Letter to Denise Mitchell

Dear Ms Mitchell

I read with some dismay the following report from Irish examiner website, 10th June 2020:

“Ireland has a racism problem and some statues of racist figures may need to be removed, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said… Mr Varadkar said a statue of Sean Russell, an Irish republican who fought in the 1916 Rising and was a leader during the War of Independence, may need to be removed.”

As TD for the constituency in which the statue is located I would like you to publicly confirm that you will fight any attempts to remove, destroy or alter the statue of Sean Russell in Fairview Park, in the interests of defending an important part of Irish Culture and History.

Sean Russell joined the Irish Volunteers in 1913, fought under Sean MacDonagh in the Rising of 1916, and was subsequently interned in Britain for his part in that rebellion. He also played a key role in the war of Independence. He was from Fairview.

The people who founded this country were imperfect human beings who nevertheless put their lives on the line for Irish freedom when it mattered most. They deserve better than to have their contribution erased, or to be remembered for the worst things they did. The cohesion of Irish society depends on our willingness to celebrate our forebears and our past, rather than searching for opportunities to condemn or erase them.

The experience in other countries is that once the removal of monuments for political reasons begins, it does not end quickly, and is not limited to controversial figures.

Thank you for your help with this.

Yours sincerely

x

Contact Details

Email: Denise.mitchell@oireachtas.ie

Address: Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2

Phone: (01) 6183457