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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Brendan Hughes

First look at Stormont stone marking Northern Ireland's centenary

A stone to mark Northern Ireland's centenary is expected to be sited in the Stormont estate later this summer, unionist leaders have said.

The plan sparked a political row in 2021 – the year of the centenary – when Sinn Féin blocked the proposal by unionist parties.

But it was passed by the Assembly Commission earlier this year in the absence of a Sinn Féin representative on the body.

Read more: Poll: Under half want Northern Ireland to stay in UK and a third back Irish unity

The stone, which is in the shape of a map of Northern Ireland and mounted on a plinth, has been paid for by the unionist parties at Stormont.

In a joint statement, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, UUP leader Doug Beattie and TUV Leader Jim Allister said work on the stone has been completed.

"We welcome the fact that work on the centenary stone which was commissioned and will be paid for by Stormont's unionist parties has now been completed," they said.

"The Northern Ireland Assembly Commission which approved a proposal to erect the stone in the grounds of Stormont, will meet later this month to decide precisely where it will be sited.

"It is both right and fitting that such a historic milestone in the life of Northern Ireland is marked at Stormont.

"We look forward to a public unveiling of the centenary stone later this summer."

The commission, a body which manages Stormont's property, staff and services, passed the proposal in February.

It currently consists of representatives of the DUP, UUP, Alliance and SDLP, and is chaired by Assembly Speaker Alex Maskey.

Sinn Féin's representative John O’Dowd stood down from the commission last year after he was appointed Infrastructure Minister.

The party has been unable to nominate a replacement due to the collapse of the devolved institutions as a result of the DUP's boycott in protest against Brexit's Northern Ireland Protocol.

In 2021, Sinn Féin said it vetoed the proposal because the stone had been "designed and commissioned by representatives of one tradition" and accused unionists of failing to consult with other parties about their plan.

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