Meon Gaelach: Seán South on the New Plantation of Ireland
The following first appeared on the Substack ‘Creeve Rua’ and is syndicated with the permission of the author.
Sean South’s radicalism
For my second publication of Meon Gaelach, I have decided to share an extract from Mainchín Seoighe’s classic work Maraíodh Seán Sabhat Aréir, written in 1964.
The work in total is a required biographical reading for those interested in Republican history, but the extract included here encapsulates South's agrarian radical tendancies. While he has been immortalised along with Fergal O’Hanlon for his martyrdom in the struggle for freedom in the 1957 Border wars, his Lalorist opposition to British and foreign ownership of Irish land is also worth considering.
Despite the announcement of the Free State ‘Republic’, supposedly sovereign over the island's territories and resources, foreign elites and businesses continued to control the fisheries, forestries, etc in the 1950s — especially after the Foreign Direct Investment policies: ‘Seachtain i ndiaidh seachtaine tá greim na nGall ar fhearann na Fódhla’ (Week after week, the Foreigners hold on the land of Fódhla is being strengthened). The solution encapsulates the radical economic and political philosophy required for a truly independent and sovereign Ireland: the people of Ireland, through the State, must control the resources, land and finance on this island.
English translation:
‘One of the things that greatly affected Seán was the re-possession that was being carried out by foreigners throughout the country; they were taking hold again, through a lot of money, on the lands of Ireland, and without any opposition from the Government. As Keating himself said long ago:
“It is with them without grace the hand of our hardwood-struggls, Every way is made better by pleasant surroundings.”
In an article in Rosc, June 1955, entitled ‘Ireland faces the Reign of Foreigners over our Forests,’ Seán reminded his readers of the incident involving Liam Bulfin in Rambles in Ireland; about how the author came to a beautiful spot next to the Shannon, and that he went in a wall in the road in spite of the notice “Trespassers will be Prosecuted”, and when he was stretched out on the fern resting “the ownagh” got in front of him with a fishing rod and a basket, and asked: “What awe you doing heawh?”. He threatened Bulfin with the law, but if he did he would soon find out that he had a man of his determination. “Oh, go away,” said Bulfin to him, “your attitude of mind towards first principles needs over-hauling.”
The son, said Seán, who would give such an answer to the land owners of today in Ferinn, this Lieutenant-Colonel or that Brigadier, is a bold one who would trespass on the Lord's land (which has returned to Ferinn) to his native lands, permission to decorate his castle so that it would be easier for him and his nobles to look at the sea castle so that: “Irish hauling water and carrying firewood. How dare the Gael go fishing without permission from his Westerners!...”:
[from Sean South's article:] “It is a national scandal, without any doubt, the negligence that the authorities are doing by allowing foreigners to come in and buy the lands of the country on pieces of paper - something that the Virgin Elizabeth could not do with a sword or with fire. Week after week, the Foreigners hold on the land of Fódhla is being strengthened - a farm here, a castle there, a factory over there, a fishery here. Week after week the English owners are preparing to start the era of the big houses. There is not a county in Ireland where they have not built a bridgehead; there is no area that has not already experienced the false taste of foreigners.
Is there more than one person, a single honest person, is there more than that one person among all the elected representatives of the country who will stand and speak against the replanting of the ‘Republic’?
But no! No! They don't care! The political party system would not allow them to do it anyway, even if they wanted to. This Alien system does not foster moral courage or honesty. And, therefore, quo vadis?
What is the cure for this national shame? Will those who love the land of Ireland, and who believe that the land of Ireland belongs only to the people of Ireland, will they, after the developments of the Land War, return to the advice of Davis and Lalor? Do they have to express, without any ambiguity, that they believe, as Cromwell knew when he conquered us, that it is worth fighting for this country, Ireland; its rivers, its woods, its streams, its mountains, its valleys, even for its people?”’
