A motion put forward by Independent councillors Cieran Perry, Nial Ring, Christy Burke, John Lyons, Noeleen Reilly and Sinn Féin
RTÉ reports:
Dublin City Councillors have voted to boycott the ceremony to commemorate the Royal Irish Constabulary and Dublin Metropolitan Police.
The motion described the event planned to be held in Dublin Castle on 17 January as “obscene”.
It pointed out that this force identified those to be executed after the 1916 Rising.
It stated “only a subservient government suffering from a post-colonial state of mind and ashamed of our revolutionary history would encourage this disgraceful event”.
The motion was passed by 38 votes to 10 – those voting against included Fine Gael councillors.
Dublin City Council votes to boycott RIC ceremony (RTÉ)
Varadkar defends holding RIC commemoration amid boycotts of event (The Irish Times)
Is it as ‘obscene’ as blowing civilians apart with bombs in pubs?
Are we having a commemoration for that too?
No, but elected reps of the same party that find this particular commemoration obscene regularly attend commemorations for people who set off bombs targeting civilians.
More whataboutery.
This is a completely misguided idea, this isn’t about maturity as a nation, there’s nothing to commemorate about them and their deeds imo.
No, not whataboutery – merely pointing out the inconsistency of SF’s objection to it. SF aren’t opposed to the principle of commemorating an armed group that targeted civilians; it’s just that this particular commemoration is for group that targeted the wrong type of civilian, is all.
Quite right Bertie. If anyone wants to commemorate them it should be the crown. Rob, It’s not just shinners who object to this travesty.
38-10 would indicate that it is not only SF Cllrs who have taken issue with this event. Mayor of Clare (FF) and Mayor of Galway (Ind) have also voiced their opposition and I imagine may more will follow. Please don’t attempt to spin this as a exclusive SF thing.
I don’t have any objection to the their particular objections; I think that there are plenty of valid reasons to object to the commemoration (I wouldn’t be wild about it myself, either).
I was just agreeing with Pants’ point of SF’s very selective recognition of obscenity.
Maybe FG/DUP-UVF are getting round to that?
Gotta love some Paddy on Paddy action.
All it needs now is Repro O’Bertie to rise from his slumbers after a late night on the barstool at the O’Losers Arms and regale us with his version of ” de struggle ” .
Surely there are more important things to be upset about than stuff that happened a century ago.
…just 100 years ago…still haven’t forgiven you for Cromwell…
You just keep on tromboning john bull there charger, there’s nothing for you to see here.
Can’t wait for the civil war commemorations
Aren’t they called General Elections dav
Fair play to them, and to the other elected representatives. The RIC murdered an elected representative in his bed in front of his wife 100 years ago. Hopefully more of the same opposition to this uncalled for revisionism will emerge as the week progresses.
As someone from a fairly staunch black protestant background, the idea that Ireland would commemorate the RIC and DMP beggars belief. The comparison between home policemen and the Irish dead of the 1914-18 war drawn by the Taoiseach is profoundly ahistorical and indeed obscene.
That an Garda Síochána are being put front and centre of the planned events is equally grotesque. The Civic Guard, as was, was created as an unarmed, civilian body to keep the peace by democratic consent (whatever you may think of them now,) in clearly stated opposition to the form and conduct of the RIC.
The absence of commemoration does not equal condemnation, but that seems to be what the supporters of this malformed charade are implying.
Looyalists must be laughing like drains at the Shinners – and the population of the Free State in general – dumping ” outreach ” at the first sign of controversy.
i am more and more convinced that fine gael don’t want to be in government anymore
There’s an ‘end of days’ feel about them, like they’ve just given up.
Like the last 6 or 7 Oasis albums….
Campaign Supernova?
Leo Forever?
I’m outta time….
Its like Ernest Blythe cutting the pension in the 1920s. Quite daft.
I would never really describe myself as a nationalist but I’m horrified at the idea of commemorating a police force that carried machine guns, supervised evictions and generally enforced crown rule in Ireland for decades, often brutally. I’m sure there were individuals who were decent in the RIC. Hundreds resigned during the War of Independence for various reasons. Lets commemorate the few RIC and DMP officers who risked their lives spying for Ireland against the British.
Well said. The government have chosen to honour the institution rather than the individual. Which is absurd because the Taoiseach is there because these institutions were overthrown.
Surprise!
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/historian-accuses-government-of-using-advisory-group-like-mud-guard-1.4133051
Historian accuses Government of using advisory group ‘like mud guard’
Diarmaid Ferriter says experts never advised a State event for RIC/DMP
Historian Professor Diarmaid Ferriter has said the expert advisory group on commemorations never suggested there should be a State event for the Royal Irish Constabulary and the Dublin Metropolitan Police.
He took issue with a statement by the Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan who said on Monday that the proposed State commemoration was made “under the guidance of the expert advisory group on centenary commemorations”.