Sinn Fein ‘ignored’ Donegal monument staff for Irish unity propaganda film stunt

The incident is now under investigation by the agency in charge of the Republic’s heritage sites.

The episode happened when two Northern-registered cars pulled up at a ring fort in Donegal. The occupants went inside the ancient stone fort of Grianan of Aileach with a large banner.

When confronted by Office of Public Works (OPW) staff on duty, the party activists ignored the warnings about the strict ban on the use of heritage sites for such purposes and continued with the stunt.

Sinn Fein then used the drone footage from the site to promote its policies. 

A separate photograph of a banner at the Hill of Tara appears to be a fake and was just a photoshopped image.

Filming and photography for political purposes is strictly banned at national heritage sites as the management of monuments are political neutral. The use of drones is also prohibited at all OPW Heritage sites.

The OPW confirmed a staff member was on duty but was “ignored” by the Sinn Fein members. The fort is located near the border.

“That seems to be the understanding of what happened,” an official said.

The government-agency is now carrying out an internal investigation into the incident at the end of June.

“The Office of Public Works has no record of receiving any request seeking permission to use the site for such purposes.

“The terms and conditions for filming and photography at OPW heritage sites clearly state that no filming of a political nature will be permitted whatsoever,” a spokesperson told the Irish Independent.

“The OPW chairman and the minister have been made aware of the incident. The matter is under review,” the spokesperson said.

However, the OPW is declining to say when its management became aware of the incident or how long the internal probe will take.

Sinn Fein promoted the photograph on social media and in newspapers in Derry.

“The members involved were not aware of any restrictions in place in relation to photography at the site,” a Sinn Fein spokesperson said.

“The local organisation has been notified of these.”

However, the party did not comment on what interaction there was with the OPW staff member at the national monument. 

The ring fort is managed by the OPW from its visitor services office in Claremorris, Co Mayo. The investigation is being carried out by OPW management.

Filming of national monuments is actively encouraged but there are rules in place to protect the reputation, image and heritage of the sites or activities that might damage the integrity of the location.

The OPW does not allow filming for political purposes or other reasons such as the investigation of alleged paranormal activity or product promotion.

Sinn Fein was using the site and filming at other locations to promote its calls for a referendum on Irish unity.