While Easter is an opportunity for us to reflect on the rising of 1916, when the Irish working class marched into battle under the banners of the Irish Citizen Army and the Starry Plough flag to join with others bent on ending foreign domination of Ireland, and ultimately to press forward for the greater liberation that socialism means for our class, it is more than this. It is a time when we remember our martyrs, those who have gone before us, gone to early graves; whose heroic sacrifice and unwavering determination continues to provide us with inspiration, but still it is something more.

From earliest times this has been a season of rebirth and renewal, and each year, as the movement gathers beside the graves of our lost comrades and recall those who have created the path upon we still march, we also gather to state once more who we are, why we are here, and where we intend to press forward to.

So, it is fitting, in this season of renewal, that your comrades accross the Atlantic send our greetings of solidarity and restate that we remain committed to the Irish Republican Socialist Party and to the movement as a whole. For the first time, in light of the resolutions of the recent Ard Fheis, we greet you as peers. We are fully mindful of the honour this bestows on us, and equally aware of the recognition of the many years of support we have provided to the movement. As the IRSP prepares to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its founding later this year, we in the IRSCNA have just celebrated our own 15th anniversary. We are proud of this heritage of service to the movement, and we pledge ourselves once again to continuing our efforts to build recognition of, and support for, the IRSP in the Western Hemisphere as the representatives of the foreward guard of the revolutionary consciousness of the working class in Ireland.

A year ago, we witnessed the concluding of a long process of propaganda efforts bent on defeating the Irish revolutionary movement through smoke and mirrors and empty phases when previous attempts through brute force, intimidation, repression and lies had all failed. It was a sullen period for us, having made our best effort to show the foolishness of believing that imperialism could be brought to heel through negotiation. Today, we are vindicated. The recent murder of Rosemary Nelson by Loyalist death squads, with the likely involvement of the RUC; the continued obstruction by Unionism of even the most limited form of co-existence with Nationalists; the threat by two Loyalist paramilitary gangs to end their cease-fire if their demands go unheeded--representing nothing other than a reminder that only the interests of those who serve British imperialist interests in the six counties will be allowed to be met--and the reality that new names for Loyalist killers does not hide the identity of those responsible; the continued unyielding domination by England over the occupation of six Irish counties and the ultimate direction of the remaining 26; the spineless collaboration of the partitionist regime in Dublin with those who deny Ireland its sovereignty; the US government's continued active support for their British allies' domination of Ireland, all these demonstrate how foolish it was to take England's word as a bond.

Throughout the centuries the Irish people have shown an innocence in their willingness to believe England's promises again and again. Whether saintly or stupid, this trust has each time been rewarded with betrayal, and we take small reward in being able to claim that we were correct in saying that they would be shown to have lied once again. The agreement of a year ago is already consigned to the latest example of British duplicity, and far too many still refuse to learn the lesson they have been taught far too often.

We in the IRSCNA take some comfort, none the less, in the IRSP's analysis having once again been borne out by the passing of time, and we are prepared to join the party in turning this sad lesson into a galvanising force to drive forward the struggle of Irish working people for their liberation as a nation, and as a class.

We take this opportunity to send our greetings to the Republican Socialist Prisoners of War in Long Kesh, Maghaberry, and Portlaoise. They, like our martyrs, remain an ever-present inspiration to us in our efforts.

We send our greetings to the volunteers of the Irish National Liberation Army, who though having demonstrated that they can be held to their word through faultless observance of their cease-fire, remain a potential force for defense of the people, should new pogroms await us.

We send our greetings to the friends and family members joining the movement today, recognising that they enable the movement to function--that they provide the support without which our comrades would be seriously weakened.

Finally, we send our greetings to our comrades in the Irish Republican Socialist Party, with whom we have stood through dark periods of despair and times of pride and determination. Know that your supporters in North America remain at your side, determined as ever, to remain with you throughout the long road ahead, until our martyrs receive the only monument capable of honouring their sacrifice and dedication: the creation of a 32-County Irish Workers Republic. We salute you and embrace you, and together, we begin anew the journey ahead.