Part 012 - PAMPHLET 039 012

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In the stormy struggles of Irish Republicanism, as in other national liberation movements, the question of consolidating a leadership structure and of success- ion has normally had to be faced in the context of crisis and martyrdom. Tone's martyrdom was followed by the despair of the succeeding years of British colonialism's counter-revolutionary terror, and the movement at home was unable to regroup itself after the killing of Tone and the other Republican leaders of '98. It was only in Republican France that condi- tions existed for reconstituting the organised republican leadership. The resultant leadership structure centred on Robert Emmet and led the uprising of 1803. This was the legendary final blow in the struggle of the United Irish national movement before British colonialism's long success in dividing the two communities in Ireland -- a success which has held back Irish victory till today. The Emmet uprising was a magnificent victory of independent and creative anti-colonialist leadership method, and brilliantly achieved succession to the leadership of Tone. It thus proved that the United Irish Republican movement had not died with Tone but was immortal. Throughout the following century Emmet's portrait was respectfully displayed in every patriotic household, songs of Emmet were passed from parent to child, and the heroic personality of Emmet was upheld triumph- antly as the historic proof of that united Irish identity which British colonialism had tried and was trying unsuccessfully to obliterate. Emmet societies and Emmet monument associations spread like a flame among the Irish communities forced to emigrate to the United States and elsewhere. Truly the Irish Republican tradition founded by Tone and immort- alised by Emmet was a worthy precursor of the Juche Idea, and achieved historic advances in the 6