asked the Taoiseach if the Government have any plans to commemorate the members of the Irish parliamentary party who gave their lifetime to promoting the cause of Irish unity and independence, in particular John Redmond, John Dillon and Joseph Devlin.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Irish Parliamentary Party Commemoration.
3.
The Government are not planning any such commemoration.
Does the Taoiseach not consider it rather odd, in view of the fact that it is the present policy of the Government to unite Ireland by peaceful means, that they should have no plans to commemorate the leaders of a party which also espoused the same policy in times when such a policy was, perhaps, less popular than it is at the moment?
I have said before that we have one occasion on which we honour all those who died, fought or worked in the service of Ireland. I think that ought to be sufficient. As the Deputy is aware, the date of a commemoration such as he suggests would be difficult because all these men he mentions were born on different dates in different years and died on different dates in different years.