Coveney: Michael Collins would be  'extraordinarily proud' of Ireland but would demand more action on homelessness

The joint address at Béal na Bláth by the leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, marks the end of Civil War politics, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney has said.

Mr Coveney told The Echo he believed Collins would be “extraordinarily proud” of the Ireland of today but would have demanded more progress on tackling housing and homelessness.

He added that Collins would be proud too of Cork, a city he had, as finance minister, raised funds to rebuild after the Burning of Cork in 1920.

“I think Michael Collins would be very happy that Béal na Bláth is being used as a place of reconciliation, bringing Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael people together, really marking an end to Civil War politics in Ireland,” Mr Coveney said.

“I think Collins would have liked to have seen that, because don’t forget that when Collins was shot, a big part of his visit to Cork was actually to try and find a way to end the Civil War, so I think I think that is important.” 

He said Collins would have been proud of Ireland today and its role in the world, its economy, its positions in UN and EU, and its equal relationship with the UK.

“Of course he’d like to see, just like we would, more progress on some of the social issues that we need to deal with, particularly around housing and homelessness, but that’s no different to the politicians of today where we’re searching for and working hard to find solutions to those issues,” Mr Coveney said.

“As Collins said, patriotism isn’t about dramatic moments, it’s about hard work in the face of real possibilities, building a country piece by piece, and that’s what politicians today are trying to do.

“We have made mistakes, of course, but I think Ireland today, I think Cork today, is really an extraordinary progression from where from where we were 100 years ago, when we were trying to establish an independent State, where we had the extraordinary tragedy of the Civil War, which was relatively short-lived, but nevertheless it was brutal and incredibly divisive,” he said.

“I think Collins, as ever, would be critical, because he always wanted more, but I think the Ireland we are living in today is something that we can be proud of, but also it needs constant work and improvement.” 

Mr Coveney was speaking after a civic reception for members of the Collins family at Cork Public Museum on Saturday, where Lord Mayor Deirdre Forde launched a landmark exhibition By a Treaty Divided – The Civil War in Cork.