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CONTROVERSY HAS RAGED following a decision by President Michael D Higgins to decline an invitation to attend a church service alongside Queen Elizabeth to mark Northern Ireland’s centenary is a political move.
Jeffrey Donaldson said it was a “retrograde step” in terms of reconciliation and added that he hopes the president will reconsider.
Unionists and the Alliance Party have asked for clarity after it emerged that Michael D Higgins would not be present at the event in Armagh next month.
The service has been titled as ‘marking the centenaries of the partition of Ireland and the foundation of Northern Ireland.’
He told reporters in Rome that what had started out as an invitation to a religious service had, in fact, become a political statement.
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Of course he was. He was invited to an event by people who knew he wouldn’t go who could then have a pop at him for not going.
@Deus Ex Machina:
Wonder how the DUP feel about a certain Royal being invited to the US but refuses to go.
@iohanx: in
@iohanx: Indeed, I’d love to hear their views on that. Apologies for the accidental send a minute ago
@Deus Ex Machina: that pretty much sums it up nicely!
@iohanx: and still ongoing is the female US diplomat using diplomatic immunity to not return over an RTC which killed a young man
@JusticeForJoe: Yellow card for you Joe.I’ll let you off this time,but don’t do it again.
@Billy McNamara: You’re too good to me, Billy. I shan’t forget it.
It’s like being invited over to celebrate the burglary of your home.
A principled refusal.
@Niall: he simply followed the correct position given his constitutional role.
@John Mulligan: completely agree as the situation had moved into the political arena. That’s a place the President can’t go.
@John Mulligan: an not so sure given that Article 2 and 3 are now removed from the constitution which de facto accepted partition and the legitimacy of the NI state. I am not saying he should go but his constitutional role does not prevent him going.
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: Unless you are John Bruton (or John unionist) as Haughey used to call him, who feels the president has breached the GFA by not attending.
Sure god love poor Mr Bruton who was born a century too late. Imagine the late President Nelson Mandela being asked and then condemned for refusing to celebrate apartheid?
@Niall: From Andy or Mickey?
Typical of Unionism playing petty politics. How was he ever going to go and celebrate the partition of our country. He has made the correct decision imo
Unquestionably. Why would he attend an event celebrating the partition of the island of Ireland??? Baffling stuff. And what are the 18% no/not sure thinking???
@Graham Manning: I went with not sure. Instinctively my reaction was “of course he should not go” for many of the reasons other posters have stated. Thinking about it though, you could make the argument about showing inclusivity that will be required if we’re to successfully end partition. I’d still lean towards the President having made the right decision but can see the other argument. Hence, I don’t know. Hope that helps.
@Cian Nolan: fair enough Cian. Thanks. I disagree obviously but can see your point.
@Graham Manning: No worries Graham. Totally understand where the majority are coming from.
@Graham Manning: I voted No, for similar reasons. As much as it would be a drivelling sh17efest, the President has to reach out to the Unionist community.. His complaint was with the title of the event but it actually just says “marking” not “commemorating” or “celebrating”. He could go and ‘mark’ it from a quietly disapproving perspective. If there is 1 person capable of both calling the DUP’s bluff by attending and also having a respectfully disagreeing stance, it would be Micky D. To be fair, Lizzy came over and marked the Rising and it probably did the most to build bridges between the islands since the GFA.
All that said, still unsure if it would be the right/wrong move – just that you can’t always go with your emotions on something like that. Even if it seems obvious not to go.
@Cian Nolan: Why would it be needed as inclusivity, when real inclusivity means it would have to be reciprocated. Was there a huge uproar here when unionists refused to come south to commemorate the centenary of 1916? No because people here understood that would be insensitive to the other tradition on this island.
By the way, those same unionists have openly stated they regard the 1916 rising as an act of Terrorism.
So why have the DUP made a big stink here about nothing? Because the DUP is in big electoral trouble up north and this storm in a tea-cup is the perfect distraction from that!
@Cobh Rebel Walking: The difference there is the DUP are a political party, not one of them is a head of state. Micky D is the head of state, by Constitution and by his own statement ‘President of Ireland’, all of it, which means he should represent/engage even those he disagrees with in the North. The queen, as the unionists head of state did come south and mark the 1916 anniversary.
Reciprocity sometimes involves extending an olive branch and eating a bowl of crap, for the sake of inclusivity.
