SF votes against royal invitation to 1916 centenary

Sinn Féin delegates at the party’s ardfheis voted overwhelming against inviting any member of the British royal family or the British government to any 1916 Rising commemoration events.

They rejected a call from the archomhairle or national executive to refer the issue to the incoming ardchomhairle, but instead supported the motion which “proposes that no member of either the British royal family or the British government be invited to any official state ceremonial event as this would be an insult to the memory of the fallen heroes of 1916 and their families”.

MEP Matt Carthy speaking for the ardchomhairle said he could envisage no circumstance in which Sinn Féin would want or seek to have a British monarch attending any of the 2016 events.

“But neither can I see any point or real rationale to tie our hands behind our back.”

But it had the potential to “be a distraction that could end up making us tie ourselves up in knots”.

Delegate Gerry McCartney from Derry called on the ardfheis to vote against the motion.

He said British soldiers as well as Irish republicans were involved in 1916 and British soldiers died as well as Irish republicans.

He said “let’s send a very clear message.... that when Martin McGuinness shook hands with Queen Elizabeth every single hand of ours was in his hand.”

Mr McCartney received tepid applause from delegates.

Delegate Shane Ó Ceallaigh received cheers and resounding applause when he said no British royal or British government member “is welcome to the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising or to any event honouring men and women who gave their lives to drive Britain from the shores of Ireland”.

He said “reconciliation will take place between Ireland and Britain some day when our country is re-united and Anglo-Irish relations are a fact we have to consider as well.

“But that is no reason to invite them to our republican commemorations.”

He asked: “Can we really invite the establishments responsible for the executions of 1916, both Bloody, the death of republican hunger strikers, the torture of so many POWs to events commemorating these republican heroes”.

He said the struggle “may have become a political struggle but it is by no means over. It will not be over until we have a 32-county socialist republic”.

Mr O Ceallaigh said they could not pretend that the republican struggle was over.

Royalty is something that we as republicans completely oppose.

Earlier Sinn Féin national chairman Declan Kearney told the ardfheis that "republicans should consider carefully what more we can do to build trust and confidence with our unionist neighbours. That is an imperative."

He said it was “time to make reconciliation the new phases of the peace process”.

Mr Kearney said “an initiative of common acknowledgement from all sides for the pain caused by and to each other could powerfully contribute to forgiveness and healing.

“Doing so would require grace and generosity from all sides.”

Expressing remorse and regret for death and injury caused during the conflict could “move us all closer to a healing process”.

Seeking “unionist repudiation of British state forces and the RUC is just as unhelpful as demanding republican repudiation of the IRA”, he said.

“The war is over here. Reconciliation is our future. It is not a new battleground. Fear and mistrust are huge blocks to progress.”