Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 December 2020
489. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Justice if her Department will proceed with plans which were abandoned in January 2020 for the staging of a State commemoration for the Royal Irish Constabulary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41128/20]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Decade of Centenaries is a programme of commemoration of the period from 1912 to 1923. The Programme is broad and inclusive, complementing the on-going programme of formal State commemorations with special centenary events on the anniversaries of key historical events. It seeks to record the economic and social conditions of the period, the shifts in cultural norms as well as the experience of the Irish abroad.
The Government’s approach is grounded in the principles laid out by the Expert Advisory Group on Centenary Commemorations. The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media are responsible for the development and delivery of a cross-governmental programme to mark Phase II of the Decade of Centenaries, which is running from 2019 to 2023.
As the Deputy has referenced, an event had been planned to mark the role in Irish history of the Dublin Metropolitan Police and Royal Irish Constabulary. My predecessor decided earlier this year to defer this event pending further consultation, including with the Expert Advisory Group on Centenary Commemorations, the All-Party Consultation Group on Commemorations and with other stakeholders.
My Department is still considering how best to mark the elements of Phase II of the Decade of Centenaries programme which fall within the Justice sector, including the centenary of An Garda Síochána, the establishment of the Courts, and the history of the Department itself. However, there are no plans to reschedule the event which was postponed earlier this year.
