Pearse Doherty: Irish unity now ‘unstoppable’ as Leitrim honours John Joe McGirl

People from Leitrim and the surrounding counties gathered in Ballinamore on Saturday, August 16, to commemorate John Joe McGirl, 37 years after his death.

The main address was delivered by Donegal TD Pearse Doherty, who received the highest number of first-preference votes of any TD in Ireland at the last general election.

Opening his remarks, Doherty paid tribute to the McGirl family, acknowledging their presence at the event.
“John Joe was not just a leader, not just a comrade, not just an inspiration for the Republican movement — he was a father, a grandfather, a father-in-law, a brother, an uncle and a friend to so many. Thank you to his family for sharing him with Ireland and for the pride and dignity with which you have carried forward his legacy,” he said.

The Sinn Féin deputy also extended sympathy to former councillor Séadhna Logan and his family on the recent passing of his mother, Linda.

Doherty hailed McGirl as “a genuine Irish patriot, a freedom fighter, a public representative and a leader” who endured imprisonment and harassment but never abandoned his belief in a free and united Ireland.
“He never wavered, he never sold out, and he never backed down,” he told the crowd.

Recalling McGirl’s election as a Sinn Féin TD in 1957 from his prison cell in Mountjoy, Doherty said he represented “a generation of Republicans who refused to let partition become normalised.”

The TD argued that the struggle McGirl embodied remains central to Sinn Féin’s vision today.
“Like John Joe, we make no apology for standing with those who resisted British rule in the North, who refused to accept injustice or partition. He helped carry the flame of freedom forward, and without leaders like him, we would not be as close today as we are to realising the dream of unity,” Doherty said.

He declared that momentum for Irish unity “is unstoppable,” pointing to demographic and political change in Northern Ireland and growing support among young people.
“The old certainties of partition are crumbling before our eyes. Sinn Féin is the largest party across this island and the majority of young people are overwhelmingly in favour of unity,” he said.

Criticising the government for failing to prepare, Doherty said:
“There will be a referendum on Irish unity, and any Irish government that refuses to prepare is guilty of a shocking dereliction of duty. Fear cannot hold Ireland back. Preparing for unity is the greatest opportunity of our generation.”

Closing his address, Doherty urged the crowd to take inspiration from McGirl’s life:
“Freedom is not handed down, it is won. And when it is won, you have to build it. It is our responsibility to finish the work, to unite our country, and to build an Ireland of opportunity, social justice and equality for all. That is the republic John Joe McGirl believed in, and together we will deliver it.”

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Donegal TD Pearse Doherty speaks to crowd in Ballinamore on August 16.