@Paul Tao: If the Nazi’s had won the Battle of Britain 80 years ago and Germany issued the Queen of England as head of state, to attend the centenary celebrations of that event, would the Queen have been right to attend the event – all in the greater interest of reconciliation between the peoples of Britain and Germany of course?
@Paul Tao: he’s president of the state of Ireland not the entire island of Ireland. In no way should he attend an event commemorating the fact that those aren’t one and the same.
The partition of this island was a day of tragedy. Should never have happened. The establishment of Northern Ireland is nothing to celebrate on this side of the fence, and to be honest, nothing to celebrate on their side of the fence either.
A failed apartheid statelet that probably won’t even be there in another 100 years. For us Irish, there is nothing to celebrate, in fact it’s centenary should be a period of mourning.
Higgins is right not to attend.
@Darren Anthony Corr: I agree and to compound the issue the state was created by an undemocratic process for a minority that threarened force that saw the British Army mutany when they, in 1914, refused to move ro disarm the band of regenades that ended up getting their own sectetian state that practised racial and religious discrimination. Sadly 100 yeara on the British government still cannot see how wrong they were to pander to a gun wielding minority instead of respecting the wishes of the majority of the peope of this island. This is why the president should not go.
Did the dup commemorate the 1916 rising in 2016?
@Brian Dunne: you make a very valid point,
@Brian Dunne: I think David McWilliams nailed this a number of years ago. https://youtu.be/TwTwJujjeBw
@Brian Dunne: Surprise! They did not.
@Brian Dunne: Did the queen bow her head at the garden of remembrance and pay respect to the freedom fighters that killed her crown forces? Do the Allies pay respects to ALL soldiers that died during the world wars including “the enemy.?” Michael D, small man, smaller mind. It may play well to the naive “take back our country” reverse colonisation mindset prévenant in Ireland but it just makes him look weak in my view.
@Patrick McConville: What that got to do with anything, whats having respect for the dead got to do with this?
You are making ridiculous comparisons, the Allies may have respected the dead, but the the Axis of evil did not get to keep their ill gotten gains and the Allies certainly did not go to celebrations of the damage done by the Nazis or the Japanese.
@Patrick McConville: It certainly does make him look weak if you are of a unionist mindset, but if you are of a broader mindset and one which cares to explore and understand his reasons for not attending, then you might understand that the reason he is being targeted for political attack, has its origins in other peoples political difficulties.
@Brian Dunne: will the DUP attend a service celebrating the foundation of the Irish State.
Our government ministers should grow a pair and take the same principled stand as out fantastic president.
@Ger O’Reilly: John Bruton would disagree with that stance.
@Thommo’s Nose: you wouldn’t expect any different from him or his cohorts, they’re totally west brits.
@Thommo’s Nose: Hopefully my recollection is correct .. isn’t this the same John Bruton who advocated that we rejoin the British Commonwealth.
@Thommo’s Nose: in all fairness, John (Redmond) Bruton, like most of his brethren up north, feels the 1916 Rising was wrong and one is left wondering if he feels his true lost political calling should have been as leader at Westminster, not Leinster House.
So with all due respect, anyone who finds themselves on the wrong side of what John Bruton believes are generally doing something right.
“The 1921 partition of Ireland had huge ramifications for almost all aspects of Irish life and was directly responsible for hundreds of deaths and injuries, with thousands displaced from their homes and many more forced from their jobs. Two new justice systems were created; the effects on the major religions were profound, with both jurisdictions adopting wholly different approaches; and major disruptions were caused in crossing the border, with invasive checks and stops becoming the norm.”
Birth of the Border: The Impact of Partition in Ireland Cormac Moore
So they wanted the President of Ireland to celebrate the Partition of Ireland as the President of the Republic of Ireland. Who’s being snubbed here, Great call not to attend…
Well said Mr. President
No win situation for him. If he goes its seen as state support or acceptance of partition, if he doesn’t it’s a snub to unionists and seen as there is no place for them in a united Ireland.
@Alan Conroy: Unionists need a good auld snub from time to time. A little reminder for their septic souls
@Alan Conroy: I agree 100% with him not accepting invite, however on a factual point the state did accept partition when the people of the state voted to support the gfa. We as a state accepted the right of Northern to remain as part of UK until a majority in NI vote otherwise
@John Johnson: It was also added to the constitution that a 32 country republic was the aim. We changed that for the GFA. not that the DUP and others accept it.
@John Johnson: A vote 80 years after the partition of the country does not nullify the crime. in 1918, 75% of elected MPs were Sinn Fein. I think that might count as a mandate for independence. There was no democratic vote on partition.
