Vision for a united Ireland cannot be ‘annexation of six more counties', Leo Varadkar says
Mr Varadkar also said he hopes the current Irish Government takes the decision to establish a forum to lead discussions on unity, and also appeared to dismiss concerns of potential loyalist violence in reaction to a united Ireland.
Mr Varadkar, who stood down as taoiseach in April last year, said he believes he will see a united Ireland in his lifetime but warned it is not inevitable.
He said that he has had no regrets so far since leaving elected politics, and is enjoying both 'a lot of personal and intellectual freedom to say what I think'.
He was speaking at an In Conversation event with Rev Karen Sethuraman at St Mary's University college in west Belfast, hosted by Féile an Phobail and Ireland's Future.
Former Sinn Féin president and West Belfast MP Gerry Adams was among those in the audience for the event.
Mr Varadkar stressed that a united Ireland 'has to be a new Ireland that is better for everyone'.
'That includes a bill of rights, guarantees civil protections and liberties,' he said.
'Unification, in my view, is not the annexation of six more counties by the Republic of Ireland. It's a new state and one that can be better for all of us, an opportunity that only comes around every 100 years, which is to design your state and design your constitution.'
In terms of what the current Irish Government is doing, Mr Varadkar described the Shared Island Unit, which was set up when he was taoiseach, as really positive.
But he said he would like to see the Irish Government lead a forum ahead of unity.
ADVERTISEMENT
He said there was the New Ireland Forum in the 1980s, and the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation in the 1990s.
'I think there is a strong case now for us to convene the parties that are interested in talking about this – unions, business groups, civil society – in a forum to have that discussion, but I don't see how that can happen if that isn't led by the Irish Government, and I hope at some point during the course of this five-year government, a decision will be taken to do that,' he said.
Meanwhile, asked how he felt potential violent opposition to a united Ireland could be handled, Mr Varadkar suggested he felt 'only a very small minority may turn to violence'.
'I know there are people south of the border who, when I talk to them about reunification, express to me concerns that there might be a very small minority within unionism who may turn to violence,' he said.
'I don't think we should dismiss that as a possibility. I don't think it will happen, to be honest.
'I n two referendums, both north and south, people would be very clearly giving their preference as to what should happen, it would be quite a different situation to when partition happened 100 years ago and it wasn't voted for.'
Meanwhile, deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly suggested Mr Varadkar was 'wrong in terms of the trajectory' towards a united Ireland, insisting the number of people voting for nationalist parties, around 40pc, 'hasn't moved since 1998'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Pioneering project releases more lost Irish records spanning 700 years
Seven centuries of lost historical records covering espionage, political corruption and the lives of ordinary people in Ireland have been recovered and are being released. A pioneering project to fill gaps in Irish history is making 175,000 more records and millions more words of searchable content freely available to researchers and members of the public. The Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland, a global academic collaboration led by Trinity College Dublin, deployed historians, computer scientists and other specialists to digitally recreate parts of a vast archive destroyed in Ireland's civil war. The project launched in 2022 on the centenary of the burning of the Public Record Office in Dublin in a five-day battle that began on 28 June 1922. It is now marking the 103rd anniversary of the calamity by adding freshly recovered material that takes in the Anglo-Norman conquest and the 1798 rebellion and a genealogical trove from 19th-century censuses. 'It's a very significant scale of data,' said Peter Crooks, a Trinity historian and academic director of the project. HISTORY HUB If you are interested in this article then no doubt you will enjoy exploring the various history collections and content in our history hub. Check it out HERE and happy reading 'It's an enormous stretch of time from the 13th century up to the 19th century. The scale of what can be brought in, in terms of reconstruction, continues to amaze me.' Once the envy of scholars around the world, the six-storey Public Record Office at the Four Courts by the River Liffey contained priceless troves dating from medieval times. It was obliterated as troops of the fledgling Irish State battled former comrades hunkered in the building. It was long assumed that all was lost but the project enlisted 75 archives and libraries in Ireland, the UK and around the world to source transcripts and duplicates of documents, many of which had lain, forgotten, in storage. The latest troves to be catalogued and digitised bring the total to 350,000 records and 250m words of searchable Irish history. Culture minister Patrick O'Donovan said international collaboration underpinned the 'riches' that had been rediscovered. 