Easter Lily Enamel Pin Badge - Irish Republican Rising

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The original Easter Lily badge was hand-made by republicans, who sold it often at great risk throughout the country. Since the 1930s, successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments attempted to suppress sales of the Easter Lily. Over the decades many republicans have been harassed, arrested and jailed for keeping alive the memory of the men and women of the Easter Rising through promotion of the Easter Lily. The Lily has long been associated with the 1916 Rising and the first badges were designed in 1925 by the republican women’s organisation, Cumann na mBan. The dual purpose of the original badge was to raise money for the Republican Prisoners’ Dependents Fund and to honour the sacrifice made by the men and women of the 1916 Rising.

Every succeeding year has seen the lily more widely worn until last year (1932), when the emblem was displayed by 99 per cent of the population. An English paper describing last year’s (1932) display, wrote: “Every man, woman and child in the procession wore an Easter lily, the emblem of the Republican Ireland, which pledges the bearer to use every endeavour to break the connections with England and to establish a free and sovereign Irish Republic. Not only that, but what was more significant, the lily was worn by nine out of 10 of the throngs of spectators who watched the marching thousands.” In February 1935, the Fianna Fáil leadership instructed the party to stop selling the Lily as it was “the symbol of an organisation of whose methods we disapprove”. For its Easter commemorations 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 grassroots, many of whom continued to wear the Easter Lily.It signifies the union of North and South through love and friendship. It is the symbol of republican Ireland. Irish republicans wear the Easter Lily to honour all those who have given their lives in the cause of Irish freedom in 1916 and in every decade since. According to Wikipedia, the Easter Lily was introduced in 1926 by Cumann na mBan. 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. The original Easter Lily badge was hand-made by republicans who sold it often at great risk throughout the country.

The Easter Lily was introduced in 1926 by Cumann na mBan. 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. [1] Fianna Fáil alternatives (1930s) [ edit ]This year (1933), let the English comment be that the lily was worn by every man, woman and child in Ireland. The lily, which includes the colours green, white and orange, recalls the hoisting of the Tricolour over the GPO in 1916. In wearing the Easter Lily we raise again that Banner of Easter Week: we proclaim our hope, our confidence, our determination to see the Flag of Easter Week flowing over a free, sovereign Republic for all Ireland. The first Easter Lily badges were designed in 1925 by the republican women’s organisation, Cumann na mBan. The dual purpose of the badge was to raise money for the Republican Prisoners’ Dependents Fund and to honour the sacrifice made by the men and women of the 1916 Rising. A few stems of lilies tied with ribbon are always a lovely present whatever the occasion, but it is true that some associate these flowers more with death than life. In depictions of the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel sometimes arrives clutching a spray of lilies. Did the Virgin Mary flinch slightly when her bouquet was delivered, laden with meaning? Superior force might raze every stone of the building to the ground, superior force might wipe out every living defender of that standard, but no force on earth would prevent the flag from flying victoriously over a free, united Ireland.

The fleur-de-lis, a stylised depiction of a lily, became the official emblem of Florence in the eleventh century. In Italian cities, as in much of medieval Europe, the new year used to be celebrated on March 25, the feast day of the Annunciation, nine months before Christmas. Also known as “Lady Day,” unlike Easter, it was fixed in the calendar. In Britain, the new year began on March 25 until 1752, when our calendar changed from the Julian to the Gregorian and the dates were adjusted so that the new new year started on April 5, which became an important feast day for accountants and tax lawyers. Traditionally, Easter Lilies 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, the IRA and Fianna Éireann promoted the Lily as did non-political organisations such as Conradh na Gaeilge. 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 Provos. [3] Ann Murray, Gerry Kelly, Liam Shannon and Annie Cahill promoting the Easter Lily in Belfast last weekSINN FÉIN has made a major effort this year to promote the wearing of the Easter Lily to celebrate the memory of the 1916 Easter rising and to further popularise the cause of Irish unity. Last week the party’s four TDs and Senator Pearse Doherty launched a country-wide Easter Lily campaign. Over the Easter period, Sinn Féin activists are distributing more than 100,000 leaflets, while Easter commemorations will take place across the country. Michael Collins, leader of the IRA, then signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The treaty allowed Ireland status as a free state, but as a dominion of the British Empire. This was unacceptable to some members of the IRA and the organisation split. The anti-treaty began fighting with their former comrades, the pro-treaty. This led to the Irish Civil War, during which Michael Collins was assassinated.On this badge, you can see a crescent moon and a star side by side. These symbols have been used together all over the world for centuries , and some people associate them with Muslim traditions and festivals . You can also see a R amadan F anous , a lantern that's used in some countries to decorate people’s homes during Ramadan . During Ramadan and Eid, p eople come together to celebrate in lots of ways . M any women decorate their hands with beautiful designs in henna for Eid . A nd in many Muslim countries you’ll hear the Ramad an drummers sounding a beat to wake people up before dawn so that they can eat some food before beginning a day of fasting. Diwali The Easter lily, or Lilium longiflorum, grows from a bulb buried underground to bear white, trumpeting flowers which face outwards and smell divine. One doesn’t need to be an expert in semiotics to see why it came to be associated with the resurrection. In Christian tradition, lilies were said to have grown in the garden of Gethsemane at the spot where Jesus prayed on the eve of his crucifixion. The Easter lily is sometimes known as “the white-robed apostle of hope.” Some churches will ask for donations for Easter lilies in memoriam of loved ones. These then form part of the floral display for the week’s services. Potted Easter lilies can be replanted for the following year, which continues the theme of resurrection. But if cut lilies are past their best, there is nothing to be done but recognize the fact that death follows life. As Shakespeare wrote: “For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds; Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds.” Today, republicans continue to honour the heroic sacrifice made in 1916, when republican revolutionaries, outnumbered and ill-equipped, took on the might of the British empire and asserted in arms Ireland’s right to freedom. Traditionally, Easter Lilies 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, the IRA and Fianna Éireann promoted the Lily as did non-political organisations such as Conradh na Gaeilge.