Postponing of RIC event is the right decision - Ormond

 The government made the "correct decision" to defer the controversial ceremony to commemorate members of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP), the Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council believes.

 After mounting criticism from the public and politicians from across the political spectrum, including members of his own party, Fine Gael, the Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan announced on Tuesday evening that the government had taken the decison to "defer" the ceremony that was scheduled to take place next Friday, January 17.

Prior to that, Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council Peter Ormond and his Leas-Cathaoirleach Cllr John Leahy had criticised the government for staging the event.

Cllr Ormond said on Wednesday that the proposed commemoration had angered many people and that the government made the right decision to postpone the event and examine the correct course of action to take with an all party committee.

"I think that it is wise that they decided to defer it. What I have heard on the ground from a lot of people is that they had been told stories by their grandparents about the events of the time and that it touched a raw nerve. I don't think too much thought went into the process."

 In a statement released earlier this week, Cllr Ormond said that he did not feel that it was "appropriate" that the RIC and DMP should be commemorated as part of the Decades of Centenaries.

 “People joined the RIC or DMP for their own personal reasons and I don’t feel any negativity or bad feeling towards them. We can recognise these people, but to commemorate them as part of the Decades of Centenaries is not appropriate and I won’t be attending,” he added.

 Leas-Cathaoirleach Cllr John Leahy expressed the view that the timing of the event was to deflect from the current crisis in the health service.

 Cllr Sean O'Brien said that the event was "an absolute insult to the men and women who fought for so long for our independence, many of them giving their lives.

Sinn Fein Deputy Brian Stanley said that proposing to stage a commemoration for the RIC was "an insult to the Irish nation and a clear political attempt to rewrite Irish history".

Speaking after the deferral was announced, Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan said that he is committed to proceed with an "alternative commemoration in the months ahead".

 "As a next step, I will consult further with the expert Advisory Group on Centenary Commemoration, with the all-party consultative group on commemoration and with other stakeholders, with a view to organising an event that is inclusive and fully respectful of all the traditions and memories on this island.

 "As a Minister in two departments over the last number of years, I have always been acutely conscious that commemorating the major events that shaped our nation one hundred years ago would in many cases be hugely challenging and hugely sensitive," he said.

Thousands of Irish people have ancestors who served in the Dublin Metropolitan Police and Royal Irish Constabulary.

These personal histories are part of the history of our island. I believe it is right that we acknowledge that history," he concluded.