Laois councillors support plan to prepare for a United Ireland

A motion put forth by a Laois councillor on preparing for a United Ireland was welcomed with plenty of support by fellow local councillors at a meeting of Laois County Council.

Cllr Aidan Mullins has urged Laois County Council to write to the Office of An Taoiseach requesting that the Government plan and prepare for Irish unity.

Key to this plan of action is to establish an All-Ireland representative Citizens Assembly(s) to allow for informed debate as well as a Joint Oireachtas Committee on Irish Unity to enable careful planning, to produce and publish a comprehensive plan on Irish Unity in conjunction with civic society and key stakeholders North and South, and to engage with Northern Unionist opinion about the future of Ireland.

Cllr Mullins also included that work must be done to secure a date for referendums on Irish unity as set out in the Good Friday Agreement. 

The Independent councillor's motion received cross-party support at the January meeting of Laois County Council, with the council agreeing to send a letter to the Office of An Taoiseach. 

Addressing the council, Cllr Mullins said: "The conversation around a United Ireland is growing. Across this island and beyond, people are engaging seriously in what our shared future would look like."

He pointed out that many forums and bodies are advancing the conversation, such as Sinn Féin's Commission on the Future of Ireland, the SDLP's New Ireland Commission, the All-Ireland Oireachtas Committee on the Good Friday Agreement, and also the Shared Island Initiative. 

Cllr Mullins emphasised: "By working together, this collaboration has ensured that the discussion on Irish unity is informed, inclusive and ongoing. Reunification creates the single greatest opportunity to unlock the full potential of Ireland and to deliver a better future for all our people."

He also added that the Irish Government is "following and not leading on this", and that they should be "more proactive."

Speaking on why it matters to County Laois, Cllr Mullins said: "A similar motion has already been passed in the Dáil and the Seanad and I believe 12 other local authorities, it's important that this council reflects that decision."

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Supporting the motion, Cllr Tommy Mulligan said that a referendum on Irish unity is "inevitable at this stage." He backed the motion as he argued that a conversation needs to be had around major issues such as citizenship, taxation, health, education and policing. "There is a fear that we might not be adequately prepared for it", Cllr Mulligan said.

Likewise, Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley supported the motion, saying this is something she has worked on for many years. Cllr Dwane Stanley reiterated that more planning is needed as "we can't just have a border poll in the morning."

Cllr Padraig Fleming of Fianna Fáil and Cllr Conor Bergin of Fine Gael also showed their support for the motion. 

Cllr Bergin told the council that Irish unity "should be the highest objective in the state."

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme