THE PLACING of the Irish flag on top of the remains of the Obelisk monument at the Battle of the Boyne site has been described as possibly “sending out the wrong message.”
The Tricolour has been flying from the top of the concrete mound in recent days, prompting a local councillor to raise concerns that “it could be seen as antagonistic”.
The Obelisk was over 50m tall and was erected on the grassy slopes of the Boyne in 1736 and is on a site with strong links to the Orange Order.
It was blown up in 1923, allegedly by Republicans using dynamite from an Irish Army camp.
There is a planning application being assessed to erect a replacement monument on the site.
The application is from the Boyne Foundation, which has the full support of the Orange Order. Last year, the order formed a new Boyne Orange Lodge.
The Obelisk is on the northern side of the Boyne which is particularly significant to the Orange Order as it is where King William’s main army entered the river and where he observed the Jacobite forces from. Speaking at the site yesterday, Louth county councillor Frank Godfrey said: “We are trying to attract visitors to this area and this [Tricolour] is sending out the wrong message. It could be seen as antagonising.”
He said that the site “is sacred ground to some people and is like the wailing wall to the Jews and they [Protestants] may feel threatened by it”.
“I don’t have a problem with the Tricolour flying anywhere, but where it is now it is on private property. I have never seen one flying there before,” Mr Godfrey added.