Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I also give full congratulations to President Michael D. Higgins on his success in the presidential election and I wish him well for the next seven years.I welcome the statement this afternoon from Show Racism the Red Card in Ireland and England, both of which have joined with the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland to support James McClean and call on the English Football Association, FA, to investigate all incidents of anti-Irish discrimination. Members who have seen the videos from the weekend will be aware of the horrific treatment meted out to James last Saturday during a football game. In that context, it is probably time to call for a debate on commemoration in light of the 100th anniversary of the First World War. Hopefully, there is a great deal on which we can all agree. The first is that the 35,000 to 40,000 Irishmen and Irishwomen who died should be remembered. They have been written out of the history of this State for too long. I hope we would also be able to agree on the nature of that war, a pointless, futile exercise with needless deaths and a generation butchered and damned, as the song says. The conflict was a war of empires. We could at least agree on that. Indeed, we could perhaps reflect on the role of John Redmond in encouraging so many Irish men to pointless and horrendous deaths. Where we would disagree, I suspect, is on how to commemorate them. I would not wear a poppy. The reason is what the poppy symbolises. It is on the Royal British Legion website that it is to commemorate the dead of all wars including colonial wars, which the site lists as including Iraq, Afghanistan, the Falklands, Kenya, Cyprus and in our country. People will say they are wearing the poppy only to commemorate the Irish dead. That is fine, but it is not what the poppy symbolises. That is the reality, not an opinion. People can look up the Royal British Legion website. The other problem is that the Royal British Legion, unfortunately, has been and continues to be a cheerleader for British wars, both past and present. That is a fact.

We must find a way to commemorate the poor people who suffered horrendously in that war. We should be able to do that as an independent Irish nation. It is important we do so and have a mature debate on it. I recognise Senator Feighan's genuine attempt to do that. However, it is flawed for two reasons. First, it still represents the poppy and, second, the Royal British Legion is attached to it. I do not wish to commemorate the men in Afghanistan today or the British soldiers in Iraq, and I do not believe the Irish people wish to do so. Let us have a mature debate on this and, hopefully, reach a positive consensus.