By Dylan Mangan
in islington
JEREMY Corbyn was among the many guests who attended the unveiling of a heritage plaque to Michael Collins in London last week.
Dignitaries from both England and Ireland were at Barnsbury Hall in Islington to mark the location of Collins’ induction into the Irish Republican Brotherhood by fellow West Cork man Sam Maguire in 1909.
The former UK Labour Party leader and MP for Islington North, Corbyn said it was ‘great’ that the Clonakilty man was being honoured in London.
‘I think it’s great because he was a huge figure obviously in Irish history and a huge figure around the Easter Rising and the formation of the IRA,’ Mr Corbyn told The Southern Star.
‘Obviously he met a death as part of the Civil War and I think you have to look at it in the historical context of the British presence in Ireland, the oppression and brutality and the way in which the leaders of the Easter Rising were all executed.
‘This borough is home to a lot of Irish people and it was always home to a lot of Irish exiles in the 19th and early 20th century. Collins was welcomed into the brotherhood (IRB) here,’ he said.
The commemorative plaque was erected by Islington Council in partnership with the Terence MacSwiney Committee, who applauded the vision and courage of the Council for their part in recognising Irish history in the area.
Relatives of the ‘Big Fella’ were invited to the presentation, with Collins’ grand-nephew Aengus Collins O’Malley on hand to officially unveil the plaque. He spoke of the importance of recognising, not only Collins, but also Sam Maguire and the efforts of the IRB.
‘The influence that organisation had on Ireland was huge, not just in terms of the revolutionary movement but also in terms of literature and the GAA,’ Collins O’Malley said. ‘Membership of the IRB includes people like Parnell, Seán O’Casey, WB Yeats, and for such a small organisation to have a massive influence on Irish affairs, it’s one to behold.’
Also present were the Irish ambassador Martin Fraser, deputy lord mayor of Cork Colette Finn, and Cork county mayor Frank O’Flynn, in what was one of his first official trips following his recent election.
‘We’re honouring a Corkman who was such a great part in the fight for Irish freedom,’ he said. ‘Michael Collins is world-renowned and will go down as one of the greatest Irishmen of all time.’
