No unity in Cork City Council during united Ireland debate

Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s call for the establishment of a New Ireland Forum on the potential journey to Irish unity received an emotional response from Cork’s councillors recently.

The idea, put forward by Fine Gael Cllr Shane O'Callaghan, is “to plan the journey to Irish unity by exploring what a proposal on Irish unity would look like and by studying how best to merge the two existing jurisdictions into a united Ireland”.

“If you fail to prepare, then prepare to fail,” highlighted Cllr O'Callaghan, addressing colleagues at last week’s City Council meeting. “When you are looking at demographic changes happening in the north, particularly among young people, it increasingly looks like it will be inevitable that there will be a majority in the north in favour of uniting.”

Cllr O'Callaghan argued that once this point is reached, a referendum will follow. That, he said, would mean merging two systems — judicial, educational, healthcare, taxation.

“A good precursor to that would be the election of a president, who could appeal to both communities in the north,” he concluded, sparking a giggle in the chamber," he said.

Cllr Ted Tynan with the The Workers’ Party said he believes the New Ireland Forum idea ignores ongoing sectarian and class divisions. “Varadkar’s proposal is purely a get-rich-quick scheme for his buddies that deepens the inequalities that exist in both jurisdictions."

Concluding his remarks in front of his colleagues, Cllr Tynan added: “I have regard for my Sinn Féin colleagues here, but the Provisional IRA were a terrorist organisation. They killed thousands of people throughout Northern Ireland. Four thousand people died during what they called ‘the Troubles’. It was a campaign of terror, no less.”

Social Democrats Cllr Niamh O'Connor disagreed. “Being in favour of a United Ireland or even planning for a united Ireland is in no way an endorsement of the actions of the Provisional IRA. We are heading towards a united Ireland. We need to plan for this, we need to reach out, we need to make sure that if there is a vote, we get a substantial majority.”

Green Party/Comhaontas Glas Cllr Oliver Moran said the Forum is the right way of thinking: “We won’t have unity on this island unless it is a fully united Ireland.”

Independent Cllr Albert Deasy warned the Forum could be provocative. “The reality is that Sinn Féin has never once condemned the IRA for its role in over 3,700 deaths, 40,000 serious injuries, and devastating psychological damage across all communities. Unionists, and many nationalists north and south, see Sinn Féin’s criticism of Israel’s brutal campaign in Gaza as moral hypocrisy, given Sinn Féin’s own history of unconditional support for violence and terror. A new forum would only escalate these tensions and divides. The peace process, though imperfect, relies on fragile compromises. A new forum, without addressing these deep deficits of trust, could reignite tensions and undermine stability.”

Sinn Féin Cllr Kenneth Collins countered that the debate had turned into Sinn Féin-bashing and asked Cllr Deasy to withdraw his comments. “I just want to know why Sinn Féin gets bashed.”

Sinn Féin Cllr Michelle Gould added: “To come in here and start bashing different parties, it’s not the time or the place. It should never be the time or the place, to be honest. Like somebody said earlier, we didn’t come in here for a history lesson.”

Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy reminded colleagues that peace remains fragile. “I get the quest for unity. My own granduncles fought in the War of Independence for it. I had a grandaunt who fought in Cobh for it. It’s there in the DNA. But we have to be very, very careful in what we ask for. I feel we are, in the south, quite detached from the realities in Northern Ireland. You see it on the news, you hear it on the radio, but that’s not the same as living it. That said, I do believe there is a role for Cork City Council in creating stronger links between the north and the south.”

Fianna Fáil Cllr Seán Martin criticised the lack of political progress but pointed to a way forward. “Look at West Germany and East Germany. When it happened, people don’t even remember it now. It was done and dusted. Both sides can make arguments about what was done that was wrong. But we need to move on from that.”

The motion was carried, with 24 votes in favour, 3 against, and 2 abstentions.

This article was produced with the support of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme funded by Coimisiún na Meán.