The funerals of the 10 IRA volunteers executed during the War of Independence will be attended by the leaders of the Opposition this Sunday - but with great reluctance.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr Michael Noonan, and the new leader of the Green Party, Mr Trevor Sargent, yesterday joined their Labour counterpart, Mr Ruair∅ Quinn, in expressing their belief that the funerals had been hijacked by Fianna Fβil on the same weekend as that party's ardfheis.
However, all three said they believed it was right the bodies of the men should be taken from prison grounds and reburied in a graveyard.
The invitation to the funerals have been issued in the name of the Taoiseach. Mr Ahern will give a graveside oration at Glasnevin Cemetery, fresh from delivering the leader's address at his party's ardfheis the night before.
The party insists the timing is entirely coincidental. But a senior Fianna Fβil member of the Government, when asked in recent days if he was worried about the threat from Sinn FΘin in the upcoming general election, replied: "Just wait until we bury Kevin Barry".
A Sinn FΘin spokeswoman said yesterday the party leader, Mr Gerry Adams, and the party's parliamentarians from the Dβil, the Northern Assembly and Westminster will attend.
The Opposition leaders all bemoaned the lack of consultation concerning the occasion.
Mr Sargent said that initially he was going to refuse the invitation. He believed that calling them State funerals was "a bit of a misnomer" as it was "a Fianna Fβil generated event".
He felt he should attend out of respect for the men's families.
A spokesman for Mr Noonan said he believed it was a "serious mistake" to have the ceremonies on the same weekend as a Fianna Fβil ardfheis and that "State events should not be confused with party political events".
Mr Quinn has previously described it as a "distasteful piece of political opportunism" and said it was entirely unacceptable for any one political party to try to appropriate for political means those who died during the War of Independence.
A Government spokeswoman insisted the funerals had originally been meant to take place in September but had to be postponed because the President would have been out of the country.