Queen Elizabeth invited to Castlebar as Sinn Féin slammed for ‘jealousy’

Queen Elizabeth invited to Castlebar

Sinn Féin Cllr slammed for ‘political jealousy’

Edwin McGreal

Queen Elizabeth II is to be officially invited to the Mayo Peace Park in Castlebar as part of her planned trip to this country inside the next 17 months.
Castlebar Town Council last week passed a motion to invite her put forward by Fine Gael’s Cllr Eugene McCormack by seven votes to two.
However tempers flared in a heated discussion with Sinn Féin’s Cllr Thérèse Ruane accused of ‘vicious political jealousy’ after she opposed the motion.
Cllr Ruane told the meeting that it was ‘totally unacceptable to invite the Commander in Chief of the British Army’ and also cited cost as a reason.
“We saw last week of cuts to funding for Justice for the Forgotten. Until the families of Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson and others are vindicated and until there is a complete withdrawal of British forces from this island - and also remember that the British Army is taking part in imperial wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - we are moving forward but, until we progress on all of these steps, no invitation should be sent.”
However Cllr Frank Durcan slammed Cllr Ruane and Sinn Féin for their stance.
“I’m saddened to hear the comments of Cllr Ruane. We have gone back twenty years. We haven’t advanced at all as far as Sinn Féin are concerned. I was always suspect of your party and I am very suspect now about what hidden agenda you have for this country,” said Cllr Durcan, at which stage Cllr Ruane tried to interrupt.
“Would you have some common manners,” retorted Cllr Durcan. “You didn’t say about all the damage your party brought and the economic damage caused by your party. Ye are not without sin. England was very bad to this country years ago and we’d have done the same to them if we had the power. But a lot of our families had to go to England and were well looked after.
”I don’t see what your gripe is. It is not valid. We are back to the days of the gun and the bomb and the bullet. I thought we had advanced. I’m quite sure that the benefits from this visit would far outweigh the costs in terms of security. So many people in England would want to visit a place the queen visited. What I have heard is vicious political jealousy,” said Cllr Durcan.
The proposer of the motion, Cllr McCormack, added that he felt the position of Cllr Ruane was regressive.
“If this is official Sinn Féin policy, then I’m convinced Sinn Féin is rooted firmly in the past. While they portray themselves as progressive, they are constantly looking in the rear view mirror. And Sinn Féin’s stance here really vindicates the stance of Fine Gael and our reluctance as a party to do business with Sinn Féin.”
Cllr Ruane dismissed Cllr McCormack’s comments as ‘outrageous’ but was not able to comment further as a vote was ordered.
Proposing the motion in the first place, Cllr McCormack stated how he felt such an invitation would be an indication of how Ireland has ‘moved on’.
“We, as a country, have matured considerably since our inception. People from very opposite sides are now sitting down, talking to each other. There is no doubt that we were the victims of oppression from the British for centuries but we have moved on.
“Mayo Peace Park is symbolic of everything this visit should stand for - friendship, peace and reconciliation. From an economic point of view Mayo Peace Park is an important tourist attraction and we spoke earlier about the need for tourists to visit this town and having a royal visit Mayo Peace Park would make it a huge attraction for tourists.”
Along with Cllr Ruane, Cllr Michael Kilcoyne opposed the motion.
“I’ve given this long consideration and I don’t believe the Government should invite her because of the reason of cost but I would welcome her to come any time she wants, but not at our expense. We can’t afford €10, never mind €10 million,” said Cllr Kilcoyne, in reference to the projected security cost for the trip.
Queen Elizabeth II is expected to visit Ireland before the end of 2011. It will be her first visit to Ireland. An official invitation to Mayo Peace Park will now be sent by Castlebar Town Council.