A Letter from Ireland

a Chara,

Last week, I answered some common questions on the Good Friday Agreement, Irish Unity, and Unity Referendums. The feedback has been very positive. A number of readers raised the issue of the future of those with the British Unionist tradition in a united Ireland.

It should be noted that the founders of modern Irish Republicanism came from a Protestant Anglo-Irish background. The Society of United Irishmen pledged to “unite Protestant, Catholic, and Dissenter” and to break the link with Britain.

The Proclamation of the Irish Republic of 1916 promises, “The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all the children of the nation equally, and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an alien Government, which have divided a minority from the majority in the past.

To be an Irish Republican is to be anti-sectarian.  

Irish Republicans know the impact of discrimination and repression. Our language was banned, economic and political discrimination was rife, our schools were underfunded, our culture was disrespected even the Irish Tricolour was effectively banned as it was likely in the eyes of the unionist police force to cause a breach of the peace. We were Irish Citizens in a state that did not want us.

In discussions with people from a unionist tradition, there is a fear that they will be treated in a united Ireland the way we were treated under the old Unionist regime.

That can never be the case. Our vision is of an Ireland that is a home for all the people of the Island.

There are only two provisions of the Good Friday Agreement that explicitly apply in a united Ireland. The first:

(v)…., the power of the sovereign government with jurisdiction there shall be exercised with rigorous impartiality on behalf of all the people in the diversity of their identities and traditions and shall be founded on the principles of full respect for, and equality of, civil, political, social and cultural rights, of freedom from discrimination for all citizens, and of parity of esteem and just and equal treatment for the identity, ethos, and aspirations of both communities;  

The safeguards of equality and respect in a united Ireland are already agreed.

The second provision relates to the right to be Irish, British, or both:

(vi) recognise the birthright of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both, as they  may so choose, and accordingly confirm that their right to hold both  British and Irish citizenship is accepted by both Governments…

As a Sinn Féin President once reminded an audience of Unionists, “You can be British in a divided Ireland, you can be British in a United Ireland.” One issue outstanding is the detail of how the British Government will honor this commitment on Citizenship rights for its citizens in a united Ireland.

Much of the commentary around the issue of identity in a united Ireland has centered around flags and symbols, etc. In all my discussions, I have heard a single unionist commit to a united Ireland if the tricolour was changed or the anthem dropped. The issues are always on the economy, public services, and political representation in a United Ireland. By the same token, I have never heard Irish Republicans calling for a ban on Union flags flying in Unionist areas in a united Ireland.

The demand to censor or ban identities has no place in a United Ireland and is counter to the commitments of the Good Friday Agreement. Unionism tried that for fifty years and failed. It is not beyond us to find ways to share a united Ireland.

I hope that helps.

Have a great weekend,

Is mise,

Ciarán 

Ciarán Quinn is the Sinn Féin Representative to North America