Sinn Féin TD and Chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee on Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire has said that Minister Josepha Madigan should appear before the Committee on Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to explain the debacle that is the government’s planned State commemoration for the RIC on the 17th January.

Teachta Ó Laoghaire said:

“This commemoration is wholly insensitive and inappropriate, and it beggars belief that taxpayers money is being spent on a commemoration for those who suppressed the will of the Irish people for self-determination and national independence.

“In December, officials from the Minister Madigan’s Department appeared before the Committee on Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to discuss the Decade of Centenaries commemorative programme and there was no mention of this commemoration.

“I am very concerned that the Minister did not refer this planned commemoration at any stage to the All-Party Consultation Group on Commemorations.

“This is likely because it would have been dismissed out of hand and this is not the way that sensitive issues like this should be handled and it flies in the face of trying to commemorate the Decade of Centenaries in an inclusive manner.

 “I have issued an invite to the Minister this afternoon to appear before the Committee urgently and I hope that this can happen as soon as possible.”