NI100: Simon Coveney accepts centenary service invitation

Two Irish government ministers are to attend a centenary church service in Armagh later this month organised by Irish church leaders.

The service is timed to coincide with the centenary of the formation of Northern Ireland in 1921.

Irish president Michael D Higgins has previously turned down an invitation, saying the event had become politicised.

The SDLP has said it will be attending, while Sinn Féin confirmed it would not.

Foreign Minister Simon Coveney and government chief whip Jack Chambers will be present at the event.

In a statement on Thursday evening, the Irish government said in considering the invitation "its role in this matter is clearly distinct from that of the president".

It said it reiterated its "full support and understanding" of President Higgins' decision not to attend, which it said was "properly made" and based on concerns he had consistently expressed.

But it added: "Cognisant of that important distinction, and in recognition also of the spirit and intentions of the church leaders in organising the event, the government has decided that it will be represented at the event."

Mr Coveney is a member of the Fine Gael party while Mr Chambers is a member of Fianna Fáil.

The service will be held at St Patrick's Church of Ireland cathedral on 21 October.

It is being described as a service of reflection and hope, to mark the centenary of the partition of Ireland and the formation of Northern Ireland.

Last month, Catholic and Protestant church leaders said they had been saddened by "the polarised political commentary" around the service they organised.

Senator Gerard Craughwell, a signatory to a letter from six independent Irish senators who wrote to President Higgins asking him to reconsider his decision not to go to the service, said he did not agree with the decision to send two government ministers.

"The president of the country made his decision, I didn't agree with it at the time and I would still hold the same position," he told Good Morning Ulster on Friday.

"You're now having one of the most senior ministers of the cabinet countermanding the decision, for want of a better description, of the supreme leader, the president.

"So it's a really strange one, it's been really messed up from beginning to end as far as I can see.

"When the president made his decision that should have been it, if we wanted to have a representative at this event we should have found someone lower down the food chain in the Irish political system."

A decision has yet to be taken by the SDLP as to who will attend the service.

Its leader Colum Eastwood said: "Given the choice between remaining in the trenches of the last 100 years or reaching out to build a new future, I know which side I want to be on."

The British and Irish heads of state, the Queen and President Higgins, were both invited.

The president's decision provoked criticism in Northern Ireland, with Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson saying it was a "disappointing and retrograde step".

In September, President Higgins defended his decision to decline his invitation.

On Thursday, Church of Ireland primate Archbishop John McDowell said the church leaders "absolutely respect" the decision of anyone who declines an invitation.

Speaking on RTÉ radio, he insisted the organisers had chosen their words carefully in describing the service as "marking" the centenary.

"Not commemorate, not celebrate but to mark - which is a neutral phase - which allows for a very wide interpretation," he said.

"And it will include, and always has been planned to include, those who will want to say very clearly that partition, and the legacy of partition, have been a bitter experience for them."

BBC News NI has seen a copy of the letter sent by the church leaders on 4 October to people invited to service.

It says: "The service will provide the opportunity for honest reflection on the past 100 years, including an acknowledgement of different perceptions, with the recognition of failures and hurts.

"It will, however, also have a clear affirmation of our shared commitment to building a future marked by peace, reconciliation and a commitment to the common good."

Those invited to the service have been asked to reply by 13 October.