask all the Irish people for their support in our endeavours to make the Irish Republic a living reality. Our exiled men and women and all others who have helped us so far are invited to continue their support which has always been appreciated.

Tuigimid go maith go mbeidh deacrachtaí romhainn ins an obair seo ar fad agus glacaimid na cúraimí seo orainn le dóchas go mbeidh muintir na hÉireann fial lena gcúnamh mar a bhí i gcónaí.

2nd November, 1986

-- Ruairí Ó Brádaigh reads the 'Historic Sinn Féin Declaration' to the assembled media on November 2, 1986 after the reconvened Ard-Fheis had decided to reorganise using the name Republican Sinn Féin. He said: "It cannot now be said that there is no organised body of political opinion in Ireland which rejects the 26-County neo-colonial state set up here by England in 1921."