'It offers an invaluable historical resource for people of all ages and traditions across the island of Ireland and abroad, and democratises access so that our shared history is more accessible and engaging for everyone.' The project has fused old-fashioned academic investigation, artificial intelligence and support and expertise from institutions that contain Irish records, notably the National Archives of Ireland, the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, the UK National Archives at Kew and the Irish Manuscripts Commission. 'The circle of collaborators has widened and deepened,' said Mr Crooks. The latest material includes 60,000 names from the lost censuses, creating a data hoard for genealogists and Irish diaspora descendants, among others, to trace family lineage, says Ciarán Wallace, a Trinity historian and co-director of the project. 'This is only a fragment of what's missing but 60,000 is a huge improvement on a blank slate.' The project's 'age of conquest' portal contains parchments in Latin and 5m words of Anglo-Norman Irish history, spanning 1170 to 1500, that have been translated into English. Uploaded State papers, spanning 1660 to 1720, comprise 10m words, including extensive intelligence reports from the Tudor era when English monarchs tightened their grip on England's first colony. A diary that ended up at the US Library of Congress is now accessible and sheds light on dodgy deals that led to the abolition of the Irish parliament in 1800 and Ireland's incorporation into the UK. 'You find out about some of those underhanded dealings,' said Joel Herman, a research fellow who works on the project. 'One member of parliament said he can't vote for it because of the corrupt methods that have been used to win votes.' Along with the new material, a search tool called the Knowledge Graph Explorer is being introduced that can identify people, places and the links between them. The Guardian
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Kate Nash says she would love to collaborate with Kneecap
Singer Kate Nash has said she would love to collaborate with Kneecap and added that it 'is really important' the band are using their platform for a political purpose. It came after police said on Saturday that they are assessing videos of comments made by the Belfast rap trio, as well as punk duo Bob Vylan, during their performances at the Glastonbury Festival. The group are known for their provocative lyrics and merchandise, as well as their championing of the Irish language and support for Palestine. I think there's an opportunity to educate people about England and Ireland's history 'I love Kneecap. I'd love to collaborate. I love collaboration, actually,' Nash told the PA news agency. 'I really, really think collaboration is such an amazing and important part of being an artist, because you just learn every time you collaborate with someone different. 'So I just did a duet with Sprints, because they covered Foundations, and that was really fun.' Nash, 37, added: 'Kneecap would be amazing to collaborate with. My mum's from Dublin and I think that the way they use their political platform is really important.' She continued: 'I don't think English people really understand their (Ireland's) history at all, they just don't know it. 'So I think there's an opportunity to educate people about England and Ireland's history, and sort of being half-English, half-Irish myself I have quite a good understanding of that, but I didn't learn it at school. Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap (Ben Birchall/PA) 'There's so many amazing musicians to collaborate with. I love Amyl And The Sniffers.' Before their performance on the West Holts Stage, several politicians called for Kneecap to be removed from the line-up and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said their performance would not be 'appropriate'. During their set, band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh said: 'The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer.' In reference to his bandmate's upcoming court date the rapper, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said they would 'start a riot outside the courts', before clarifying: 'No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine.' Bobby Vylan, of rap duo Bob Vylan, had earlier led crowds in chants of 'Free, free Palestine' and 'Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)'. According to reports, Bobby Vylan is called Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, from Ipswich. Robinson-Foster is listed on Companies House as being the director of Ghost Theatre Records, which is operated by Bob Vylan. Starmer said the latter chant was 'appalling hate speech' and urged the BBC to explain how the scenes were broadcast. Speaking on the politics of Glastonbury, Nash said: 'What's the history of Glastonbury? It's about anti-corporation, Greenpeace. 'It is ultimately a political festival, and people come here to find togetherness, community, a sense of hope and to watch people play amazing shows, and to have their lives changed, to be inspired. 'I think that we're seeing a lot of really scary things in the world right now, and people want to feel like they can see what they feel on stage being voiced, and I think that politicians need to get a grip.' Asked about artists who say they do not want to be political, she said: 'Certain people, you can't escape the politics of existing in the world. 'If you are a woman and you're like, 'I'm not political', I'm like, 'You are, you are. Everything about your life is political, whether you want it to be or not'. 