A Letter from Ireland
a Chara,
I am not sure if you have followed the social media trend of posting pictures from 2016. It is as if ten years ago was a lifetime away. I suppose for young people it was. For me, it is recent history.
Two standouts from 2016 were the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising and the Brexit referendum. Both events shape today’s politics in unforeseen ways.
The years leading up to and the commemoration of the Rising sparked a necessary reflection in the twenty-six counties, one that was not planned for by the state. Infamously, the Irish government produced a video to set the context for the commemoration that failed to mention the uprising or the executed signatories of the Proclamation!
As the commemorations progressed, so did the depth of reflection. The vision, courage and patriotism of the 1916 revolutionary generation were compared against a government that had failed to deliver on the promised republic. This included the continued partition of the island.
That year also marked the Brexit referendum. The people of the North of Ireland, rejected Brexit and voted to remain in the European Union. A majority across Britain voted to leave. In the run-up to the referendum, the impact of Brexit on our peace deals was ignored by the British government, and the votes of the people in the North were dismissed.
The actions of the British brought into clear view the cost of partition. The democratic wishes of the people could be subverted and their rights and economic prosperity undermined by a government in London that had no mandate from the people of the North.
A new dynamic in the discussion on Irish unity had emerged.
Ten years on, support for Irish unity has grown. Brexit turned out to be a disaster for the British as expected. The US became central to securing a special dispensation for the North that mediated the worst aspects of Brexit and prevented a hard border across the Island. Brexit remains a challenge to the economy of the whole island.
Ten years on, and the Irish unity debate that the two governments and unionist political parties had sought to contain is alive. The genie is not going back in the bottle. It feels like we are reaching a significant tipping point. Books have been written, academic research conducted, and a plethora of civic bodies have organised debates and discussions. The parliament in Dublin has called for the government to begin to plan and prepare for a unity referendum. A call supported by all the Irish Nationalist and Republican parties in the North.
The only ones not talking about the prospect of referendums are the Irish and British governments. This represents a failure of leadership and political cowardice.
The next ten years could and should see the end of division and partition in Ireland. A realisation of the vision of the leaders of 1916 and the establishment of a republic of equal citizens. The decade of opportunity that will at last see the people of the island united and reconciled.
There will be challenges along the way. This will require leadership, but the prize is great. We will look back at 2026 and say that was the year we shaped history.
Have a great weekend,
