'It is those who resisted British rule in Ireland during the Tan War and citizens that suffered at the hands of the those that maintained British rule who the State should be commemorating, not the RIC or the Black and Tans'
, Lord Mayor of Cork John Sheehan, Galway Mayor Mike Cubbard and several politicians having already declared that they would be boycotting it.
“It is not a celebration. It is an acknowledgement of the historical importance of both the DMP and the RIC, and is in no sense a commemoration of the “Black & Tans” or the “Auxiliaries”.“There is no question but that there are very real sensitivities involved here. I acknowledge that,” Flanagan added.
“That is why it is disappointing to see some public representatives abandon the principles of mutual understanding and reconciliation in an effort to gain headlines. This attitude, combined with a distortion of the nature of the commemoration, is ill becoming of any public representative and represents a step backwards to a more narrow-minded past characterised by a hierarchy of Irishness.”
“I remember, you know, 10, 15 years ago, it was very controversial to commemorate the deaths of soldiers in World War I because some people felt that they shouldn't be remembered, because they fought for the United Kingdom, because they fought for the British - that has changed,” Varadkar said.
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