A GREEN PARTY TD has called on the Irish government to make the 12^th of July a public holiday.

The Twelfth marks the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic King James II in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, an act that secured a Protestant line of succession for the British crown.

It is a public holiday in the north and Patrick Costello, a member of the Good Friday Agreement Oireachtas Committee, today called on the government to legislate for it to become a public holiday in the Republic.

“This day is an extremely important one historically for the island, and culturally for many people who live here,” said Costello.

The Green Party TD noted that the Good Friday Agreement required Ireland to amend articles 2 and 3 of the constitution.

This amendment changed a previous claim to the entire island of Ireland to “recognising that a united Ireland shall be brought about only by peaceful means with the consent of a majority of the people”.

“The new article 3 specifies that the state will work ‘to unite all the people who share the territory of the island of Ireland, in all the diversity of their identities and traditions’,” said Costello.

STATEMENT: Costello calls for the Irish Government to make 12th of July a public holiday. pic.twitter.com/CrQoOJ2fvm

— Patrick Costello TD (@Costellop) July 10, 2023

He added that his proposal to make the Twelfth a public holiday in Ireland would “see us living up to our constitutional obligation”.

Costello noted that both St Patrick’s Day and the Twelfth are public holidays in the North and said “this too should be replicated here”.

He also claimed that as well as having “symbolic effects” it would also bring benefits for the tourism industry.

“For tourism there is huge untapped potential relating to the Jacobite-Williamite War,” said Costello.

“In particular I think of the Battle of the Boyne site itself where the Office for Public Works run a fantastic visitor site.

“This could become a site of annual pilgrimage for many from the North. In Limerick we could capitalise on the Treaty stone and in Galway on the Battle of Aughrim site.”

Costello added that all people needed to feel “represented and included” in the Irish State.

“For too long the Irish state sought to portray a single narrative of Irish history, one that was isolationist, militant, nationalist and catholic,” said the Green Party TD.

“We know that history is not black and white, we know that there are numerous traditions on this island.

“If the Irish state truly aspires to unite all the peoples of this island, then all of those people need to feel represented and included. Designating the 12th as a public holiday would be a major step for that process.”

‘Bemused and shocked’ 

Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín has hit out at the proposal and said “many of the people of the north of Ireland will be bemused and shocked” by the suggestion. 

“Patrick must be incredibly naïve or have no knowledge of what is happening in the north of Ireland,” added Tóibín. 

The Aontú leader also claimed that the 12th of July is a “celebration of dominance of unionism over nationalists” and that “it’s core message is ‘we’re in charge and don’t forget it’”.

“Pretending the 12th is not political is just silly,” said Tóibín.

“Even this week we saw pictures of the Taoiseach and the Irish flag placed on one of the largest bonfires in the north.”

While Tóibín said Costello “is probably making this suggestion in the spirit of reconcilisation”, he added that it is a “mistaken” proposal. 

“In a future United Ireland it will be an agreed Ireland, a negotiated Ireland. It may well that these things would be discussed,” said Tóibín. 

“In a decentralised unified state it would be possible that he 12th continues to be a public holiday in the north. But in the south of Ireland, there is no demand for this and certainly no logic to it either.”