Come Here To Me!

Established in 2011, Jacobin is a quarterly magazine based in New York . It has received quite a lot of attention in the American press as an exciting young voice on the left (its editor, Bhaskar Sunkara, is a mere 26) and the magazine describes itself as “a magazine of culture and polemic.” Kind words have come from high places, with Noam Chomsky praising it for providing “a thoughtful left perspective that is refreshing and all too rare. A really impressive contribution to sanity, and hope”

Jacobin have produced a special Irish edition to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising, which focuses not alone on the events of 1916 but on what came after 1916.  It is beautifully designed for one thing, and well-curated for another.

This special edition of the magazine provides a space for Irish historians, political commentators and others to reflect not only on the nature of the Irish revolution, but also on the state that emerged from it. Contributors include leading historians Emmet O’Connor and Brian Hanley, as well as veteran campaigner Bernadette Devlin McAliskey.  I’ve contributed a piece teasing out the influence of the Paris Commune and other examples of urban insurrection on James Connolly’s thinking, but other articles explore things as diverse as the Catholic church influence on the Free State and the dilemmas facing Sinn Féin and other parties of the left today. In light of its recent electoral wipe out, Niamh Puirséil’s article on the Labour Party post-independence, entitled ‘Labour in Name Only’ makes for particularly interesting reading, revealing a party that has missed many chances and often sidelined itself.

This Jacobin 1916 special edition will be launched this Saturday in Liberty Hall from 12 noon, with a full and interesting programme of talks, performances and music.  Among those taking part are Robert Ballagh, Stephen Rae, Michelle Sheehy Skeffington, and many of the contributors to the magazine. It is free to attend and there’s no need to book in advance. The magazine will be on sale there on the day, and the event page is here.

12:00 – Registration and stalls

13:00 – 13:45 Introduction

• Stephen Rea, Actor
• Jer O’Leary, James Connolly speech
• Bhaskar Sunkara, Jacobin Editor
• Karan Casey, Singer (by video)

14:00 – 15:30 The Irish Revolution

Chair: Tish Gibbons, SIPTU

• Padraig Yeates, SIPTU
• Niamh Puirseil, Historian
• Donal Fallon, Come Here to Me
• Sara O’Rourke, Activist
• Sarah-Anne Buckley, NUIG

15:45 – 16:45 Art of Rebellion

Terry Moylan, Music Historian

Music from the revolutionary period

17:00 – 19:00 The Republic in the 21st Century

Chair: Ethel Buckley, SIPTU

• Bernadette Devlin-McAliskey, Former MP
• Robert Ballagh, Artist
• Lynn Ruane, TCDSU President
• Dan Finn, New Left Review
• Brian Hanley, Historian
• Micheline Sheehy-Skeffington, Feminist Activist