A row has erupted over plans for Ireland to participate in a year of commemorations for the Normans with Sinn Féin accusing Fianna Fáil of an “offensive” plan to celebrate the birth of England’s first Norman king William the Conqueror.
It comes after the Cabinet approved plans for Ireland’s Norman heritage to be celebrated in 2027 as part of a European-wide initiative to mark the group’s impact on western civilisation.
Originally from Normandy in France, the Normans conquered England in 1066 and then landed in Ireland a century later when Strongbow arrived in 1169 to help Dermot McMurrough recover his Leinster kingdom.
The proposal to engage with 2027’s The Year of the Normans – People of Europe initiative were brought to Cabinet by Fianna Fáil Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne.
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His spokeswoman responded to the Sinn Féin’s criticism saying the Opposition party is “completely missing the point” of Ireland’s participation in the initiative led by the Normandy region in France.
She said: “it is an important and essential collaboration and commemoration – any distortion of this work is really disappointing and careless.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Gaeilge, Gaeltacht and the Arts Aengus Ó Snodaigh reacted the plan for Ireland to participate, accusing Fianna Fáil of “dedicating an entire year in celebration of 1,000 years since the birth of William the Conqueror”.
He added: “What will they think of next: A Festival of Cromwell? A Famine Queen Jubilee?”
Mr Ó Snodaigh continued: “The recent 1,500th anniversary of the birth of our patron saint Colmcille passed with little more than a whimper, and the 900th anniversary of the founding of the first settlement of Galway by the legendary High King Toirdhealbhach Mór Ua Conchobhair was not marked officially by any organ of the State.”
He also said: “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 Dublin South Central TD added: “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.
“This is not a commemoration for Ireland. Marking the birth of a future English king is not for us, even if it was 1,000 years ago.
“Rather we should always be remembering those great figures of Ireland’s past who actually lived here and contributed positively to our island story.”
Mr O’Snodaigh also said: “We should make the most of Ireland’s Norman heritage to boost tourism, to create jobs, to support communities, and reinforce links with families tracing their Norman Irish roots and with other places who share a Norman heritage, but celebrating England’s William the Conqueror, however, is a step too far.”
A spokeswoman for Mr Browne said while the initial invite by MacMurrough “led eventually to a much wider territorial incursion into Ireland by the Anglo Normans, the resulting intermarriage and inter-alliance of Norman and Gaelic Irish families led to the well recognised claim that they would as a result ‘become more Irish than the Irish themselves‘”.
She said: “The ‘Year of the Normans’ is about understanding Irish history and its complexity, as it rightly should be interrogated and engaged with.
“A significant number of this island’s well known surnames, such as Furlong, Butler, Burke, and Power are of Norman origin, as well as the origins of the seven proud tribes of Galway.
“The year of the Normans is being led by our neighbours in Normandy, France, and it is an important and essential collaboration and commemoration – any distortion of this work is really disappointing and careless.”
She also asked if it is Sinn Féin’s position that they will boycott all events related to the year of the Normans.
Other European countries and regions sharing Norman history and heritage (Britain, Channel Islands, southern Italy, Norway, Denmark) have also been invited to take part in the initiative.
Earlier Mr Browne said: “We are confident that this initiative will have a lasting legacy, delivering concrete achievements with economic and social benefits, and all carried out in a respectful, sensitive manner as all historical commemorations must be.”
