Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has described talks with Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris about Irish unity on Tuesday as “extremely constructive”.
Harris last week said Fine Gael will develop a “blueprint for a unified island” by November, though this is expected to set out issues to be considered if unity is to be achieved, rather than a worked-out plan.
In an earlier debate on the fiscal impact of Irish reunification, Harris said while the costs of transition to a united island were important considerations, the question was “not simply what a united Ireland would cost, but what a united Ireland could create”.
Sinn Féin enterprise spokeswoman Rose Conway-Walsh told the Tánaiste “Michael Collins would be pleased with you”, while McDonald described his presentation as “refreshing” and “exactly where we need to be”.
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Speaking after a meeting with Harris on Tuesday, McDonald said: “I think there is a recognition now that we need to work together collaboratively, that the preparation needs to be made . . . There’s an awful lot of work to be done.
“There is a lot of talking to be done and a lot of listening to be done and the planning needs to go ahead. So another step, another constructive conversation on our pathway to referendums and an orderly, democratic and peaceful transition from partition to a unified Ireland.”
A spokesman for the Tánaiste said Harris “gave a commitment in the Dáil earlier this month to continue working across the House with party leaders from all parties to advance the ongoing conversation about Irish unity”.
He added: “On that basis and following a request from the leader of Sinn Féin, the Tánaiste met Deputy McDonald earlier today to discuss these matters.
“The Fine Gael leader looks forward to his continued work with Government colleagues and engagement with other party leaders on these issues in the future.”
Sinn Féin sources spoke enthusiastically about the meeting, describing it as “the beginning of a conversation”.
The meeting follows recent Dáil debates on a Sinn Féin bill which would compel the Government to establish a citizens’ assembly and publish a green paper on unity, which was voted down by the Government parties.
Harris’s recent moves have been welcomed by McDonald and caused some unease in Fianna Fáil, where some TDs are impatient with the cautious incrementalism of Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s Shared Island initiative.
The initiative avoids talk of imminent border polls, but has provided hundreds of millions of euros in funding for cross-Border initiatives and research.
