Michael Collins Addresses the Dáil
Gentlemen, members of the Dáil,
In the past seven years, our island has undergone a most remarkable transformation. For centuries, our people have been subjugated by a foreign power, forced to conduct ourselves in all manners and affairs by the decrees of our oppressors. We endured such intolerable injustices at their hands. But our resiliency, as Fenian brothers and sisters, has allowed us to achieve the unthinkable. Gentlemen: we are free. For the first time in generations, the Irish people has the power to make its own way in the world. We may make our own laws and do our own business. We are finally returning to the natural state of affairs. Éire will not be denied her freedom, and in my capacity as Chairman of this Provisional Government, I have fought to secure our independence from all foreign powers.
I recognize that many have concerns about the status of our young Republic. The path before us is beset by obstacles on all sides. Gentlemen, let me clear: each of us will be tested. Our resolve and our virtue will be pushed to their limits. If our Irish Republic is to survive, we must stand together against these challenges. For though the road ahead of us may be rocky and perilous, we can always take solace in the power of our faith and the strength of our people.
For the first time in a hundred generations, Éire is a sovereign political force. I shall fight hard to ensure her independence is not tested for a thousand generations. If we work together, gentlemen, we will have the power to seize total, unabridged freedom. For ourselves, and for our children.
