This is an important day for Ireland. This Monday, January 21, the country celebrates the centenary of the very first Irish parliament, as well as Irish Independence. In short: a celebration commemorating the very beginning of Irish democracy, born just 100 years ago!
This historic event pays homage to January 21, 1919, the date when Irish MPs decided to sit in their first official Parliament in Dublin and proclaim Ireland’s independence. Independence would only come later, however, at the cost of 3 years of war against the British, followed by a dark civil war.
This anniversary is so important to the Irish that legislation is being prepared to make January 21 the official day of Irish independence. While the Americans have their own July 4th, the Irish want to do the same with January 21st.
The day could eventually become a national holiday, with annual commemorations. The project has been passed by the Senate and will now be submitted to the Dail Eireann, the Irish National Assembly.
So why this date? And why now?
Ireland has a tumultuous history, which saw it struggle for many years to achieve official Independence. The failure of the Easter Rising in 1916, the War of Independence of 1919-1921, the Official Proclamation of an Irish Free State and the Civil War of 1922-1924… These were all difficult stages leading to Ireland’s emancipation. Episodes of great violence, requiring countless sacrifices (including the loss of Northern Ireland).
This explains why the Irish are so proud of their cultural and national identity today.
An attitude that allows them to distance themselves further and further from their British neighbor, currently threatened by the specter of a hard Brexit, which directly threatens the future of Northern Ireland, still considered an official British province.
With this celebration, Ireland shows the whole world that it is taking a different path from its counterpart, and that it is now writing its own history…
So it’s time for celebrations for the Irish Republic. A date that will undoubtedly be celebrated every year, and which may well dethrone the famous St. Patrick’s Day, now considered Ireland’s one and only national holiday…
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