Easter Lily (badge)
Encyclopedia
The Easter Lily is a badge
worn at Easter
by Irish republicans
as symbol of remembrance for Irish republican combatants who died during or were executed after the 1916 Easter Rising
. Depending on the political affiliations of the bearer, it can also commemorate members of the pre-Treaty
Irish Republican Army
, the post-Treaty Irish Republican Army, and either the Provisional IRA or the Official IRA. It may also be used to commemorate members of the Irish National Liberation Army
.
. Proceeds from the sale of the badge went to the Irish Republican Prisoners' Dependants Fund. Traditionally, they were sold outside church gates on Easter Sunday and worn at republican commemorations. In the early years of their existence, people from a broad political spectrum – from Fianna Fáil
to Sinn Féin
– wore lilies, which were sold by members of those political parties as well as the Irish Republican Army
(IRA), Fianna Éireann
, and Conradh na Gaeilge
.
.
and Official Sinn Féin kept the Easter Lily with a self-adhesive
backing while the Provisional's reverted to the traditional paper and pin Easter Lily. This led to the members of the Official IRA and Official Sinn Féin being referred to pejoratively as the "Stickies". On the other hand, the Provisionals became known as the "Pinheads", a nickname which has not lasted.
In the 1990s, metal
versions of the Lily became popular and are worn by some at any time of the year. Their sales and usage has increased with the rise in electoral support of Sinn Féin.
James Connolly Republican Society Belfast/1916 SocietysEaster 2011 saw the launch of the James Connolly Republican Society Belfast, Easter Lily campaign. "Each Lily is handmade by ex-pows" . These Lilys were made using fabric and were very well accepted, the Lily is of traditional design, secured by a pin.
Badge
A badge is a device or fashion accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath , a sign of legitimate employment or student status, or as a simple...
worn at Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
by Irish republicans
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
as symbol of remembrance for Irish republican combatants who died during or were executed after the 1916 Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
. Depending on the political affiliations of the bearer, it can also commemorate members of the pre-Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
, the post-Treaty Irish Republican Army, and either the Provisional IRA or the Official IRA. It may also be used to commemorate members of the Irish National Liberation Army
Irish National Liberation Army
The Irish National Liberation Army or INLA is an Irish republican socialist paramilitary group that was formed on 8 December 1974. Its goal is to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and create a socialist united Ireland....
.
Introduction
The Easter Lily was introduced in 1926 by Cumann na mBanCumann na mBan
Cumann na mBan is an Irish republican women's paramilitary organisation formed in Dublin on 2 April 1914 as an auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers...
. Proceeds from the sale of the badge went to the Irish Republican Prisoners' Dependants Fund. Traditionally, they were sold outside church gates on Easter Sunday and worn at republican commemorations. In the early years of their existence, people from a broad political spectrum – from Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
to Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
– wore lilies, which were sold by members of those political parties as well as the Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
(IRA), Fianna Éireann
Fianna Éireann
The name Fianna Éireann , also written Fianna na hÉireann and Na Fianna Éireann , has been used by various Irish republican youth movements throughout the 20th and 21st centuries...
, and Conradh na Gaeilge
Conradh na Gaeilge
Conradh na Gaeilge is a non-governmental organisation that promotes the Irish language in Ireland and abroad. The motto of the League is Sinn Féin, Sinn Féin amháin .-Origins:...
.
Fianna Fáil alternative fails
In the 1930s, relations between Fianna Fáil and the IRA deteriorated considerably. Following the murder by the IRA of Richard More O'Farrell in February 1935, the Fianna Fáil leadership instructed party members to stop selling the lily as it was "the symbol of an organisation of whose methods we disapprove". For its Easter commemmorations that same year, Fianna Fáil introduced a new symbol called the Easter Torch. This was sold for a number of years but was discontinued as the badge proved unpopular with the party grass roots, many of whom continued to wear the Easter Lily.Attempts to prohibit sale
Since the 1930s, successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments attempted to suppress sales of the Easter Lily according to An PhoblachtAn Phoblacht
An Phoblacht is the official newspaper of Sinn Féin in Ireland. It is published once a month, and according to its website sells an average of up to 15,000 copies every month and was the first Irish paper to provide an edition online and currently having in excess of 100,000 website hits per...
.
"Stickies" versus "Pinheads"
At the 1967 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis a motion from the Tippearary Cummain calling for the Easter Lily to be supplied with a self adhesive backing was passed. After the 1969/70 IRA split, which led to the emergence of the Provisional IRA, the Official IRAOfficial IRA
The Official Irish Republican Army or Official IRA is an Irish republican paramilitary group whose goal was to create a "32-county workers' republic" in Ireland. It emerged from a split in the Irish Republican Army in December 1969, shortly after the beginning of "The Troubles"...
and Official Sinn Féin kept the Easter Lily with a self-adhesive
Adhesive
An adhesive, or glue, is a mixture in a liquid or semi-liquid state that adheres or bonds items together. Adhesives may come from either natural or synthetic sources. The types of materials that can be bonded are vast but they are especially useful for bonding thin materials...
backing while the Provisional's reverted to the traditional paper and pin Easter Lily. This led to the members of the Official IRA and Official Sinn Féin being referred to pejoratively as the "Stickies". On the other hand, the Provisionals became known as the "Pinheads", a nickname which has not lasted.
Growth in Provisional IRA identification
Both the Officials and the Provisionals also saw the Easter Lily as a symbol of remembrance for their members who died on "active service". With the decline in the Official IRA, the Easter Lily became more and more associated with the Provisionals.In the 1990s, metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
versions of the Lily became popular and are worn by some at any time of the year. Their sales and usage has increased with the rise in electoral support of Sinn Féin.
James Connolly Republican Society Belfast/1916 SocietysEaster 2011 saw the launch of the James Connolly Republican Society Belfast, Easter Lily campaign. "Each Lily is handmade by ex-pows" . These Lilys were made using fabric and were very well accepted, the Lily is of traditional design, secured by a pin.