Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty has said that growing public anger over the cost of living and failing public services shows that the political and economic status quo is no longer working – and that an alternative is urgently needed.
Addressing a Republican commemoration in Belleeks, in Co. Armagh, Teachta Doherty said recent protests, sparked by rising fuel costs, reflected a much deeper crisis.
“Across this island, people are struggling to make ends meet. Families are under pressure, workers are falling behind, and small businesses are being squeezed.
“The recent protests were not just about fuel – they were about a system that protects wealth at the top while ordinary people carry the burden. When government acted, it was too little, too late, and left hundreds of thousands behind.”
Doherty was speaking at a 50th anniversary commemoration for IRA Volunteer Peter Cleary who was killed by the SAS in 1976.
He said Sinn Féin is offering a clear alternative to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
“In the South, Sinn Féin is standing with people in their daily struggles and offering a credible alternative – an alternative government that will put working people and families first.”
Doherty also pointed to the challenges facing the North, including chronic underfunding and political obstruction.
“In the North, public services are under severe strain after years of austerity imposed by Westminster. At the same time, progress is being frustrated by those who seek to destabilise the institutions.
“Despite these obstacles, Sinn Féin is working every day to improve people’s lives. But the reality is that partition and British Government policy continue to limit what can be achieved.”
He said this underlined the need for constitutional change.
“The Good Friday Agreement was a peace settlement, but not a final political settlement. Increasingly, people recognise that lasting change requires Irish unity – and that conversation is now firmly in the mainstream.”
Mr Doherty also said Ireland must play a positive role internationally.
“At a time of global instability, Ireland must stand for peace, diplomacy and international law. Nowhere is that more urgent than in Gaza. We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
“Sinn Féin is focused on building a new Ireland – united, fair and prosperous – where wealth is shared, public services are strong, and every citizen has a stake in the future of our country.”
Teachta Doherty’s speech in full:
A chairde,
We gather here today to honour the life and legacy of Óglach Peter Cleary – a local man, a volunteer, an Irish patriot who gave his life in pursuit of Irish freedom.
Today is not simply an act of remembrance.
It is an act of renewal – of carrying the struggle forward in new ways.
A statement that the struggle for which Peter Cleary lived – and died – did not end in 1976.
It lives on in each generation that refuses to accept injustice, partition, or inequality as permanent features of our country.
We remember Peter Cleary as a young man shaped by his time – but also as someone who helped shape that time.
Born into a large family, rooted in community, he joined the struggle when demands for basic civil rights were met with repression.
He rose to become a key figure in the IRA’s South Armagh Brigade – through commitment, discipline, and belief in Irish freedom.
Fifty years ago, Peter was killed by the British SAS – the first victim of their deployment in Ireland.
His killing was part of a wider policy to break the spirit of a people who would not yield.
But they did not succeed.
They did not succeed because of people like Peter Cleary, and because of communities like this one.
South Armagh did not bow – in the face of British occupation, this community answered it with unbreakable determination and unyielding defiance.
Today, we honour Peter – and all who stood with him – not only with words, but with purpose.
And it is that purpose we must carry forward.
What must guide us today is what it means to be an Irish Republican in 2026.
It is not enough to look back.
We must also look forward.
To be an Irish Republican today is not merely to oppose partition and British rule.
It is not about what we are against – but what we are for.
We stand for Irish unity – and a genuine republic.
An Ireland that is sovereign – where decisions about our future are made by the Irish people free from external domination.
But also free from economic systems that concentrate wealth in the hands of a few and leave working people struggling.
Because sovereignty without economic justice is only partial freedom.
And we see that reality playing out today.
Recently, ordinary workers, farmers, families, and small businesses took to the streets.
While sparked by rising fuel costs, those protests spoke to a wider pressure across society.
The rising cost of living.
Families under strain.
Workers struggling to get by.
That anger reflects a system that is not working for many – one where the burden falls on those with the least.
And when government acted, it was too little, too late – still leaving hundreds of thousands behind.
