McGuinness says Sinn Féin only party committed to Irish unity

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness has contended his party is the only one committed to achieving Irish unity.

Mr McGuinness said the biggest challenge facing Sinn Féin in future was to complete the process of an independent and sovereign 32 county Ireland as envisaged by the seven signatories of the Proclamation.

The Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister delivered the address at the Sinn Féin event on O’Connell Street on Sunday to commemorate the calendar 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising.

The event included pageantry, military re-enactment and a reading of the Proclamation. It was attended by several thousand party supporters.

“We salute their vision of a free sovereign, independent 32 country Irish Republic,” Mr McGuinness said .

He said the “mission statement” of the proclamation was far ahead of its time, offering equality, democracy and social justice when the world knew very little at that time about these concepts.

He said his party was determined to deliver on the proclamation, that all children should be entitled to the highest standard of education possible and society should be rid of homelessness.

He denounced what he portrayed as the “self-serving political parties” of the “establishment” claiming they had all stood by during times of crisis for republicanism.

“Sinn Féin is the only political party on this island working to end that fracture in their nation and to achieving the Republic set out in the proclamation,” he said.

"The spirt of 1916 is as relevant and inspiring today as it was a century ago."

He concluded: “In 2016 let us all join the Rising and the only final message is this very clear: Up the Rebels. Up a sovereign and independent Irish republic.”