The Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin has said he has discussed a united Ireland with the US President Donald Trump any time they have met and he always explains the peace process that lead to the Good Friday Agreement and the need to work in lockstep with the British government in order to achieve Irish unity.<\/p>\n
Speaking in Ireland over the weekend, Mr Trump said that he would “love” to see a united Ireland<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mr Trump said that he does not “want to cause any problems”.<\/p>\n “But I will tell you, I’d love to see it unified. I have friends on both sides,” he said.<\/p>\n “You know what? The way I look at it, it’s going to happen eventually. It may as well happen now,” said Mr Trump.<\/p>\n Speaking on RT\u00c9’s Today with David McCullagh programme, Mr Martin said: “I genuinely believe we need to focus on the issue of legacy as part of the path forward” and “this is something I will discuss with the British PM when we meet”.<\/p>\n Mr Martin said dealing with the issues of legacy would be a huge breakthrough for families and victims of the Troubles and would mean there is an obligation on everyone to cooperate with the new commission.<\/p>\n This would attempt to give closure to all families who suffered during that period, Mr Martin said.<\/p>\n “And in my view, I would say, in terms of any future on the island of Ireland, it has to be founded under three sets of relationships that give rise to the Good Friday Agreement: the British-Irish; the North-South; and the two traditions within Northern Ireland. And whatever happens in terms of the future constitutional configuration, those elements would still have to be part of that, in my view.”<\/p>\n “I believe a lot has to happen in terms of reconciliation on this island and I worry that some of the rhetoric, even from Sinn F\u00e9in at times, is harking back to the 1970s and digging trenches,” he added.<\/p>\n Mr Martin said he does not sense a generosity of spirit towards legacy from Sinn F\u00e9in.<\/p>\n “Well, they would say that they’re harking forward to the next generation. They’re not. They’re digging trenches, like that’s how I see it, because I don’t sense that generosity of spirit.”<\/p>\n Speaking on the same programme earlier, Sinn F\u00e9in president Mary Lou McDonald said the “hard yards” to prepare for Irish unity must start now and reiterated her calls for conversations around preparation, dialogue and inclusion to take place now, ahead of any possible future referendum.<\/p>\n We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences<\/a><\/p>\n Ms McDonald said: “This transition from a partition to [a] united Ireland has to be absolutely peaceful. It has to be democratic. It has to be.<\/p>\n “It has to include all shades of opinion, from all across the spectrum, right across our island, including voices from unionism and loyalism, and that’s not just going to happen by chance.<\/p>\n “The Government in Dublin needs to be very front-footed from here on in, in shaping and clearing the space for that democratic conversation.”<\/p>\n Ms McDonald said Mr Trump’s comments on a united Ireland are welcome and helpful but not unanticipated.<\/p>\n Watch: Donald Trump says he would love to see a united Ireland<\/p>\n \n Ms McDonald said it is the first time that the sentiment has been expressed so explicitly from a US president but that it is part of long-standing efforts over successive US governments and bi-partisan support in Washington.<\/p>\n The Sinn F\u00e9in leader said she welcomed Mr Trump’s comments and said it is always welcome when a senior political figure recognises and makes statements on these matters.<\/p>\n She said that whoever the serving Taoiseach is has an absolute duty and obligation to take care of the interests of Ireland.<\/p>\n She added that “Miche\u00e1l Martin needs to catch up” on the matter.<\/p>\n