THE last two weeks have seen an increase in the conversation that has been growing around Irish unity. Sinn Féin’s Commission on the Future of Ireland held two packed, public hearings in Fermanagh and West Tyrone; Friends of Sinn Féin in the USA, the AoH and a range of other Irish American organisations had a hugely successful Irish Unity Summit in New York; the Irish Echo in New York editorialised on the imperative of a united Ireland; and Ireland’s Future produced a major report, ‘Ireland 2030’, which set 2030 as the date to hold the unity referendum promised in the Good Friday Agreement.
Fermanagh People’s Assembly
The People’s Assembly in Enniskillen on February 22 was attended by over 200 people and was opened by local MP Michelle Gildernew. The main address was given by Uachtarán Shinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald. There was a diverse expert panel from the worlds of business, health and education. This included Noelle McAloon, Dr Niall McVeigh, Trevor Birney and Mairead Kelly. The conversation and interaction between the panel and the audience was excellent.
In her address, Mary Lou McDonald said: “There are two words that really sum up what we as Irish republicans are standing for in the here and now: Hope and Change... We need to go beyond the rhetoric and start planning for unity. That means the Irish government must establish a Citizens’ Assembly... Irish Unity is the big idea, hope and change are the pathway to get there.”
West Tyrone People’s Assembly
Five days later, the West Tyrone People’s Assembly was opened by local MP Órfhlaith Begley and the main address was given by Economy Minister Conor Murphy MLA. This was the first meeting of this kind to be held in west Tyrone and it too had a capacity audience. The panel included Michelle Canning, Dr Kieran Kennedy, Annette Kelly, Professor Malachy Ó Néill and Dr Brendan O’Hare.
In his opening address, Conor Murphy said: “The current fiscal deficit is a result of the North’s dependence on Britain’s failed economic framework; a fiscal deficit that can only be addressed by improving the North’s economic performance, which is best done by reunification.” Conor Murphy called on the Irish government to publish an economic plan for unity which should include a Citizens' Assembly.
This was endorsed unanimously by the audience in a vote at the end of the meeting.
If you would like to make a contribution to the Commission on the Future of Ireland you can do so at commission@sinnfein.ie or at www.sinnfein.ie/futureofireland
Join the conversation and send us your suggestions, proposals and thoughts on the future of Ireland.
OPINION: Tonight's Cooper Union Summit is Direction Sign on Road to Unity https://t.co/iMgmleQg2T via @IrishEcho
— Irish Echo Newspaper (@IrishEcho) March 1, 2024
Irish Echo editorial
Then this paper, in advance of the Irish Unity Summit, wrote in an editorial last week: “A reunited Ireland is not an idea now confined to the heart and soul. It is now in the minds of many, regardless of political affiliation... We are now at the point of how and why not? We have reached a moment in history when we can present ideas for new political, social and economic structures for the entire island of Ireland, and do so in a manner that cannot be dismissed as some romantic attempt to grasp the unattainable.”
Irish Unity Summit
Uachtarán Shinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald and Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty were in New York last weekend for two days of high-level engagements. The two met young Irish emigrants living and working in New York and spoke to several US companies who are key employers in Ireland.
Mary Lou also met the Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr Riyad Mansour, to extend ongoing solidarity with the Palestinian people and to support efforts for an immediate ceasefire.
Mary Lou also delivered the keynote address to the Irish Unity Summit in the Great Hall at Cooper Union. It is an amazing venue with a long history of great political meetings, including one with Abraham Lincoln. The event was live streamed and Mary Lou received a rapturous reception from the hundreds in the hall. Others who participated included Professor Brendan O’Leary; Glenn Bradley; Niall Murphy; Ola Majekodunmi; and Tim Kennedy. There was an emotional tribute to our friend and comrade Rita O’Hare whose first anniversary was on Sunday.
Important discussions on Irish Unity with @MaryLouMcDonald and others in the Great Hall @cooperunion. An appropriate venue for a discussion of freedom and unity. “Not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’.” pic.twitter.com/KWifx6gIee
— Brendan Griffith (@BrndnGrffth) March 1, 2024
Mary Lou McDonald told her audience: “On February 3, Michelle O’Neill, a republican woman from Co.Tyrone, took up the office of First Minister. She pledged to be a First Minister for all and every day, she shows that she means it.”
Referencing the unity referendums provided for by the GFA, Mary Lou said that this places “the constitutional future of Ireland in the hands of the people, North and South, to be decided on that most sacred democratic principle – one person, one vote. In the polling station, everyone will be equal, everyone will have their vote, everyone will have their say. The outcome decided by a simple democratic majority.
John Finucane puts the case for a United Ireland in London.
— Irish Border Poll (@irishborderpoll) March 8, 2024
Lord Alderdice also on panel said - the trajectory is Unity.@KevinPMeagher like his book title said Unity is inevitable.@SharedIreland @IrelandsFuture @BXLirishunity @Think32_
"Friends, the work of nation building, of uniting Ireland, is about creating a home where everyone belongs. The people of Ireland get to shape the future... Together, and in our time, we will realise the dream, we will finish the journey, we will shape the future – a new, united Ireland, a nation home for all.”
The Sinn Féin leader also spoke of the genocide in Gaza: “We have known the brutality of colonialism and dispossession and the pain of conflict. We know the value of peace. Today, the beleaguered, besieged, impoverished refugee population of Gaza endure unimaginable suffering. This vicious, criminal onslaught must stop now. Those funding these atrocities must stop now. All hostages must be released.
"We need an immediate ceasefire and the renewal of a peace process grounded in international law, based on the two-state solution, with the aim of achieving self-determination and statehood for the Palestinians and a secure Israel.”
Ireland’s Future sets 2030 date for unity referendum
On Monday, Ireland’s Future published a visionary document in which this civic organisation sets 2030 as a realisable goal for the unity referendum. The discussion paper is a significant contribution to building the consensus needed to achieve this goal and to win the referendum.
The group believes that the electoral evidence, demographic changes and the dysfunctional nature of the northern state mean that there is “no credible alternative” to preparing for the referendums North and South on Irish unity.
The document is a well researched, cogent argument in favour of unity and of preparing for it now. It sets out the steps that should be taken now, including encouraging those parties that favour unity to outline their propositions, agree a Programme for Government commitment for constitutional change and establish an all-island Civic Forum/Assembly/dialogue. For Ireland’s Future it is all about participation – encouraging the widest conversation and participation by the greatest number of people.
For more information on Ireland 2030, Ireland’s Future can be contacted at contact@irelandsfuture.com and www.irelandsfuture.com
A unique act of solidarity
When we think that the horror of the Israeli genocide in Gaza can’t get any worse Israeli actions stun us. Last week the Israeli forces lured starving citizens into a killing ground as they sought desperately to secure food for their hungry families. Over 100 were shot dead and hundreds more were wounded.
The shooting dead of people being deliberately starved by the Israeli state is a war crime. The increasing number of deaths from malnutrition and dehydration are war crimes. They join scores more committed by the Israeli government and its allies over recent months.
In a unique act of solidarity a group of mural painters in West Belfast asked for and were given illustrations from artists in the West Bank who cannot paint political murals about the current situation there because to do so would almost certainly see them killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers.
STRIKING: The International Wall has been transformed into a powerful statement of Gaza solidarity
Danny Devenny, Marty Lyons and Micky Doherty, the Divis Youth Group and all of those who played their part in this exceptional initiative deserve our thanks. The murals are an evocative and horrifying reminder of the genocide taking place on our television screens every evening. Well done to everyone involved.
