When Michael Collins, and I quote; ‘signed my own death warrant’ in the form of the Anglo-Irish Treaty on the 6th of December 1921, Irish Unity has practically been one of the most contentious issues on this beautiful albeit small island on both a political and social level. My belief is that Unity could open a pathway towards greater prosperity, reconciliation and friendship. Of course, it is all well and good to say these things, but can they be backed up? In this piece, with gratitude to Irish Border Poll for giving me this opportunity, I will attempt to explain and portray my perspective as best as I can.
My initial experience of the state of Northern Ireland was through the innocent lens of a child. Living so far away in Cork, I am lucky enough to say that there is no history in my family of the Troubles therefore I never really had any prior knowledge of what went on up North. This changed when I eagerly watched the footballing spectacle ‘Euro 2016’ as a young Ireland fan. It didn’t take long for me to notice that there was in fact two Irelands. As Northern Ireland had also qualified for the tournament, this was my introduction to the idea that the Country/Island was divided. I can remember asking my parents, why is there a Northern Irish team? I suppose to refrain from giving a child a political lecture I wasn’t given much of an answer, other than to wish them well and that they were to be seen as friends. Both sides massively overperformed at the tournament, and both sets of fans not only behaved themselves but got on well, despite some of our differences, which was lovely to see. To me, this is a great example of reconciliation. Despite the differences between NI and our people in the Republic, with both sets of fans chanting songs that some may even seem sectarian, they still got on well and came together in unity. An old Irish saying goes; ‘There is no strength without unity’, and this was on display in the Euros. To me, this shows that the prospect of a peaceful Irish reunification is possible, where everybody’s distinct identity is not only respected but cherished.
According to worldeconomics.com, about a century ago, Belfast was bigger than Dublin, and industrial Northern Ireland was much wealthier than the poor agricultural South. Today the roles are reversed. Northern Ireland remains to a considerable extent dependant on handouts from London and is much poorer than prosperous Ireland. Dublin is now three times the size of Belfast and looks (unlike Belfast) like a thriving European city. Union with Britain doesn’t seem to have worked so well for Northern Island. Of course, it should be mentioned that Dublin is not perfect. Dublin is now seen as one of the top 10 most unsafe cities in Europe. However, from an economic perspective, the Republic seems to be more prosperous in the contemporary age. UK and Irish per capita GDP growth over the past 25 years has been overwhelmingly in favor of the Irish economy over all those years. One reason often cited for the economic change is the attraction of the Irish low tax regime for major US multinationals. However, the UK itself often associated itself with tax haven status (The British Virgin Islands Spring to mind), not to mention the ‘London Laundromat’. In recent years, the divergence in GDP capita growth in favour of Ireland can be put down to Brexit (World Economics). Which of course, in the event of Irish Unity, Northern Ireland would once again become a member of.
In my opinion, one of the biggest perks of Irish Unity would be for students, at 2nd and 3rd level. Many students from the North often find it difficult to find a university spot in Ireland, whether that be North or South. This leads many of our Northern students to have to venture across the pond to Britain in the pursuit of a college degree. It is a shame due to the many prestigious, high-quality universities we already have here in Ireland. I think of QUB, NUI Galway, Trinity, UCD, UCC and many more. Irish Unity would give students far greater access to these universities. I would also urge the Irish Government, if Unity was ever to happen, to make the development of the university in Derry a priority to create further options for Northern students. From a 2nd level perspective, I believe the Irish education system offers a lot of interesting new prospects for Northern students. Many new interesting subjects have been added to the curriculum over the years. I think to the likes of Leaving Cert Physical Education (LCPE), Politics and Society, Drama and Film Theatre studies, Construction Studies and Climate Action and Sustainable Development. This offers our students at 2nd level a diverse range of options. That being said, the Leaving Cert is far from perfect. The overwhelming sense of stress that students feel from the programme is a big problem and to combat this perhaps there are things we can learn from the British education system.
To conclude, I am of the belief that Irish Unity has the potential to enrich the youth, reconcile, create new friendships and ultimately allow this island to reach it’s full potential. Consent and open-mindedness will be crucial in this endeavor as it is entirely possible for things to go wrong. This is why it is important to begin planning and preparation now, immediately. Typically, unionists choose to abstain from any discussion about a UI, which is fine, but there still must be efforts made to reach out to them, engage in positive and meaningful conversation to find out how best we can accommodate our brothers and sisters predominantly in the North-East who we are asking to adapt to such deep psychological change.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this piece. Slán go fóill.
