SINN Fein's Phil Flanagan has written to the chief executive of Fermanagh District Council asking that the Council supports his call for the St. George's flag to be removed from Enniskillen Castle for good.

He says he is also waiting for an answer in the Assembly from Environment Minister Alex Attwood on whether or not he has carried out an equality impact assessment. The Fermanagh-south Tyrone MLA said the flag, which has been present at the castle for over 300 years, is a "constant sore and source of anger" and that "such antagonistic practices have no place in modern Ireland." "Enniskillen Castle was actually built by the Maguires and used to aid in the centuries of resistance against British occupation in Ulster. It is therefore greatly disappointing that for so long, that aspect of the castle's history has been neglected, undersold and virtually wiped from public record," he said.

Mr Flanagan added: "Enniskillen Castle has a rich and diverse history and it is certainly not the sole preserve of the unionist community or the British establishment." The row over the flying of the flag follows criticism from Ulster Unionist MLA Tom Elliott last week after the flag was removed from a G8 information leaflet by the Council.

The leaflet containing essential information on how the county will be disrupted during the global event was delivered to all households by the Council last month.

Ulster Unionist MLA Tom Elliott told this newspaper last week: "The re-writing of history is one thing, but here we appear to see part of our history being air-brushed from existence. Both are unacceptable."

In a statement this week, Mr Flanagan disagreed: "It is only by bringing this antiquated and divisive practice to an end that the Enniskillen Castle complex can indeed become a genuine shared space, which tells an accurate story of the turbulent history of Fermanagh and no longer leans towards the militaristic and imperialist past of British occupation in Ireland."