Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh says ‘Unity is on the horizon’

‘UNITING IRELAND’ EVENTS IN DUBLIN AND CORK | ‘I DTREO POBLACHT NUA - TOWARDS A NEW REPUBLIC’

Some of the headline speakers at the ‘Uniting Ireland – Towards a New Republic’ conference in Dublin

» BY BRENDAN KERR

WHILE Independent TD Shane Ross was busy telling listeners on RTÉ’s Marian Finucane Show that “not even Sinn Féin talks much about a united Ireland any more”, Sinn Féin was actually hosting two very successful conferences on that very theme in Dublin and Cork City - and both were reported by RTÉ News, if the ‘Sunday Independent’ columnist had been paying attention.
And perhaps someone would like to tell Deputy Ross that there are two more ‘Uniting Ireland’ events in the pipeline: Galway on Friday 7th October and in the Six Counties later in the year.
These events are establishing a solid base from which to explore and develop the arguments and ideas for a united Ireland, the ethos and practical policies that should shape a new society, ‘A New Republic’.
What’s particularly notable, in what were ground-breaking conferences in Dublin and Cork,  is the diversity of quality speakers and experts on the economic, cultural and political aspects of unification. People from backgrounds not normally expected to be seen on platforms hosted by Sinn Féin spoke at both events.
At the Dublin and Cork events were community and trade union figures alongside business leaders and economists, teachers and media people, and unionists openly exchanging ideas with republicans.
There’s more than Sinn Féin talking about a united Ireland.

DUBLIN
The first day-long conference in the Pillar Room of the Rotunda in Dublin took place on Saturday 18th June.
On the economic, cultural and political aspects of unification, speakers included Methodist minister Reverend Gary Mason of the East Belfast Mission, former Beirut hostage Brian Keenan, InterTrade Ireland CEO Liam Nellis, former IDA managing director Dr Pádraic White, Special Rapporteur for Child Protection Geoffrey Shannon, and Norah Gibbons, director of advocacy at children’s campaigning charity Barnardos.
The quality of the discussions was captivating, particularly about unionism and a united Ireland in the section titled ‘Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter’.
It was refreshing to hear unionist voices at a conference hosted by Sinn Féin, people such as the Reverend Gary Mason, who wants to keep the unionist link with Britain but believes “in engaging with republicanism and nationalism”.
Brian Keenan was no less challenging in his vision of “a republic of the heart — a republic of well-being and belonging . . . where its constitution, its bill of rights and where everything that is written to affirm that republic affirms an inclusive and all-embracing guarantee of equality and care”.
He continued:”I’ve heard all the arguments about the inevitability of a united Ireland — historic, economic, demographic, political — but the dissenter in me refuses to accept predestined notions unless and until I feel that inevitability is understood as an imperative — emotionally, intellectually and, above all, imaginatively.”
He said many people are more comfortable with the status quo “for very understandable reasons” because it is safer - change is challenging.  A lot of people in the Protestant tradition, he contended, are often more certain of what they are not rather than of what they are.
“Dialogue is about coming together and things like this conference need to happen more often.”

Panel Discussion
In the panel discussion on ‘Equality and Children in the New Republic’, Norah Gibbons, Director of Advocacy at Barnardos, said:
“There are children and families for whom there is very little that is good in their lives and for whom this republic has not fulfilled the ideas of cherishing all the children of the nation equally.”
Speakers in the section ‘Building an All-Ireland Economy’ included Dr John Bradley, former Research Professor at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and now an international consultant in economic development strategies.
Dr Bradley focused on the role of Irish businesses in building an all-island economy and sustaining and creating jobs.
“The island economy and the continued joint advance of Irish businesses, North and South, are now firmly established but will require sustained investment in infrastructure, human resources and other forms of direct assistance to the enterprise sector.
“Regional investment in roads, airports, rail links and other forms of communication infrastructure are needed to knit the island economy together. But the commitment to putting in place the physical and intellectual infrastructure to service the island economy as an integrated geographical unit is still desperately weak. We often settle for comforting rhetoric rather than reality.
“The island economy is a reality. But we still lack all-island policy frameworks that will support and strengthen the SME sector and permit firms to grow and prosper. The real ‘partitionists’ are the policy makers, not the business people.”

CORK
Legendary GAA broadcaster Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh was a star attraction as 600 people turned out at the Cork City Concert Hall for the second conference, on Saturday 25th June.
Making a presentation to Mícheál, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams TD told the audience that he used to listen to the match commentaries of “The Voice of the GAA” while he was in jail.
And Mícheál maintained his high standard of entertaining and stimulating commentary when he delivered what was described by ‘The Irish Times’ as “a sparkling contribution”.
Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh is in no doubt that Irish unity is “on the horizon”.
“A lot of work needs to be done,” he said but unity is on its way and events such as the opening of Croke Park to soccer and rugby and cross-community events organised by GAA clubs in the North have their effect.
He recalled a quote from Paul Robeson, the US singer, actor, athlete and civil rights activist, whose song ‘The House I Live In’ is an inspiration to him:
“We are heading towards a new republic where, gach duine, white and black will have the same opportunity.”
Ann Piggot, a teacher and president of Cork Council of Trades Unions, spoke of a united Ireland being like “an illusive dream” but pointed to “more similarities than we realise” with the fact that physical barriers and imaginary borders are ignored by sporting, artistic and cultural organisations.
She highlighted the plight of workers across the island of Ireland in the recession and to the contact and co-operation between workers’ organisations in the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. “Justice and unity are within our grasp,” she said.
Barney O’Reilly, former CEO of Kerry VEC, focused on the education system. Founded in 1831 and which to this day is called ‘a national school system’, it was based on religious diversity at the beginning. Though as time passed, he said, “separation was the best we could do to manage diversity” with the VECs being “a small bridgehead in a denominational system”.
He called for a system based, like in the French Revolution, on equality, liberty and fraternity, which translated in the 21st century into “equality, freedom and mutual interdependence”.

BENEFITS
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams TD highlighted the absurdity of a small island population on the edge of the continent of Europe having two separate systems in almost everything and often competing with or in total disregard to the actions, strategies and resources that could bring benefits from closer co-operation or ‘joined-up thinking’.
“Ireland has a population half that of New York and yet we have two of everything: two states; two governments; two public and private services; two currencies; and two tax systems, laws and regulations.   “As a result, no part of the island has been immune from the effects of partition. The economic reality is that Irish businesses need sizeable local markets in which to sell their products and to grow their potential before they can contemplate trying to export.
“Partition has made this more difficult. And while circumstances have changed since the Good Friday Agreement, the border still represents a significant barrier to economic growth.
“Some of this is down to the existence of two different political and economic jurisdictions with different policies on investment and growth.
“But much of it is also down to the partitionist mindset which prevails among the policy makers.
“The fact is that the Irish Government and its permanent government — the Civil Service — think in 26-County terms.
“Policy decisions on the economy, on planning, on health and education and infrastructure are all generally taken in this context.
“There are some exceptions as a result of the North/South bodies established under the Good Friday Agreement. But the main driver for promoting the island economy isn’t government; it’s those business leaders who see the sense of it.
“This has to change. The policy makers have to think outside the narrow frame of partition.”
The Sinn Féin president said that the next steps required the Irish Government to take decisive measures to map out the steps necessary in the time ahead to progress toward uniting Ireland.
The Louth deputy called for the Taoiseach to commission a Green Paper on Irish unity which would address all aspects of this national and democratic project including its political, social, economic, cultural, legal, administrative and international dimensions.
“Citizens across this island want the 21st century to be different from the last. They want a new beginning.”