A Letter from Ireland
a Chara,
Good morning from Washington DC. I am here as part of the Sinn Féin delegation led by our party President, Mary Lou McDonald, which includes her Chief of Staff, Dawn Doyle, and Greg O’Loughlin from Friends of Sinn Féin USA.
I have visited Washington many times over the years and have made some good friends in the city. Every trip is different as politics change, events arise, and political careers ebb and flow.
There are a number of things, however, that remain constant: the welcome, the pride in our people, culture, and peace process, and a common purpose for a prosperous, reconciled, and united Ireland.
This pride, nurtured over generations, and rooted in a desire for what is best for Ireland, is striking, with fractious political systems a matter of months away from elections. Yet Republicans and Democrats, Senators and Representatives, some of long standing and others, such as James Gallagher of California, newly elected, sit at the table with the Sinn Féin President, sharing insights, histories and hopes for the future.
Politics is about delivering change and improving the lives of others. It is most effective when alliances are formed and maintained around a common concern. The people we sit across the table from, political leaders, civic leaders, and labour leaders, may not agree with us or each other on anything else, but will agree to work in the interest of Ireland. We can have hard conversations on other issues and agree to disagree while working together.
If we were only to work with people who agreed with us on everything, we would likely be sitting alone and howling at the moon.
The debate on the future of Ireland is changing. Mary Lou McDonald briefed all those we met on the Sinn Féin bill that was tabled in the Dáil to legislate for the planning and preparation of Irish Unity.
Another milestone in the debate on the future of Ireland was the recent announcement by the Fine Gael Leader and Tánaiste, Simon Harris, that his party would begin planning for unity. This means that the only parties not advocating for change are Unionists in the North and Fianna Fáil in the South. A position that is unsustainable for the leader and Taoiseach, Micheal Martin of Fianna Fáil, who claims to be an Irish Republican Party.
One of the standout events so far on this trip has been engaging with the interns from the Washington Ireland Programme, who have turned up at several events. These young people are genuinely enthused about the potential of politics and the future, and that enthusiasm is contagious.
They have been open to engagement and full of pride when they realise the value of being Irish in Washington and see their nation represented in the Capitol. After every conversation, I came away believing that the future of Ireland is in good hands with this coming generation.
Have a great weekend,
