A former UDA member who became a prominent spokesperson for one of the so-called fringe loyalist parties is to speak at a major Ireland's Future event next year.
David Adams, a one-time Ulster Democratic Party councillor who was among the panel that announced the 1994 loyalist ceasefire, will speak at the civic nationalist group's event at Belfast's SSE Arena on June 15.
He will be joined on stage by the regional chair of the British Medical Association, Dr Tom Black.
The event is the largest yet organised by Ireland's Future north of the border.
Since its inaugural Beyond Brexit gathering at Belfast's Waterfront Hall in January 2019, the group has held numerous events across Ireland, including 'Together We Can' at Dublin's 3Arena in October last year, which attracted upwards of 5,000 people.
Mr Adams (70), who left politics as the UDP dissolved amid acrimony in the early 2000s, worked initially as a media commentator before joining international humanitarian response agency Goal, which is based in the Republic.
In July, he told The Irish News that he believed the importance of constitutional question had largely diminished until 2016's EU referendum "upended the whole thing".
On the decision to speak at next June's event, he said he'd recently voiced serious concerns about a distinct lack of effort on the part of the north's politicians to advance reconciliation, which he described as "the ultimate objective of our peace process".
He said he had accepted Ireland Future's invitation to "put my concerns directly to them and their audience".
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"I want to make clear that I speak for no one but myself," he said.
"Indeed, it was with great reluctance I decided to speak out at all. I have absolutely no desire to again become a public figure, and the sooner I can retreat to comfortable anonymity again, the better, however, such are my concerns, I felt I had no option but express them publicly."
Ireland's Future CEO Gerry Carlile said the group believe "it is important to continue to expand the conversation on change beyond the traditional pro-united Ireland community".
"People like Davy Adams have a significant role to play and it is important to listen to their voices as we progress into the coming period," he said.
Mr Carlile described Dr Black as "an excellent addition to what looks likely to be the most impressive and significant event ever to be held, discussing the issue of constitutional change".
"Dr Black is a renowned health professional," he said.
"With the health service currently in the worst state it has ever been in, it is clear that health continues to be a major discussion point and is likely to become an even bigger discussion point when a border poll is announced."