But across this island, people are recognising something more fundamental – that the status quo is not working.
And Sinn Féin is not just pointing that out – we are working to change it.
In the North, Sinn Féin is working every day to improve people’s lives – despite enormous obstacles.
Public services are under severe strain after years of chronic underfunding from Westminster, with health, education and infrastructure all under real pressure.
At the same time, the DUP and elements within unionism are seeking to frustrate and destabilise the institutions – pursuing a wreckers’ agenda that holds back progress for everyone.
That is compounded by a British Government that continues an austerity approach and shows little regard for the needs of people here in the North.
All of this underlines a simple truth – the Good Friday Agreement was a peace settlement, but not a final political settlement.
And increasingly, people recognise that real, lasting change requires constitutional change – and the unity of our country.
In the South, Sinn Féin is standing with people in their daily struggles and offering a clear, credible alternative.
An alternative to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
An alternative that puts working people first.
An alternative government led by Sinn Féin – determined to deliver real change.
That is the reality we are building.
Because the Republic Peter Cleary fought for – the Republic proclaimed in 1916 – was fundamentally about equality.
About the rights of all our people.
About breaking the link between wealth and power, and cherishing all the children of the nation equally.
That is the standard we must hold ourselves to.
So, we are working to build a new Ireland – where all the Irish people, no matter their background or tradition live together as equal citizens.
Where public services are strong and universal.
Where healthcare is a right, not a privilege.
Where housing is secure and affordable – not a commodity for speculation.
Where workers are empowered – with secure jobs, fair wages, and strong rights.
Where carers are supported, older people live with dignity, and no one is left behind.
An Ireland that is prosperous – yes – but where the workers who produce that prosperity share in it.
Where wealth lifts living standards and strengthens communities – and is not siphoned upwards or exported outwards.
Because a Republic that tolerates deep inequality is not worthy of the name.
To be an Irish Republican today also means valuing who we are – our culture, our language, our identity.
It means cherishing and promoting the Irish language as a living part of our future.
It means supporting our arts and heritage – the things that give a nation its soul.
And it means building an Ireland that stands tall among the nations of the world.
Because we would like Ireland to be a beacon for freedom loving people the world over.
An Ireland that stands for peace, diplomacy, and international law.
That supports conflict resolution – not merely the interests of powerful states.
At a time of global instability, Ireland must be a force for something better – and nowhere is that more urgent than in Gaza, where the ongoing devastation stands as a stain on the conscience of the international community.
We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people at this time.
That too is part of the Republican vision – the belief that our struggle is not just national, but universal.
A belief in justice, freedom, and the dignity of all people.
A chairde,
Reflecting on Peter Cleary’s life reminds us that the path to where we stand now was not easy.
It was marked by sacrifice.
By loss.
By hardship endured by families and communities across this island.
We think of Peter’s family – his parents Hugh and Mary, his brothers and sisters, all who loved him.
Their loss is immeasurable.
And we acknowledge that.
We think also of Peter’s son – Young Peter – who lost his own life tragically approximately 30 years ago.
The greatest tribute we can pay to Peter Cleary and all his comrades is to continue the work for which they struggled.
Through political struggle.
Through persuasion.
Through building support for a new constitutional future – and a new economic model that serves the many, not the few.
And that work is advancing.
The conversation on Irish unity is growing – broadening, becoming mainstream.
And we must build it with respect, openness, and a willingness to listen – especially to those who do not share our tradition but share our desire for a better future.
Because the Ireland we seek must belong to all who live here – a home where everyone has a real stake in its future and its wealth.
We best honour the past by building a future worthy of it.
A chairde,
Fifty years on, the name of Peter Cleary still resonates throughout South Armagh and beyond.
Not just as memory – but as inspiration.
To stand firm against injustice.
To believe change is possible.
To continue the journey towards a united, equal, sovereign Ireland.
Let us go forward with determination and hope ti build an Ireland worthy of the sacrifices made.
An Ireland worthy of Peter Cleary.
An Ireland fit for all our people.
Go raibh maith agaibh.
