The Lord Mayor of Dublin has called on the Irish government not to invite members of the British royal family to the 1916 Rising centenary celebrations.
Christy Burke, who left Sinn Fein to become an Independent councillor in 2009, said the event belongs to the families of those who died in the Rising.
His comments follow recent indications by the government that they plan to invite the British royal family to the 100-year commemoration.
But Cllr. Burke, who was elec ted to office earlier this month, said he will seek support for a motion at the next Dublin City Council meeting, which will block any British royal presence at the event.
Burke said his stand-off against the royals participating in the commemorations reflect the views of the public, according to The Irish Times.
He said: "I don't want to cause any upset in the UK. I don't mean to offend anybody. I am just making the point that a lot of citizens have made to me.
Burke will no longer be in office when the 2016 event gets underway, meaning a Sinn Fein lord mayor will preside over the commemorations after the party succeeded in forming a ruling coalition on the council.
His motion will call upon the Toaiseach's office not invite members of the royal family to any "strategic positions" during the centenary, including any of the main events.
The Irish Times also notes that the motion emphasises the centenary belongs to those "who gave their lives in 1916".
It's not the first row to have broken out after word spread about the government's intention to extend an invitation to the event to Britain's most famous family.
After reports filtered out that the Fine Gael-led government hoped to invite Prince Charles and Camilla, senior Fianna Fail member Billy Kelleher slammed the proposal as "superficial" and "done without thought".
Speaking to the Irish Independent, he said: "I think before we start issuing invitations on a casual basis, almost without thought, we should sit down as a parliament, and as a people, and discuss it.
"It is nothing against the British monarchy, but the primary purpose of this commemoration is to celebrate the 1916 Rising."
He added: "There are lots of complexities in Irish history and before we start inviting heads of state from around the world, let's have our own discussion."
Proposals to include the royal family at will be an emotionally-charged event are seen as a reflection of the warming bond between the two countries.
President Michael D. Higgins' recent state visit to Britain was seen as a major milestone in Anglo-Irish relations and followed Queen Elizabeth's historic - and hugely successful - trip to Ireland in 2011.
It is thought that President Higgins and former president Mary McAleese will both play key roles in the Easter Rising celebration, which will take place in March 2016.
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