COMMEMORATIONS:INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL candidate Seán Gallagher has accused political parties of attempting to hijack the centenary of the 1916 Rising to further their own interests.
Speaking at an event at St MacDara’s Community College in Templeogue in Dublin yesterday, Mr Gallagher criticised “some political parties” for trying to gain popularity by linking themselves to the Rising.
If elected, Mr Gallagher would be president of Ireland in 2016 when a number of events are planned to mark 100 years since the Easter Rising.
“There seems to be an attitude that some political parties want to own the spot and the podium to commemorate 1916. That’s not what it should be about, that’s making it political,” he said.
“It’s not about which political party gets to stand on the podium and the presidency isn’t about that – should not be about political parties gaining ground over one another.”
Mr Gallagher also expressed concerns about “overly glorifying” the actions of Easter 1916, saying that he would not like to see a recreation of what happened with lots of artillery or trucks parading down O’Connell Street.
“Most people see it as a watershed in our history and our identity but I wouldn’t want to glamorise what happened. We need to see our strength not in military terms, we need to see our strength in our people.”
Mr Gallagher quoted his former history teacher who advised him that what was important was not to die for your country but to live for it and make the greatest contribution possible.
“I would like to be a celebration of all that is good in Ireland and all that we have to offer, learning and drawing from the past mistakes of history and working together to build the next chapter.”
Should he be the president in 2016, Mr Gallagher said that he would focus on a message of job creation “and help build the next hundred years”.
During a questions and answers session with some 100 students in the Templeogue secondary school, Mr Gallagher said he left Fianna Fáil in 2009 because he felt “that the party had moved away from its grassroots, the ordinary people who were struggling”.
He said political parties at the time were fighting about who was going to be in power. “To me that wasn’t what politics should be about. It should be about trying to move the country forward and deal with the big issues, so I moved away from party politics,” he said.
As part of his campaign, Mr Gallagher has promised to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit in the State, which he says can help create jobs. A major facet of this would be travelling to schools and speaking with students, he said.
Yesterday, Mr Gallagher encouraged the pupils to be confident about their abilities instead of being defined by their weaknesses.
“I think he related brilliantly,” said Feidhlim Robinson (16), who attends St MacDara’s and is from Blessington, Co Wicklow. “His point was clear and very inspiring I thought.”