TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar has said that a united Ireland is “further away” in the wake of the controversy over plans to commemorate the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC).

Mr Varadkar also said there are “lessons to learn” from the furore over the event that had been planned for next week but is now cancelled.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan postponed the ceremony after a massive backlash over the plans to remember a police force that was reinforced by the notorious Black and Tans during the War of Independence.

Mr Varadkar said Mr Flanagan was right to defer the commemoration but expressed hope it will still take place at a later date “in a way that’s more appropriate and allows us to consult with the opposition and with others”.

However, he said he believes a united Ireland has been delayed as a result of this week’s row.

Unionists in the North have expressed disappointment that the event is not going ahead and questioned if they would be welcome in a future united Ireland.

Mr Varadkar said he firmly believes in a united Ireland and that it’s possible within his lifetime.

He added: “For a united Ireland to work it is going to have to be a very different State, a State that recognises that there are over a million people on our island who identify as British and come from the Unionist tradition.

“We have to understand that as a country, as an island, we have a shared history that people north and south, catholic and protestant, unionist and nationalist fought on different sides, but they all fought for what they believed in”.

• Read More: Boycotts and blame: ‘Black and Tans event’ descends into farce

Mr Varadkar added that people on both sides were victims of, and involved in atrocities.

“We need to embrace and understand that shared history if we are going to build a united Ireland.

“It is my deep regret that this week, embracing that shared history, moving towards a united Ireland feels to me to be a little bit further away than it was before.”

He said he regrets that there has been a “setback for unity and a set back for reconciliation” but added: “I think that can be changed… we have lessons to learn and work to do.”

Mr Varadkar also said he regrets that some members of the Opposition misrepresented the plans for the commemoration adding that this was “wrong”.

Earlier this evening, Minister Regina Doherty insisted Charlie Flanagan never intended to “make a mess” with plans to commemorate the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) but suggested there was not enough consultation on the controversial event.

Ms Doherty also said the controversy was a “real eye opener” if a border poll on a United Ireland is to be seriously considered in the coming years.

Ms Doherty was asked by reporters if Mr Flanagan should apologise to his Fine Gael colleagues for “making a mess” of the issue.

She said: “Look, I don’t think Charlie’s intention was ever to make a mess.”

She said family histories in Ireland are complex and pointed to how one of her great grandfathers had fought in the British Army in World War One, while another was an IRA man who was on the Black and Tans wanted list.,

Ms Doherty added: “We need to find a route to remember the history that has brought us to where we are today and to be thankful for it but I think, as well as just looking back, we need to look forward.”

She said there’s been a lot of talk about a border poll from Sinn Féin.

“Maybe there wasn’t as much consultation with regard to this commemoration as there should have been or could have been.

“But I think it’s a real eye opener to how we need to reflect on what the country is going to look like for the next number of years if we are to seriously consider having a border poll and talking about a United Ireland in my lifetime.”

• Read More: Philip Ryan: ‘Varadkar can kiss goodbye to his credentials as true republican’

Elsewhere, Business Minister Heather Humphreys argued that there was “a lot of misinformation about this particular commemoration.”

She insisted it was never about remembering the Black and Tans, but rather about the Irish men that lost their lives while working for the RIC.

Ms Humphreys said: “I think it’s a good idea that the minister has postponed the event but I do look forward to it taking place because there have been a number of people who contacted me because their family members served in the RIC and they did make sacrifices and I do believe they deserve to be remembered.”

She added: “We need to look at our history in a fair and balanced way, in an inclusive way and try to understand the different narratives.

“It is a very, very complex and difficult period in our history and we need to look at it with an open mind.”

Source: Read Full Article