Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 November 2012
20. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the work undertaken by the all-party commission on the decade of commemorations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53020/12]
View answer38. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked 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; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53019/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 20 and 38 together.
Since the commencement of the commemorative programme for the Decade of Centenaries 1912-1922, Minister Deenihan has sought to co-ordinate and support a calendar of events marking the centenary anniversaries this year and also to consider the arrangements for the coming years.
An important event of the commemorative programme took place in Waterford on the anniversary of the introduction at Westminster of the 3rd Home Rule Bill, which had seemed likely to secure the aspirations pursued by the Irish parliamentary party in previous decades. The continuing programme reflected the progress of debate on the Bill and the response in Ireland, including the organisation of resistance in Ulster culminating in the signing of the Ulster Covenant on 28 September 1912.
The Minister very much appreciates the continuous support and partnership in events of the British Ministers in Northern Ireland and the British Ambassador in Dublin in relation to the commemorations programme. The participation of Mr Hugo Swire, MP – the NIO Minister at that time – at the Waterford event to speak from the perspective of Westminster on the achievement of John Redmond was very welcome. His participation attested to the partnership that will endure in the exploration and presentation of our shared heritage.
Minister Deenihan was also very pleased to join with Minister Swire at Belfast City Hall for a discussion of the Ulster Covenant organised by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The special display in the Oireachtas and at Westminster of exhibition panels relating to the Home Rule Bill was a shared initiative with NIO Ministers. In addition to meeting with British Ministers at special commemorations, the Minister meets often with the British Ambassador at annual commemorations and other events arising from his Ministerial responsibilities.
Both me and Minister Deenihan met the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr Owen Paterson, MP, on several occasions in the context of matters relating to commemorations. The Minister was pleased to meet the newly appointed Secretary of State, Ms Theresa Villiers, MP, at Glasnevin on 1 October and the new NIO Minister, Mr Mike Penning, MP, in London on 25 October. The Minister will meet again with Minister Penning in Dublin this week. Our discussions relate to the co-ordination and development of commemorative programmes relating to the shared history of the Decade of Centenaries. Commemorations in the coming years will adhere closely to the timeline of 1912-1922, seeking to enhance the understanding of those historic years.
Minister Deenihan very much appreciates too the contributions of the members of the All-Party Oireachtas Consultation Group on Commemorations to the development of an authentic and balanced programme that will deal with all aspects of the cultural, economic and social history of the revolutionary period in Ireland. Meeting eight times since the commemorative programme commenced in April, the Group has addressed the programme content and particular arrangements for events in the current year along with the development of the commemorative programme for the coming years. Reflecting the Minister's commitment towards an inclusive approach, he has arranged where possible that significant proposals from institutions and community groups relating to commemorations are presented directly to the Group by the promoters. The Minister has also introduced a special liaison between the Group and the commemorative planning by Dublin City Council in relation to the Centenary of the Rising.
The Minister would also acknowledge the high level of engagement regarding commemorations from members of the Northern Ireland Executive, especially Ms Carál Ní Chuilín, MLA, Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, with whom he and I as Minister of State at the Department, have attended a number of events. It is appropriate also to acknowledge the work of Dr Maurice Manning and the Advisory Group on Commemorations, comprising eminent historians, which he chairs.
