DUP man: ‘The Irish president should have taken his own advice when it comes to partition commemorations’

A DUP figure has suggested that Irish president Michael D Higgins has failed to live up to his own self-declared standards when it comes to commemorating Irish partition.
By Adam Kula
Published 22nd Nov 2021, 00:57 BST
‘In the eyes of many unionists, he let himself down very badly’‘In the eyes of many unionists, he let himself down very badly’
‘In the eyes of many unionists, he let himself down very badly’

William Irwin, MLA for Newry and Armagh, was reacting to the news that Mr Higgins has released a book on the subject of the 1921 north-south split.

The book is titled Machnamh 100: President of Ireland Centenary Reflections, Volume 1.

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It is basically a collection of speeches and essays by various academics and historians, and it has now been made available for free online, via the president’s office.

A number of them are by Michael D Higgins himself, including an address from December 2020, titled: “Ethical and Respectful Remembering.”

In it, he says “we are all challenged to engage with our shared past in a manner that is honest, authentic and inclusive, and that if commemoration is understood in this way that it might assist in healing the wounds of conflicts”.

He adds that the task of remembrance is “one of inclusion and respect, one that brings us beyond – relieves us of the burden of – sectarian tendencies past and present”.

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In a press release announcing the volume’s publication, he says that the Irish people have shown a great interest in considering and reflecting on the seminal events of 100 years ago,” and stressed the need to “challenge our preconceptions” and “to listen” to all voices.

However, Mr Irwin suggested that such rhetoric clashes with Mr Higgins’ decision to avoid the major commemorative ceremony in Armagh during October – an event arranged jointly by the Catholic and Protestant churches.

“It certainly looks like he didn’t take his own advice,” said Mr Irwin.

“I think it was a big error of judgement on behalf of the president not to attend.

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“He went lower in the estimation of many people as president... in my eyes, and in many unionists’ eyes, he let himself down very badly”.

He wondered if the release of the book is part of a bid “to try and undo the damage that’s already been done by him refusing to attend the service”.

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