The members of the Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America send greetings of solidarity and congratulations on the occasion of the dedication of this monument to the martyrs of the 1981 hunger strike from County Derry. It has been too long since these sons of Derry have been appropriately honoured in Derry City, and this lasting tribute fills us with a sense of pride.

The sacrifice of Irish National Liberation Volunteers Patsy O'Hara, Kevin Lynch, and Michael Devine serves as a lasting inspiration to us, and to people in struggle around the world. Having been deprived of all other weapons with which to fight against oppression, these young men transformed their own bodies, their own lives, into vehicles of resistance. Through their deaths on hunger strike, they served an indictment against the failed legacy of imperialism, occupation, and repression of Britain in Ireland.

We salute as well, the honour this monument provides to the other martyrs of the Irish Republican Socialist Movement. Through their bravery and sacrifice they taught us important lessons about dedication to resistance to the many crimes against humanity that they, their nation, and their class suffered. They are lessons that we are mindful of now, as they are paid this tribute by those who remain filled with a sense of loss because of their deaths, and those who are driven forward by their example and their inspiration.

The Unionists have denounced the monument and are seeking its removal before it has even been dedicated. This is because they too recognise the incredible power that the memory of our fallen has upon us and those who will come after us. They cower before the overawing power, the blinding light of inspiration, which the memory of these fallen comrades still brings to us. And, well they should cower. For this the memory of our comrades, now departed, illuminates a history of dark dealings on the part of Britain and their lackeys among the populace of the six counties Britain continues to occupy on the island of Ireland.

Let this monument serve then as a guiding light amidst that darkness that remains on this island. Let the memories of those who have made such an intense sacrifice continue to guide us forward out of this long night of oppression. For the dawn cannot be long in coming. And, in the 32-County Irish Workers' Republic that will come with that dawn, the names of these martyrs will be remembered. Remembered when the crimes of the imperialists have been rendered unto dust, and the Irish working class shall claim its own.