'Rather Be On The STREET As A Unionist Than Living In A United Ireland' | Irish Reunification Debate
Reunification? Or Reconciliation?Is the island of Ireland ready to unite?
Twenty-seven years on from the Good Friday Agreement, politicians in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland rightly applaud just how far the region has come since the Troubles.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald says that politics has changed, peace has been established – and now, during a visit to the UK to drum up support for a vote on Irish reunification, she’s calling for a border poll within the next five years.
The Northern Ireland Life and Times survey has been tracking community sentiments around that issue since 1998. And every year, the gap between those who oppose it and those who support it is getting smaller.
As of 2024, the gap was just 6%: 42% oppose uniting with the Republic, while 36% support it.
But when you break down who falls into those categories, you open up old wounds.
Of those who oppose reunification, 74% were Protestant. Of those who support it, 68% were Catholic.
So, despite what Mary Lou McDonald says, not everyone has moved on.
Support or opposition to British alignment still falls very clearly along religious lines.
This year’s Unionist celebration of Marching Season in Northern Ireland reinforced that.
On one bonfire was a message using a Catholic slur — pointing to violence against that community.
It was later removed, but it’s clear that for some, the sentiment remains.
So — on this edition of Counterpoints we ask:
Is Irish reunification inevitable?
Could a border poll reignite sectarian violence?
And why is Sinn Féin pushing the issue now?
Guests:
Tadgh Hickey – comedian and political activist from the Republic of Ireland
Jamie Bryson – Director of Unionist Voice Policy Studies, a Northern Irish think tank
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