Rebel Week brochures withdrawn after Collins 'langer' gaffe
The decision to pull the controversial promotional material came last night after controversy erupted over the offensive description of Collins in a Rebel Week passport image featured in the initiative's official 12-page brochure.
Collins plays a central role in the Rebel Week celebrations with a Cork Independence Day event taking place on his birthday, Oct 16.
Copies of the brochures were shown to members of Cork City Council last night ahead of its distribution to thousands of homes and businesses around Cork city and county which was due to begin this morning.
But the passport's description of Collins' gender as 'langer' sparked a furious reaction, particularly amongst Fine Gael councillors who demanded the brochures be scrapped.
The city manager Tim Lucey intervened late last night and talks are now underway between Corporate.ie, the promoters of Rebel Week, and their printers, to print new brochures before the weekend - just two weeks before the event kicks off.
Padraic O'Kane, the chief executive officer of Corporate.ie, accepted the use of the Cork slang word 'langer' in this context was "just wrong".
"As promoters of the event, we have to take responsibility for this, and we do," he said.
"And I would also like to apologise if we caused disrespect to General Michael Collins and his family. It was not our intention."
He denied it was a publicity stunt or done deliberately.
"It's an error. There was no malice intended," he said.
"It was a mistake, call it a typo, that was never picked up."
He said the same Collins passport image, featuring the word 'langer', had been used in other Rebel Week promotional material since February, that it had been seen by several people, and had not been "spotted".
"It was missed and that was wrong. It's just wrong and you change it," he said.
But he insisted that he and his team, which has spent some time researching General Michael Collins, have created a brochure which is very respectful to Collins.
FG Cllr Emmet O'Halloran said he was furious that the situation had occurred.
"The term langer in Cork is commonly associated with someone who is a bit of a half wit or an unlikeable person may have nothing constructive to offer," he said.
"Michael Collins is one of our greatest patriots and most certainly does not fit this description.
"Many members of the Collins family including former Government Minister Nora Owen are due to participate in various events throughout Rebel Week including a debate on Cork's involvement in the 1916 and subsequent War of Independence.
"I don't think the general public would be too happy if James Connolly or Padraig Pearse were referred to in this manner.
"Whoever was behind this brochure did not display a good understanding of the Cork psyche."
FG Cllr John Buttimer also questioned the wisdom of an Arthur's Day-style toast to Cork on Oct 16, timed for 19.16pm that evening, given the timing's association with the Easter Rising.