When Michael Collins, and I quote; ‘signed my own death warrant’ in the form of the Anglo-Irish Treaty on the 6th of December 1921, Irish Unity has practically been one of the most contentious issues on this beautiful albeit small island on both a political and social level. My belief is that Unity could open a pathway towards greater prosperity, reconciliation and friendship. Of course, it is all well and good to say these things, but can they be backed up? In this piece, with gratitude to Irish Border Poll for giving me this opportunity, I will attempt to explain and portray my perspective as best as I can.
My initial experience of the state of Northern Ireland was through the innocent lens of a child. Living so far away in Cork, I am lucky enough to say that there is no history in my family of the Troubles therefore I never really had any prior knowledge of what went on up North. This changed when I eagerly watched the footballing spectacle ‘Euro 2016’ as a young Ireland fan. It didn’t take long for me to notice that there was in fact two Irelands. As Northern Ireland had also qualified for the tournament, this was my introduction to the idea that the Country/Island was divided. I can remember asking my parents, why is there a Northern Irish team? I suppose to refrain from giving a child a political lecture I wasn’t given much of an answer, other than to wish them well and that they were to be seen as friends. Both sides massively overperformed at the tournament, and both sets of fans not only behaved themselves but got on well, despite some of our differences, which was lovely to see. To me, this is a great example of reconciliation. Despite the differences between NI and our people in the Republic, with both sets of fans chanting songs that some may even seem sectarian, they still got on well and came together in unity. An old Irish saying goes; ‘There is no strength without unity’, and this was on display in the Euros. To me, this shows that the prospect of a peaceful Irish reunification is possible, where everybody’s distinct identity is not only respected but cherished.
According to worldeconomics.com, about a century ago, Belfast was bigger than Dublin, and industrial Northern Ireland was much wealthier than the poor agricultural South. Today the roles are reversed. Northern Ireland remains to a considerable extent dependant on handouts from London and is much poorer than prosperous Ireland. Dublin is now three times the size of Belfast and looks (unlike Belfast) like a thriving European city. Union with Britain doesn’t seem to have worked so well for Northern Island. Of course, it should be mentioned that Dublin is not perfect. Dublin is now seen as one of the top 10 most unsafe cities in Europe. However, from an economic perspective, the Republic seems to be more prosperous in the contemporary age. UK and Irish per capita GDP growth over the past 25 years has been overwhelmingly in favor of the Irish economy over all those years. One reason often cited for the economic change is the attraction of the Irish low tax regime for major US multinationals. However, the UK itself often associated itself with tax haven status (The British Virgin Islands Spring to mind), not to mention the ‘London Laundromat’. In recent years, the divergence in GDP capita growth in favour of Ireland can be put down to Brexit (World Economics). Which of course, in the event of Irish Unity, Northern Ireland would once again become a member of.
In my opinion, one of the biggest perks of Irish Unity would be for students, at 2nd and 3rd level. Many students from the North often find it difficult to find a university spot in Ireland, whether that be North or South. This leads many of our Northern students to have to venture across the pond to Britain in the pursuit of a college degree. It is a shame due to the many prestigious, high-quality universities we already have here in Ireland. I think of QUB, NUI Galway, Trinity, UCD, UCC and many more. Irish Unity would give students far greater access to these universities. I would also urge the Irish Government, if Unity was ever to happen, to make the development of the university in Derry a priority to create further options for Northern students. From a 2nd level perspective, I believe the Irish education system offers a lot of interesting new prospects for Northern students. Many new interesting subjects have been added to the curriculum over the years. I think to the likes of Leaving Cert Physical Education (LCPE), Politics and Society, Drama and Film Theatre studies, Construction Studies and Climate Action and Sustainable Development. This offers our students at 2nd level a diverse range of options. That being said, the Leaving Cert is far from perfect. The overwhelming sense of stress that students feel from the programme is a big problem and to combat this perhaps there are things we can learn from the British education system.
To conclude, I am of the belief that Irish Unity has the potential to enrich the youth, reconcile, create new friendships and ultimately allow this island to reach it’s full potential. Consent and open-mindedness will be crucial in this endeavor as it is entirely possible for things to go wrong. This is why it is important to begin planning and preparation now, immediately. Typically, unionists choose to abstain from any discussion about a UI, which is fine, but there still must be efforts made to reach out to them, engage in positive and meaningful conversation to find out how best we can accommodate our brothers and sisters predominantly in the North-East who we are asking to adapt to such deep psychological change.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this piece. Slán go fóill.