Council gives grant to Wolfe Tone Festival organised by Sinn Féin

A local authority has funded an event hosted by Sinn Féin this weekend in memory of the republican Theobald Wolfe Tone.

Speakers listed to speak at the event in Sallins, Co Kildare include the party's deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald and finance spokesman Pearse Doherty.

The Wolfe Tone Festival, organised by members of Kildare Sinn Féin, was awarded a grant of €600 by Kildare County Council last month.

The council said the grant was made to fund a “community festival” and was not for any associated political event.

The festival website, which features a large image of a face with a tricolour superimposed on it, advertises the event as “kindly supported by Kildare County Council and Sinn Féin”.

One local councillor, who did not wish to be named, said he had no problem with the commemoration but that the council should be politically neutral and should not have paid the grant. “It’s groups of people carrying banners honouring IRA dead. This is a political rally.”

This year’s event marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolf Tone who led the United Irishmen rebellion of 1798. It is the third year of the festival, which has not previously been funded by the local authority.

The organisers describe the festival as a “celebration of Irish culture”, honouring the life of “one Ireland’s greatest and most admired Republicans”, regarded as the father of Irish republicisim.

It begins on Saturday and will feature talks and live music throughout the weekend, including a 'Wolfe Tone Memorial Lecture' delivered by Ms McDonald on Sunday in a restaurant in Sallins.

Marchers will assemble in Sallins village at 1.30pm on Sunday to begin the annual parade to Bodenstown Cemetery, the site of Wolfe Tone’s grave, at 2.15pm.

Chairman of the festival's organising committee Dan Kirwan told The Irish Times the application for funding from the council had been "completely transparent".

Mr Kirwan said all the members of the Wolfe Tone committee were local Sinn Féin members. The festival cost about €3,000 to run, of which €1,000 was contributed by the party.

Mr Kirwan said the actual Wolfe Tone commemoration on Sunday remained a nationally organised event.

“The Wolfe Tone Festival was set up with the aim of working with the Sallins community to promote the historical importance of Wolfe Tone in Irish culture and build a stand alone festival and tourist attraction that would benefit local business in the area,” he said.

Mr Kirwan said other councillors were “playing politics” with the festival.

Kildare County Council did not respond to requests for comment.

However, in a statement issued to local media it said:

“A festival grant application was submitted by the Bodenstown Wolfe Tone Commemoration Festival Committee under the Community and Festival Grants Scheme.

“The application was considered as a community festival event and was awarded €600. This was approved by the Naas Municipal District members at their last meeting. It should be noted that the grant was provided in support of a community festival and not any associated political events.”