Of course he was right and I’m proud that he did, why should an Irish president go to a celebration of a foreign nation stilling part of our island.
Correct decision. Ironic to hear unionists crying foul on this as they threaten to collapse Stormont and the DUP withdraw from participation in the North-South institutions. Why should the president of the Republic participate in a celebration of the creation of a partitionist state on the island? It’s like asking the Greeks to celebrate the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Another mess that the Brits left behind.
@GrumpyAulFella: only that he is not the President of the Republic, no such office exists. He is the President of Ireland. Maybe when partition is dismantled in the coming years, we might be able to alter that to the President of the real Irish Republic as per the election of 1918 and post border poll.
How could he attend a commemorative service to celebrate the breaking up of the state he is presiding over??? Of course this was a political rat trap.
Our President, the President of Ireland, has made the correct decision. Well done.
However, there’s an interesting quote from the Times today:
“Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney is due to attend an event marking the centenary of the creation of Northern Ireland later on Friday.” – Irish Times 17/09/21
Now that’s a political statement. Right or wrong?
@Gary O’Grady: John Bruton spoke on a tv panel last night and he said the President should go to the event, not only that but that he was obliged to go under the constitution.
Diarmaid Ferriter another panellist tried to take issue with the correctness of the constitutional position quoted . Not so long ago FG tried to tell us we should honour the Black and Tans for their campaign in Ireland, it’s time FG quit . I really think if Simon Coveney attends this event then he has little understanding of the pain and turmoil partition of NI has wrought on this Island and our people,
@Gary O’Grady: are we indulging in Civil War politics?
@Honeybee: John Bruton not so long ago nearly licked the polish off of Prince Charles’s boots remember that cringe worthy speech. You shouldn’t be surprised what he says as he nailed his colours to the mast a long time ago. President Higgins didn’t make a good call he made a great call!
@Honeybee: the gfa was supposed to be a moving on by all sides. Let me make it clear I think the president was right to turn down the invitation, however the republics government should be represented, to show the people of Ireland meant it when the voted for the gfa, which recognised the right of Northern Ireland to remain as part of UK until a majority in NI votes otherwise. As long as people focus on the wrongs of the past there will never be a united Ireland, which so many of us would like to see. A truely United Ireland means a United people which will never happen as long as people reject the other side. I don’t agree with partition, it was wrong, however the reality is it happened, we have gfa, if we focus on hard lines loyalists we will only widen gaps already there, we need to work on being more accepting of moderate unionism and closing the gap (uniting people = United Ireland) you can not have a United Ireland without uniting people. I will finish by repeating point on hard line loyalists, obviously there are fanatics who will never give an inch, our focus needs to be being more accepting of moderate unionists
@John Johnson: John, the greatest endorsement of the Good Friday Agreement was that not only did the electorate in the 26 counties vote in favour of the agreement but we actually changed our constitution to accommodate and facilitate support for the agreement. It is actually the DUP who have never supported the GFA. I do not equate the celebration of partition and the founding of NI as a positive development in the history of this Island and in fact the GFA is only in place to try instilling a just ,equal and peaceful society in a territory which was artificially created to sustain a larger Protestant unionist majority who wanted to maintain the union with the UK. It is the right of NI citizens to determine their fate under the GFA but asking President Higgins to join a celebration of 100 years of violence in establishing this state is a step too far.
@John Johnson: Start pointing the out moderate unionists to us John, because I can assure you, you wont find any who are of elected office. if you want to find moderate open minded unionists, you will have to seek out those who are not motivated by political office, and I’m glad to say they are more plentiful than some might think..
The president was right to make his call. In the end of the day, if he had attended the celebration of partition/unionist day out, it wouldn’t have made one bit of difference to ‘political unionism’ because it wouldn’t have made them any less unionist in their outlook. Some who are not unionist north and south have figured that out a long time ago. Others have been slow to learn.
Its civic unionism that needs to be courted and engaged with.
the flip side to your assertion that you cant have a united ireland without uniting people, is that you cannot divide Ireland without dividing people.
Its the act of partition itself that has always been the problem which institutionalised division. People need to stop hiding behind the mantra that we have to wait for political unionists to volunteer to become non-unionists – as if they will some day because the political taigs from the south decide to attend their commemorations. Never going to happen.
would John Bruton be prepared to engage with Civic Unionist society and discuss the true benefits of an all-ireland economy etc?
Of course he was, why would an Irish man celebrate the partition of his own country, I mean wtf..
