Cowen calls for unionist respect for 1916 plans

UNIONISTS need to mark the upcoming centenary of the 1916 rebellion in a respectful way, the Taoiseach yesterday insisted.

Brian Cowen used a keynote speech at a UCD conference on Irish/British affairs to call for both parts of the island to embrace the important historical moments in each others’ traditions.

Mr Cowen said commemorations of events like the Ulster Covenant and Battle of the Somme would need to be held in the Republic, just as unionist leaders must confront the “challenge” of marking 1916 in an appropriate way in the North.