No plans to reschedule controversial RIC commemoration

Cathal Crowe Picture: Brian Arthur/ Press 22

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said she has no plans to reschedule the highly controversial Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) commemoration event axed one year ago this week.

The controversy, which had a devastating impact on Fine Gael’s general election campaign, occurred when Ms McEntee’s predecessor Charlie Flanagan proposed an event, without securing Cabinet approval.

Critics of the event hit out at what they described as a celebration of the activities of the RIC, including the Black and Tans, against the Irish people in 1920.

Responding to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe, Ms McEntee made clear the “postponed” event is not going ahead.

“There are no plans to reschedule the event which was postponed earlier this year,” she said.

“An event had been planned to mark the role in Irish history of the Dublin Metropolitan Police and Royal Irish Constabulary. My predecessor decided earlier this year to defer this event pending further consultation, including with the Expert Advisory Group on Centenary Commemorations, the All-Party Consultation Group on Commemorations and with other stakeholders,” she said.

Ms McEntee said her department was still considering how best to mark the elements of Phase II of the Decade of Centenaries programme which fall within the Justice sector, including the centenary of An Garda Síochána, the establishment of the courts, and the history of the department itself.

She said the Government’s programme of commemoration is broad and inclusive, complementing the ongoing programme of formal State commemorations with special centenary events on the anniversaries of key historical events.

Mr Crowe, who was the first councillor to boycott the proposed event, said he was glad the minister has given certainty it would not go ahead.

“I got the ball rolling on this issue 12 months ago. As a historian, it mattered massively to me. I am glad it has been put to bed. I looked for certainly that it was not coming back on the agenda and the minister’s comments do put it to bed,” he told the Irish Examiner. 

“It was revisionism gone bonkers. I hope we can look to examine the roll of the RIC, just not in a celebratory fashion.” 

Some politicians have interpreted this in a rather skewed fashion, he said.

“There is no correlation between the War of Independence in the 1920s and the actions of the provisional IRA and those that continue to act in a paramilitary sense both north and south of the border in Ireland,” he added.