Sinn Féin MP for mid-Ulster, Francie Molloy, called for unity among republicans at the 90th anniversary commemoration of General Liam Lynch in the Knockmealdowns near Goatenbride on Sunday.

Veteran republican Marcus Fogarty explained that the monument was erected in 1935 by republicans with donations from all over Ireland and beyond.

A crowd of over 200 made their way up the 5km dusty mountain track leading from Goatenbridge to the 50ft-high round-tower monument that marks the place where Lynch was mortally wounded in the last days of the Civil War on 10 April, 1923 by Free State forces. He was chief of staff of the IRA at the time, although he was only 29 years old.

Like so many others the 1916 rising was to fundamentally change the life of Liam Lynch. In its aftermath he witnessed the killing of members of the Kent family in the garrison town of Fermoy. That day Liam dedicated his life to making the Irish Republic a reality and declared he was now a man of 'one allegiance only'.

Francie Molloy MP, urged unity among all republicans, addressing himself too to those in the crowd who were not members of his own party.

“It is important now we bring together the republican family that was so divided in the past to achieve this aim," he said, saying 'we must learn from the past and be wiser for the future'. He said while others try to deny their roots, Sinn Féin is 'the true Republican Party'

“Republicanism is stronger today than ever before, we are in government in the north and we are the main opposition in the south."

He went on to say that today, austerity is being delivered from Fine Gael and Labour is following on from what Fianna Fáil had already delivered.

"Families are struggling today more than ever with poor health care facilities, poor childcare severe cuts in education and a young generation burdened with huge unsustainable mortgage debt. To cap it all we are now faced with the withdrawal of town council and proper local representation of the people."

Concluding, he said: "We need unity now, like we never did before. We need unity to bring about the united, democratic republic that will see Ireland as an island of equals moving forward together towards the republic of which Liam Lynch dreamed.”

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