Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the meetings he has held with the British ambassador and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in relation to the decade of commemorations in view of the outbreak of violence over the flying of the Union flag over Belfast City Hall; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4589/13]

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Meetings with the ministerial team at the Northern Ireland Office, NIO, and the British ambassador in Dublin occur regularly in the context of the centenary commemorative programme and other areas of common and shared interest.

Most recently, the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Deenihan, visited the Houses of Parliament at Westminster on 16 January for a commemoration co-hosted with the Northern Ireland Office Minister, Mike Penning, MP, on the centenary of the second reading in the House of Commons of the Third Home Rule Bill. The Minister welcomed this opportunity to discuss the continuing development of the commemorative programme with the Minister and, subsequently, with several British and Irish current and former Members of Parliament.

That afternoon, at the Embassy of Ireland, the Minister met the Minister for International Security Strategy, Dr. Andrew Murrison, MP, and several of the organisations and institutions involved in the preparation of the British commemorative programme for the centenary of the First World War.

During 2012, the Minister was pleased, on behalf of the Government, to lead on and participate in a very significant decade of centenaries programme. Some of the highlights included the NIO exhibition panels on the Third Home Rule Bill, displayed at Westminster in February and thereafter in the Oireachtas and the National Library of Ireland; a conference on the Ulster Covenant organised by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland at Belfast City Hall, which the Minister addressed; memorial lectures on the work of John Redmond and the Irish Parliamentary Party presented in association with Waterford City Council; the Carson memorial lecture in Dublin by the Northern Ireland First Minister, Peter Robinson, on reflections on Irish Unionism; a major exhibition at the Hugh Lane Gallery related to the Third Home Rule Bill, which the Minister opened; supplements in The Irish Times, supported by my Department and circulated to all primary and post-primary schools; and the display of exhibition panels at Waterford Museum of Treasures on Redmond and the Home Rule movement.

There was also ongoing engagement with the all-party Oireachtas group on commemorations, as well as continued engagement with the Manning committee. In addition, preparations for the decade of commemorations website are advancing and the Minister will launch this formally in the coming weeks.

The Minister appreciates very much the support and association of the British Ministers and the ambassador with our commemorative programme for the decade of centenaries. The events of the years 1912 to 1922 are the shared heritage of both the British and the Irish. The contribution of each is very valuable as we seek to achieve a comprehensive and inclusive commemorative framework that will enhance the understanding of these tumultuous years.

The issues relating to the flying of the flag at Belfast City Hall have not featured directly in the Minister's formal discussions and exchanges with Ministers, public representatives and others in recent times. However, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade discussed the recent flag protests on 17 January with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and reviewed developments towards calming the situation. The two Governments reaffirmed their commitment to support the efforts of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to resolve the current crisis and work closely together to identify ways to address not just the current crisis but its underlying causes.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Aire Stáit as teacht isteach chun an cheist seo a fhreagairt. We are looking beyond what we hope will be the very successful events of The Gathering in 2013 to the next series of events of the decade of commemorations that will register with the public and the international community in a positive way. However, the past two months of unrest in Belfast and across the North have been a depressing and a timely reminder of the need for the Irish and British Governments to continue to engage actively in developing the peace process. The problem in the North is a wider failure of politics. For the public, if normal democratic politics is not about the economy and improving people’s standards of life, it becomes about issues such as flags, parades and divisions. Accordingly, the commemorations ahead have the potential to stir up violent reactions. There is a need for constant engagement between the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Ms Theresa Villiers, and the Minister to ensure a positive outcome for this commemoration process, one to which we are strongly committed. It also requires cross-parliamentary engagement between North and South. Will the Minister assure us that this will be the sort of serious level of engagement we will see between now and the launch of the decade of commemorations?

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I am honoured to be vice chairman of the commemorations committee. It is encouraging to see it is so exclusive and that it has respect for every aspect of Irish political thinking which will be commemorated in the coming decade. The Minister has been very busy attending events in Northern Ireland and the UK, as I have myself and Deputy Ó Cuív, when he was on this side of the House. His name is still a byword in places in Northern Ireland which would surprise many. I am a regular visitor to the North and attended commemorations of the Battle of the Somme over the past several years. It is all about bringing people together. The peace process is a continuing process and all of these matters contribute to it.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Our concern is to ensure nothing happens that develops as a lightning rod to further conflict. Will the Minister establish a cross-Border commemorative body to ensure there is ongoing dialogue at a level that is necessary to avoid conflict? What specific plans has the Minister in place to support and create bridge-building between the communities both North and South and in the North?

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Many different shades of political opinion from Northern Ireland have already attended the Oireachtas commemoration committee. I am a regular visitor there. Last Saturday I was in Derry commemorating Burns Night. I have been to Belfast City Hall to commemorate the Battle of the Somme. In Donegal we have the Monreagh centre which celebrates Scottish-Irish culture. We intend to continue this cross-Border association for the coming year and for the decade of commemorations.