As Gaeilge:
‘Ceann de na rudaí a ghoill go mór ar Sheán an t-ath shealbhú a bhí ar siúl ag Gaill ar fud na tíre; iad ag fil greim athuair, trí neart airgid, ar thailte na hÉireann. Agus gan aon chur ina choinne sin ag an Rialtas. Mar a dúirt an Céitinneach fadó:
“Is leo gan ghráscar lámh ár ndonna-bhruíne, Gach fód is fearr dár n-áitibh eochar-aoibhne.”
In alt i Rosc, Meitheamh 1955, dar theideal ‘Éire ar Crannaibh-an Gall i Réim Arís,' mheabhraigh Seán dá léitheoirí an eachtra úd ag Liam Bulfin i Rambles in Eirinn; faoi cé mar tháinig an t-údar go ball álainn cois Sionainne, agus go ndeachaigh sé isteach de dhroim bhalla an bhothair d'ainneoin an fhógra Trespassers will be Prosecuted, siar ar an raithneach ag ligean a sciet uair a bhí sé sínto e gur éirigh os a chomhair ‘the ownagh’ le slat iascaigh agus ciseán, agus d'fhiafraigh: ‘What awe you doing heawh?’ Bhagair sé an dlí ar Bhulfin, acha má dhein ba ghairid go bhfuair sé amach go raibh fear a dhiongbhála aige. ‘Oh, go away,’ arsa Bulfin leis, ‘your attitude of mind towards first principles needs over hauling.’
Is dána an mac, arsa Seán, a thabharfadh a leithéid sin de fhreagra ar shealbhóirí talún na linne seo in Éirinn, an Leifteanant-Choirnéal Seo nó an Briogáidire úd. Is dána an té a dhéanfadh treaspás ar fhearann an Tiarna (atá tagtha ar ais go hÉirinn go dtí a thailte dúchais, in gcead duit, chun a chaisleán a mhaisiú i dtreo go mb'fhusa dó féin agus dá uaisle breathnú ar “na mere Irish ag tarraingt uisce is ag iompar connaidh). Is dána an Gael a rachadh ag iascaireacht gan cead óna Thiar nas !...”:
“Is scannal náisiúnta, gan amhras ar bith, an fhaillí atá á déanamh ag na 'húdaráis' trína ligean d'eachtrannaigh teacht isteach is tailte na tíre a cheannach ar phíosaí páipéir-rud nár fhéad an Mhaighdean Eilís a dhéanamh le claíomh nó le dó. Seachtain i ndiaidh seachtaine tá greim na nGall ar fhearann na Fódhla á dhaingniú feirm anseo, caisleán ansiúd, monarcha thall, ceart iascaireachta abhus. Seachtain i ndiaidh a chéile tá sealbhóirí Sasanacha ag cur fúthu le hathréim na dtithe móra a thosú. Níl contae in Éirinn nach bhfuil ceann droichid' tógtha acu ann; ceantar níl ann nach bhfuil dulta i dtaithi cheana féin ar bhlas bréagach na gcoimh thíoch.
An bhfuil oiread is duine amháin, duine aonraic ion raic, an bhfuil oireada an duine amháin sin i measc theachtaí tofa uile na tíre a sheasfaidh is a labhróidh in aghaidh athphlandáil na 'Poblachta'?
Ach níl ! Níl! Is cuma leo! Ní ligfeadh córas na bpáirtithe polaitíochta dóibh é a dhéanamh pé scéal é, fiú dá mb'áil leo é. Rud é an córas Gallda seo nach gcothaíonn misneach morálta ná macántacht. Agus, mar sin, quo vadis?
Cad é an leigheas atá ar an náire náisiúnta seo? An mbeidh orthu siúd ar ionúin leo tír na hEireann, agus a chreideann gur le muintir na hÉireann amháin tir na hÉireann, an mbeidh orthu siúd, tar éis íobairtí Chogadh na Talún, dul i muinín chomhairle an Dáibhéadaigh is Uí Leathlobhair? An gcaithfidh siad a chur in iúl, gan aon dá bhrí, go gcreideann siad, faoi mar a chreid Cromail, gur fiú troid ar son na tíre seo, Éire; a haibhneacha, a coillte, a srutháin, a sléibhte, a gleannta, fiú ar son a muintire?”’