Republicans gathered in Glasnevin Cemetery and led by a Dublin Colour Party marched to Ronan's graveside where proceedings were chaired by Val Lynch and the main oration was delived by Colin Keating.
In his oration Colin said:
"A chairde on behalf of the 32 County Sovereignty
Movement I would like to both welcome and thank you
for attending here today.
We are far removed from the grotesque opulence
of Windsor Castle. We are not attired in the robes and
trimmings of British royalty. We do not rub shoulders
with the landed gentry.
Yet from the midst of that obscenity a former
republican leader would label Volunteer Ronan McLoughlin a traitor to Ireland.
This is the vile product of the cult of leadership. This
is what happens when loyalty to a leadership surpasses
loyalty to the objective. Volunteer Ronan McLoughlin
recognised this and acted according to republican
principles.
But even without the benefits of history or political
acumen, common sense tells us that the path to
the Republic does not lie in the abandonment of
republicanism itself. This is what they have done. They
are the true heirs of Redmond’s Home Rulers.
The Centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising will soon be
upon us. It is a momentous occasion for many reasons.
For republicans today this event will afford us an
opportunity to demonstrate to the Irish people that we
have a vision of an Ireland that puts their well being and
rights at the heart of the nation.
But it will also afford us an opportunity to
demonstrate that we have the ability to realise political
change to enable that vision become a reality.
And this is the task we must set ourselves. 2016 is not
a history event. The Volunteers who gave their lives then
and Volunteer Ronan McLoughlin must be honoured as
one and the same. This is because the cause of conflict
remains one and the same.
Dublin can be very proud of its republican history.
And as in 1916 when the establishment and their media
sought to denigrate those who dared rebel so too do their
counterparts today at every opportunity.
The most effective response to this tirade is discipline.
Republicans must be disciplined at every turn. As
ambassadors for Irish freedom our every action and
pronouncements must reflect the veracity and nobility of
our objectives.
A central component of the State’s attempts to
marginalise the core message of The Proclamation will
be to continue this denigration of republicans. We will
meet it head on.
Invoking the spirit and sacrifice of Volunteer
Ronan McLoughlin Dublin republicans must dedicate
themselves to honouring all those who gave their lives
for Irish freedom by building republicanism throughout
the city.
This task begins with each individual republican
conducting a critical self assessment as to how he or she
can help in this task.
We each need to fully acquaint ourselves with
republican policies and strategies. We need to be the
authors of political change and not be simply a reaction
to them.
We need to bring our policies into our communities
as through them will be found the path to the Republic.
We cannot be over laden with ideology or history, our
actions must be relevant to what James Connolly called
the living issues which affect our people daily.
Financial debt, unemployment, substance abuse and
the resultant criminality which stems from it are the
issues which Connolly urges us to address.
But we cannot address them in isolation nor can
we allow our hearts to rule over our heads. A steely
pragmatism is required if republican efforts are to
advance within our communities.
Volunteer Ronan McLoughlin is an inspiration to
us. He is a central part of our republican heritage. The
greatest honour we can pay him is that when we leave
his graveside today we do so with the singular intent of
realising the aims for which he gave his life. Beir Bua!
