Would you like Northern Ireland to reunite with the Republic of Ireland?

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leef

Like most Irish people I'd love to see it, but...

The problem is that most people like tomorrow to be the same as today, and a re-unification of the Republic and the Six Counties is something fraught with all kinds of possible risks, not the least of them a terror campaign by militant Unionists.

The new-found wealth of the Republic hasn't made it any easier for many people here to contemplate the thought of sharing it with what are now seen as the "poor cousins" up North. (It's quite funny, only 20 years back the Republic was the country of the poor cousins!) The UK-gouvernment is spending billions each year to keep them going, and a lot of people here don't see why they should be paying instead. We still have a very weak infrastructure and in the downturn of the economy money is once again in short supply, since our gouvernment in the last 15 years has seen fit to increase the numbers and the salaries of the public services regardless of any future development.

Foreigners usually think it's a clear-cut religious conflict, but religion has only been the tool to whip up emotions on both sides. In reality there are loads of Catholics in the North who don't like the idea of being citizens of the Republic, and a good number of Protestants who are Nationalists, so the census numbers of any one denomination don't mean anything.

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I'd love it to reunite definitely.

Although, I don't think it will happen for a VERY long time, not until after years of planning, voting, crap with the government and war then maybe there could be a possibility of a united Ireland. I would love for it to happen and it's much more convenient anyway! I live in Donegal and go to Northern Ireland regularly and often have to change the euro into sterling which is sometimes annoying too!

= )

greenorlagh

Personally I would love NI to be united with the ROI. It is up to the people as to where they see their future though - both in NI and ROI. Having an opinion and basing it on religion - more Roman Catholics eventually doesn't quite work. It's wrong to assume that if there are more RC than Protestant in the north then they will vote to re unite. There are many Protestants who see a future in unification and many RC s who do not wish to unite.

As a relatively small island on the periphary of Europe I think it would be best financially to work together.

As for someone above me saying that although they live in USA they are a proud Ulsterman and glad to have their country as British...Ulster isn't British, Northern Ireland is, not Ulster - they are two seperate entities. As an Ulsterman I would have thought that you would have known that.

PanserbÃ¸urne

Over 50% of all employment in the North is in the civil service. The North needs to be in the Republic for its own economic future.
On a personal level, I'd love my country to be whole again, at least now the troubles have died down. I think it was Tony Blair that said if the North voted to return south it would be allowed. When the Catholic majority is reached the North will return south. Hopefully it will be during my life time

Edit; Jack D, what would you prefer the IRA to do? The one time they tried a full scale assault was on the custom house during the war of independance and that was a disastor for the IRA. They had no option but to hide and shoot during the troubles, facing the British army would have been suicide.
When, not if, the North returns back to us, I fear the Unionists will put up a stout resistance the way the IRA did during the '70s and that is in no-ones intrest

Doc

I'm American, but I do follow the news from the North and from the Republic pretty closely. I'd be very happy to see a united Ireland, free and independent of the U.K. As an American though, I am mindful of how forcefully to express such an opinion--as Mo Mowlam once said (and I'm sure it's been said by others), Americans can't insist on the U.K. giving the North back unless we're prepared to give this land back to the people we took it from!
That being said, it's good to remember that the North has been British since 1801, over two hundred years. Even when reunification happens, there are going to be difficult cultural obstacles to overcome. And, as Kiwi mentions above, the planning and other governmental nightmares ensure that, even if most of the people of the Six Counties want it to happen, it's still going to be a logistical nightmare that will take many years to resolve.
So, one day at a time. I have hope that reunification will happen, but it'll have to go at its own pace, when enough of the residents of the North decide that it's time, and the governments of the U.K. and Ireland can get it together. But it doesn't look as improbable today as it did before 1998.

david d

Yes, definately.
The partition is an artificial one, and never made any sense. I never witnessed any animosity towards northerners anywhere, it's just not any kind of issue at all. It would be better for the Republic, and Unionists and Nationalists alike, if (when) the country was reunited. Then we can truely put all aspects of the past behind us, all 800 years of it.

atenea

I don't like them to reunite.
I think there are soo many differences between them. The religion is important. But, in my opinion, I think that the North prefers being with the UK.
^^

Moi

i would love it - but not if it meant more war

twoforthepriceofone

Sounds like you don't exactly live in any of the parts. People who do live in ireland do give a hoot.

In an ideal world I would want both parts to reunite. Sadly this isn't an ideal world and it would be nearly impossible to reunite them. Too much has happened, a lot of people - especially in the countryside - in the ROI have formed a sort of resentment against people up in the north. And vice versa. It's not even about religion anymore, or being english or irish... the UK has succeeded in dividing ireland and that's what they were after since the treaty in 1921.

Divide and conquer. Rome has done it before...

Thanks to the UK and its manipulation on the irish, Ireland will never be a nation again because both sides won't let it happen. Even if Blair would have given the north back, it wouldn't have worked out. And that's sad, how a people of the same nation can't cooperate anymore because of another nation's interference.

*edit*

Jack D is obviously british...

Actually, Derry would be closer to home for me, Jack.

Jack D

The americans will insist on us giving N.I back the Ireland, because of freedom and all this bullshit, they don't understand anything about Ireland and it's past conflicts.

The U.S will push and push when really N.I does'nt want to join up with Ireland, the culture is diffrent, the religion is diffrent these Irish on here will make you think that N.I is ant- british and that Republicansim is growing in N.I when it's not. It's just bullcrap to make them look better, if the U.S makes us give N.i back to ireland there will be a whole new conflict, and we'll be made to spend money and fight these so called IRA freedom fighters (all the IRA do is hide and shoot tactics) and were do you think the U.S will be then?, that's right nowhere in sight because they will make up silly excuses not to fight the IRA with us, so NO I would'nt like to see Ulster re-united with Ireland, **** Ireland and **** any dipshit that supports the IRA or Ireland.

edit

*Aubergin obviously is southern irish, always trying to pin the blame on Britian just because she and her un-realistic irish followers can't force Ulster to get united, oh and aubergine I'm not british im actually Ulster and live in the United States and I am proud of my country being united with Great Britian.

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