If anybody is politicising this it’s Donaldson.
If the President went to this , it may be seen as a nod of approval or acceptance. I believe he is right not to attend .
If a united Ireland was being negotiated, I would happily march down O’Connell St in a sash to the tune of Lilliburlero to help it along. But that is not what this partition celebration is about, and that is why Michael D is right.
@Richard Barrett: Nicely put.
No one would expect the Ukraine President to attend an event with Russia celebrating the annexation of Crimea.
I agree wholeheartedly with all the above replies
The cheek of the DUP to play this card but then again they are running out of cards.
The GFA they have tried to break from the start and it still worked. Brexit had nothing to do with Europe but to get a hard border back on the island.
They have pushed them and the entire unionist political parties into being seen across the world as we have known what they are like. for generations.
Our President did the right thing and did it with grace.
He is unable to attend, he could have said he had to wash the dogs as that is important.
What John Bruton say then!!!!
Do one Jeff.
Don’t recall the DUP coming to Dublin to commemorate the centenary of the 1916 rising….
Of course he was rightl.The DUP needs to put up or shut up
i invited the president to my birthday party and he refused. i have to take up this matter with FF/FG
Donaldson has done nothing but try to stir up trouble since he took over. Just a joke at this stage.
Will there be a bonfire?
Did they seriously think that the president of our country would attend an event that celebrates the partition of our country? They just tried to veil this as a religious ceremony, but it is political.
First Bertie and now John Bruton. Did somebody accidentally turn over a rock in the Dublin mountains?
Why would he go to celebrate the partition of the country and our people?partition was the worst thing to ever happen the island imo.
It’s like arguing that DUP representatives should attend Easter Rising ceremonies in Dublin. Reconciliation is great but there’s a line that can’t be crossed by either side, otherwise what does it actually mean to be a Republican or a Unionist?
I suppose he is right in his stance if he were to go there he would rubber stamping that NI, was not part of this country & the way the invitation is wored has Orange order arrogance stamped all over it.
I just heard John Brutun on the news saying the president should attend.
@Dave Byrne: fook
John Brutal and the horse he rode in on
He was wrong to publicise his refusal to attend. A private refusal would have been more dignified
@John Sheehan: I thought it was a DUP MLA who brought it up in an interview first? The President did refuse the invitation privately initially (or at least that’s my understanding).
@John Sheehan: It was a private refusal, it was the DUP who called him out publicly on snubbing the Queen and the event, strange from a community who built their party on “Ulster says No”.
@John Sheehan: I suggest that you need to think that through.
@John Sheehan: He did not the DUP announced it. He never realises stuff like that. Not his style as a person or as a President, he respects his office and his responsibilities.
Why is the queen going?
“Was he right” ! .Morally ? Legally? Not to be pedantic or anything but surely it’s ‘ do we agree or disagree’ .
It’s one of those rare occasions where we’re almost unanimous in agreement. It makes a change to say Yes!
Who said no and why?
Definitely not an ecumenical matter
@william sexton: agreed. It is none of the Churches’ business. They are galloping towards oblivion and grasping at straws.
I move into your house uninvited, causing you untold discomfort, after a long drawn out battle I mange to partition most of the upstairs. It’s mine now. Tough.
-Hey, original homeowner who’s upstairs I’ve partitioned from the rest of your gaf and taken as my own, wanna join in celebrating this?……. no!!?!! The cheek….
The latest is that John Bruton says that the President is wrong and he should attend.
@THE KILKENNY JOURNAL: he’s wrong.
To have gone to this event commemorating the Partition of Ireland would have amounted to a betrayal of his Constitutional position as President of Ireland. He was absolutely correct in his decision not to attend.
If he had been invited to an act of contrition he should have gone. I see nothing to celebrate in this centenary.
He did the right thing. Unionists used him. They knew he would turn it down. Totally political.
Higgins could not wait to do a state visit to the Queen very early in his presidentidicy so hypocrisy on his part now.
@M: promoting relations with our closest neighbours is wise. Even if he likes her or gets on well with her that’s not the same as going to a celebration of the nation being dismembered.
Commemorating a centenary of partition is a civil, secular matter and none of the Churches’ business. Besides, Churches are not representative of society. If NI is anything like the South, there are more of no religion than all the non-RC Christians combined. I note these clergymen are not puttingvon a similar event in the Republic. Eamon Martin, the Primate of all Ireland has now labelled himself as a Unionist. Let’s hope no Irish Government rep attends.
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