Sinn Féin accuses Fianna Fáil of bid to commemorate William the Conqueror
Sinn Féin has accused Fianna Fáil of pushing the Government to commemorate the birth of England's first Norman king, William the Conqueror.
It follows Cabinet approval today to participate in a European cultural initiative called '2027 The Year of the Normans'.
The proposal was brought to the Government by Minister for Housing James Browne who said the initiative would benefit tourism and economic growth while increasing public engagement with Ireland's Norman heritage.
"Our Norman history is shared across this island, north and south, and with the UK and wider Europe, from Scandinavia to Sicily.
"From their arrival in Wexford in the late 12th century, the Normans left their mark in monumental ways across our urban and rural landscapes, building towns and castles, abbeys and cathedrals that stand to this day," Mr Browne said.
However, Sinn Féin's spokesperson for Gaeilge, Gaeltacht, Arts and Culture, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, described the move as offensive.
"We Irish know well enough the legacy of William's successors invading and subjugating Ireland in the name of his English crown, with Strongbow ushering in the 900 years of occupation, with the North still under the descendants of William the Conqueror's crown.
"The website of the Normandy region behind the millennium celebrations clearly states that 2027 was chosen as the year of 'Normans, People of Europe' to mark the millennium of the birth of William the Conqueror.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
UK Government's £50m pledge for Casement Park an enormous step forward – Michelle O'Neill
First Minister Michelle O'Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly comment on Government allocation of £50 million to Casement Park in the Spending Review.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Taoiseach labelling Israel's actions in Gaza ‘genocide' won't stop Central Bank approving ‘war bonds', governor tells TDs
So-called 'war bonds', which it is claimed are being used to fund the killing of innocent children and civilians in Gaza, are under intense scrutiny as a second Dáil motion was tabled to ban them. The Central Bank faced sustained questioning from TDs and senators at the Oireachtas Finance Committee, but insisted it is legally required to approve the legal document, or prospectus, required for the sale of the bonds. To be sold in the EU, bonds from non-EU countries must have their bond prospectus approved by an EU country. Israel traditionally had its European bond prospectuses approved in the UK, but turned to the Central Bank in Ireland for authorisations after Brexit. The Governor of the Central Bank, Gabriel Makhlouf, said it was 'incorrect' to claim it can impose sanctions on the processing of the bonds on the basis of international court rulings. He said it is up to international bodies including the UN and the EU to respond to breaches of international law by Israel, and to determine if sanctions are necessary. 'The Central Bank cannot impose sanctions on Israel – for example by refusing to approve the Israeli bond prospectus – in circumstances where the EU has not imposed any such sanctions itself,' he told TDs and senators. The Central Bank said its approval for Israel trading bonds in the EU is due for renewal in September. 'We will look extremely carefully at the facts that pertain at that time and will make a judgment on it,' said the Central Bank governor. A number of TDs, including Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty and Cian O'Callaghan of the Social Democrats, said Ireland was a signatory to the Genocide Convention and this would enable the Central Bank to reject Israel's bond prospectuses. But Mr Makhlouf said the body is not bound by the Genocide Convention, but rather EU financial regulations, when deciding whether to facilitate the sale of bonds. ADVERTISEMENT The current prospectus is due for renewal again in September. 'If, when the state of Israel looks to renew its prospectus we will look extremely carefully at the facts that pertain at the time and we will make a judgment on it,' he said. But this will be based on the requirements of the financial regulations. 'The fact that the Taoiseach made the statement at the time, that is not going to change the judgement we come to,' he said, referring to Micheál Martin's comments last month that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Ahead of last night's Dáil vote on a Bill enabling the Central Bank to stop facilitating Israeli bonds. Sinn Féin urged government TDs to 'have a backbone'. Deputy Doherty said: 'We have to ensure the State has no hand, act or part in facilitating the sale of Israeli war bonds. These aren't just financial instruments, this is the money that is raised that pays for the bombs that pays for the bullets that pays for the destruction of the lives of men, women and children across Palestine as we speak.' Deputy O'Callaghan said while Independent TDs backing the Government had a free vote on the motion, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs had to vote along with the party whip. 'That is utterly unjust and unfair,' he said. 'If there was a free vote, this motion would pass and that would put the Central Bank under severe pressure to stop facilitating the sale of these bonds and would cut off a source of finance for the genocide that is taking place.' Labour's Conor Sheehan said: 'It is not enough to just call this a genocide. We need to make Israel an international pariah.'
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Q&A: What is the pension payment error all about and can the money be recouped?
Unions and representatives of retired civil servants say they are awaiting detail of the errors made in relation to the pensions of their current or former members . However, there is concern that some of the issues could require legislation and that senior politicians could be impacted by any changes to the law. What has happened? On Tuesday the Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers said 'serious and systemic operational issues' had been identified at the National Shared Services Office (NSSO), which employs about 850 people and handles payroll administration for all government departments. The belief is these errors have resulted in some retired civil servants being underpaid in their pensions; incorrect pension contributions having been deducted from current and previous ministers; and the wrong amount of tax being deducted from the lump sums paid to about 30 senior civil servants upon retirement. With a review of 13,000 retirees' positions under way, however, and an external audit of the NSSO to be undertaken, it is uncertain how the situation will develop. READ MORE What will happen in respect of people who owe or are owed money? Mr Chambers said he was committed to ensuring 'all monies owed to the State are fully recouped and monies owed to individuals are refunded'. The former is likely to create issues, however, especially in relation to the larger amounts, with one retiree said to owe €280,000. With Mr Chambers suggesting some ministers may be asked to repay more than €30,000, the tax issue could be considerable. Details of the time frame have not been clarified, but Ciaran Rohan of the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants says recouping overpayments stretching back more than four years could leave retirees, or potentially some politicians, substantially out of pocket. This is because current legislation would only allow the reclaiming of the extra tax paid as a result of receiving the extra money for the past four years, even if the overpayments stretched further back. Could that be changed? Only by legislation, says employment lawyer Barry Kenny, who says the issue means 'the original error has financial implications beyond a simple repayment issue'. It also has the potential to make it a political one. How could the money be recouped? A government circular in 2018 sets out the various ways in which overpayments can be reclaimed but there is no provision for anything like a liability of €280,000. The intention should be to recoup all the money and ideally within a year, it suggests, usually by deductions from pay or pensions of up to 8 per cent of the gross amount the person is receiving. But these people can afford to repay, no? The largest figures relate to people who had pension funds on retirement worth more than €2 million. That would certainly suggest they are well off but coming up with the funds to repay a six-figure sum is likely to be regarded as an issue. Cloda Ryan of the Retired Civil and Public Servants Association (RCPSA), which has some 7,000 members, says the vast majority of amounts involved are likely to be far smaller but still have the potential to cause problems for the pensioners concerned. 'Contrary to public perception, the majority of Civil Service pensioners have moderate pensions, in many cases lower than they would receive under the social welfare State pension for which, in general, civil servants recruited before April 6th, 1995 do not qualify.' The organisation is seeking assurances 'that no recovery of pension overpayments would take place without consultation and agreement with each pensioner affected'. And if an agreement can't be reached? 'Any civil servant faced with a request to refund money, large or small, should take legal advice to clarify the legal basis for the demand to repay and whether the figures are accurate,' says Mr Kenny. He says where the validity is established, 'reasonable' deductions or instalments would need to be agreed.
