Lord's Claim: Michael Collins was a peace icon
Lord Puttnam, the Labour peer and Oscar-winning film-maker, has stirred up controversy by suggesting Michael Collins, the violent Irish patriot, was a peace icon.
His remarks drew an irate response from those who view Collins as a cold-blooded killer and contest the romantic republican view of him as a man who helped liberate Ireland from British oppression.
Lord Puttnam was speaking at a gathering held to mark the 85th anniversary of the rebel's death in an ambush during the Irish civil war at Béal na mBlath, Co Cork.
The 66-year-old said: "Ireland was gifted a figure to rank alongside other 20th century leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela - men who, having freed their own people from the shackles of oppression, became icons for peace and reconciliation everywhere."
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)
His remarks drew an irate response from those who view Collins as a cold-blooded killer and contest the romantic republican view of him as a man who helped liberate Ireland from British oppression.
Lord Puttnam was speaking at a gathering held to mark the 85th anniversary of the rebel's death in an ambush during the Irish civil war at Béal na mBlath, Co Cork.
The 66-year-old said: "Ireland was gifted a figure to rank alongside other 20th century leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela - men who, having freed their own people from the shackles of oppression, became icons for peace and reconciliation everywhere."