{"id":438043,"date":"2026-05-08T03:27:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T03:27:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/438043\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T03:27:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T03:27:23","slug":"strong-confidence-and-mutual-trust-between-uk-and-irish-governments-taoiseach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/438043\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Strong confidence and mutual trust\u2019 between UK and Irish governments \u2013 Taoiseach"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Taoiseach has hailed \u201cvery strong confidence and mutual trust\u201d between the UK and Irish governments during a visit to Belfast.<\/p>\n

Miche\u00e1l Martin was speaking after being pressed on how the UK is handling dealing with the legacy of Northern Ireland\u2019s troubled past.<\/p>\n

He heard starkly opposing views on legacy from Sinn F\u00e9in and the DUP during a series of meetings at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, earlier in the day.<\/p>\n

\"TaoiseachTaoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin arrives at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, in Belfast (Rebecca Black\/PA)<\/p>\n

Sinn F\u00e9in pressed for the interstate case which Ireland initiated against the UK in 2023 over the previous government\u2019s controversial Legacy Act, claiming it breached the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).<\/p>\n

The DUP described the case as \u201cdisgraceful\u201d and called for it to be stopped.<\/p>\n

Labour is set to bring forward replacement legislation but some still have concerns about the impact on families of Troubles victims seeking truth and justice.<\/p>\n

Speaking to media at Grand Central Station in Belfast on Thursday evening, Martin said there is \u201cno basis\u201d to suggest that the UK Government will renege on its commitments on legacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve worked in a very collaborative, constructive way with the British Government in respect of the joint framework on legacy, and a lot of progress has been made,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fairness, they have fulfilled their commitments to date, and we also are fulfilling our commitments.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Taoiseach described \u201cvery strong confidence and mutual trust\u201d between the UK and Irish governments.<\/p>\n

Asked if it would be a confidence-building measure to drop the interstate case, Martin said the relationship between the governments has been positive and added: \u201cI think they understand the context of how this is evolving and how this will work.<\/p>\n

\"FirstFirst Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald and Sinn F\u00e9in MP John Finucane at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, after meeting Taoiseach Micheal Martin (Liam McBurney\/PA)<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so we\u2019re quite confident there\u2019s no need, really, between the two governments to have to engage in confidence-building measures.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve had a good relationship to date on a range of issues and continuing progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

The topic of the reform of the powersharing institutions also featured in his meetings with the main Stormont parties on Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n

During his first meeting, Sinn F\u00e9in president Mary Lou McDonald said she told Martin that the concerns of victims need to be addressed in the joint framework on legacy between the UK and Irish governments.<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters at Stormont, McDonald urged that \u201cwe do not go down the road of the British Government pandering to their veterans and compromising the effectiveness and the legality of the legacy framework\u201d.<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cWe have been given assurances that there will be absolute vigilance on the part of the Irish Government in that regard, and that the interstate case still remains live.\u201d<\/p>\n

McDonald said it is important the UK Government understands it could not \u201cwalk away from the real need for effective and fully legally compliant legacy mechanisms\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Taoiseach\u2019s second meeting was with a DUP delegation, which included leader Gavin Robinson and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.<\/p>\n

\"(LeftDeputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, DUP leader Gavin Robinson MP and DUP deputy leader Michelle McIlveen at Parliament Buildings (Liam McBurney\/PA)<\/p>\n

Robinson said he is \u201ccontinually disappointed\u201d with the approach of the Irish Government, particularly Ireland\u2019s interstate case against the UK over the Legacy Act, and its \u201cunwillingness to engage\u201d with the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, or set up its own parallel inquiry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has always been a disgrace \u2013 I\u2019ve indicated to you very clearly \u2013 an Irish Government that talks a lot about legacy but has delivered nothing for victims, an Irish Government that has more answers in their top drawer than they have the temerity to give lectures to the UK Government,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey continually ask a lot of others, but they fail time and time and time again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile reform of the institutions featured in the Taoiseach\u2019s meetings with the Alliance Party and the SDLP.<\/p>\n

Alliance leader Naomi Long\u00a0said both the UK and Irish governments have responsibility to both drive the reform of Stormont, as well as acting on dealing with the legacy of the past.<\/p>\n

\"AllianceAlliance Party deputy leader Eoin Tennyson and Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long at Parliament Buildings, Stormont (Liam McBurney\/PA)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe issue has been finding the momentum and the timing between the two governments and the Assembly to be able to move this forward, and I think the time is now right,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very clear that all parties recognise the current situation where our institutions are constantly destabilised by the threat of collapse and possibility that somebody will walk away, and that we aren\u2019t able to function as a normal government, I think are issues that most people recognise, and it\u2019s a conversation that we need to have with a degree of urgency.\u201d<\/p>\n

SDLP leader Claire Hanna said she talked to Martin about the urgency of delivering Stormont reform before the next Assembly election in a year\u2019s time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact is that people here deserve better than failing government, and government that is never far from collapse,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think that the Taoiseach understands that argument, and we\u2019ve urged him with the UK Government to convene a process.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is momentum, urgency and a window to get this done in good time before the next election.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martin spoke to UUP leader Jon Burrows by phone, as he was in London.<\/p>\n

\"TaoiseachTaoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin and Minister for Finance and T\u00e1naiste Simon Harris during a press conference at Grand Central Station in Belfast (Liam McBurney\/PA)<\/p>\n

Burrows said he \u201cconstructively challenged\u201d the Taoiseach on legacy, telling him \u201cthe way Dublin has handled legacy to date is simply not good enough\u201d.<\/p>\n

Martin also met with business leaders, and with Women\u2019s Aid.<\/p>\n

He went on to Grand Central Station, where he marked the signing of a \u20ac700 million contract for a new fleet of cross-border trains, before delivering the Lord David Trimble Lecture 2026 at Queen\u2019s University Belfast.<\/p>\n

Speaking ahead of his visit, the Taoiseach paid tribute to Lord Trimble\u2019s \u201ccritical role in the achievement of the Good Friday Agreement\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe principles and purpose of the agreement remain central to what my Government does and how we foster relationships across these islands,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am committed to continuing to work toward reconciliation and mutual trust, as we collectively set out to do in 1998, including through the Shared Island Initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Taoiseach has hailed \u201cvery strong confidence and mutual trust\u201d between the UK and Irish governments during a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":438044,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,43],"class_list":["post-438043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438043\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/438044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}