Northern Ireland

Mary Lou McDonald says there'll be a united Ireland in the next decade

Mary Lou McDonald said it was important to 'make space' for discussions with unionists. Picture by Brian Lawless/PA Wire
Mary Lou McDonald said it was important to 'make space' for discussions with unionists. Picture by Brian Lawless/PA Wire Mary Lou McDonald said it was important to 'make space' for discussions with unionists. Picture by Brian Lawless/PA Wire

MARY LOU McDonald has said there will be a united Ireland within ten years.

The Sinn Féin leader described the next decade as one of "opportunity" in which there would be a border poll and a majority vote for unification.

She acknowledged that there were significant number of people in the north who identified as British and had concerns about unification. However, the Dublin TD urged them to engage in the "conversation" about Ireland's future.

Speaking on The Guardian columnist Owen Jones's podcast, Mrs McDonald was asked about the timing of a border poll and the obstacles to Irish reunification.

"We'll do [a united Ireland] in the next decade," she said.

"We'll do it in this decade actually, this is the decade of opportunity."

The Sinn Féin leader said she understood unionist concerns.

"Not alone do we have unionist citizens, we have citizens who are British" she said.

"They're British today, they'll be British over Christmas and into the new year – they're British in a partitioned Ireland and they will be British in a united Ireland."

Mrs McDonald said it was important to "make space" for discussions with unionists about the potential for united Ireland.

"I would say to our unionist friends, be part of this conversation.

"I absolutely respect the fact that unionists themselves can articulate their needs, their ideas and concerns around a reunified Ireland much better than I can as an Irish republican woman."

She said: "Irish reunification isn't just a Sinn Féin thing".

"This is a national project and it belongs to everybody," she said.