'I think if you're a very privileged, white, rich man, sure you don't want to be political, or you don't have to be. If you just want to be a pop band, just be a pop band. 'But also, do you even have to comment that you don't want to be? I'm not really sure it helps. 'I think just don't be, then, in a way, if you just want to be a pop band, just be a pop band. 'That's not how I was raised. So it's really difficult for me to understand somebody saying, 'I don't want to be political'.' It came after The 1975 frontman Matty Healy said the band did not want their legacy to be 'one of politics' during their Friday night headline slot. 'I think we don't need more politics, we need more love and friendship,' he said. Nash headlined Glastonbury's Left Field stage on Saturday evening and performed a secret set on the BBC Introducing stage on Sunday. She has released several studio albums and is known for songs including Mouthwash and Foundations, the latter of which peaked at number two in the UK singles chart. Read More Glastonbury Festival 2025 ends after weekend of controversy and surprises
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Irish Independent
New breakdown shows just who is getting Wexford council houses – ‘There's a real false narrative out there'
You won't have to look too far online to find allegations that foreign nationals arriving into Ireland are being bumped up the queue for social housing at the expense of Irish people who may have been on the local authority housing list for years. It's something that was put to the Wexford councillor on several occasions, but it simply didn't match with his experience on the ground. Following several requests and follow ups with Wexford County Council's housing section, Cllr Forde obtained figures which provide a breakdown of the local authority's own-build social housing allocation. While the figures don't account for the sizeable chunk of social housing provided by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), they do provide a clear pattern in relation to where council houses are going. The figures show that of 3,325 Wexford County Council built houses allocated since 2013, 2,773 (or 83%) went to Irish nationals. The next highest allocation went to people from the EEA (European Economic Area) with 404 (or 12%). Applicants from the UK accounted for 39 allocations (or 1%), while 109 houses (3.3%) were allocated to those from outside of the European Economic Area. It was also pointed out that all of these applicants, over a 12 year period, would have been subject to the same criteria and waiting times. For Cllr Forde, it was important to bust some of the myths circulating online. "I've been looking for these figures for quite a while,' he said. 'There's a narrative out there on social media that foreign nationals are coming into the country and taking social houses and getting them quicker than Irish people. A lot of people have fallen into the trap of believing this. "The figures show that, for the past 12 years, the vast majority of houses have gone to Irish nationals and that reflects my experience on the ground, working with a vast majority of Irish families on housing. ADVERTISEMENT "At the end of the day, foreign nationals are entitled to apply for housing here, as they should be. Many come and contribute greatly to our communities and work hard. They are entitled to apply for housing supports. But they are also held to the same criteria as everybody else.' Cllr Forde noted an influx of people coming from overseas were working their way through the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS), but stated this was completely different and had no bearing on social housing allocation. "In Sinn Féin we've called for the IPAS system to be abolished on several occasions,' he said. 'It's not good for the people using the system and the state should be taking the lead rather than it being a cash cow. There's huge money to be made in that system at the moment. I don't think people should be making money of the back of vulnerable people arriving into Ireland.' Returning to the housing allocation figures, Cllr Forde says that the most shocking thing about them was that there were only 3,325 houses allocated over 12 years, although he did conceded that the figures don't include housing provided by AHBs, which accounts for a large chunk of social housing. "I'm waiting on further figures in relation to the breakdown of the allocations from AHBs too,' he said. 'But I would believe that the allocation of houses by AHBs closely mirrors that of Wexford County Council's own-builds. "I think we should be pushing for more Wexford County Council own-builds as well,' he added. 'We need to be more ambitious in that regard and shouldn't be so reliant on AHBs and other developers. We need to start rezoning and identifying land to build houses and be more proactive in that regard." Regardless, Cllr Forde believes that there's a misdirected anger on social media and he hopes that these figures provide some clarity. "The narrative that's out there is false,' he said. 'I'd say the government is very happy with it. It deflects from the real problems – the shortage of housing supply, spiralling cost of living, lack of homeless services. People are venting their anger in the wrong places, aiming it at vulnerable minority groups instead of at the government and government policy. Lack of supply and lack of proper policy is the issue and that's down to the government.'
