THE centenary of the foundation of Northern Ireland has been omitted from a specific list of anniversaries for an official government festival planned for 2022.
Plans for the 'Festival of Great Britain and Northern Ireland' were unveiled as the Conservative Party conference got underway yesterday in Birmingham.
The government has said it will mark the anniversary of a number of events, but the creation of Northern Ireland in 1921 is not on the list.
It will begin in January 2022, four months before the next scheduled Westminster general election.
The event will be modelled on the 1851 Great Exhibition in London and the 1951 Festival of Britain, designed to boost national pride following the Second World War.
Prime Minister Theresa May said the nationwide festival will strengthen "our precious union".
"We want to showcase what makes our country great today. We want to celebrate that spirit for a new generation, celebrate our nation's diversity and talent, and mark this moment of national renewal with a once-in-a-generation celebration," she told The Sunday Times.
It is expected that £120 million will be set aside to plan the event and hire a creative director.
Among the anniversaries due to be celebrated in 2022 include the centenary of the BBC and the Queen's platinum jublilee.
SDLP East Derry MLA John Dallat said that the festival was a "terrible example of déjà vu", referring to events held in 1971 to commemorate 50 years of Stormont.
"Just like now there was political breakdown with nationalists withdrawing from Stormont and unionists behaving like headless chickens pretending everything was rosy in the garden," he said.
"I couldn't believe my ears when I heard of the crazy plan to celebrate 50 years of Stormont rule. I wondered if it was for real - fêtes, dog shows and free buses to the Botanic Gardens to see a one-sided presentation of history in a big tent.
"Are we going to have another 'Ulster 71 Exhibition' and little garden parties funded by the government across the north?
"Where on earth is the logic in what this lady is doing? Is she trying to rekindle the old empire, pretending that the world hasn’t moved on? I don’t know and I doubt if anyone else knows either," added Mr Dallat.
