![\"Tanaiste](\"https:\/\/img.resized.co\/breaking-news\/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL2ltYWdlLmFzc2V0cy5wcmVzc2Fzc29jaWF0aW9uLmlvXFxcL3YyXFxcL2ltYWdlXFxcL3Byb2R1Y3Rpb25cXFwvMDllMmU5NThmYTgyMTZmMTFlNTIzM2UwZjllMWVhMzZZMjl1ZEdWdWRITmxZWEpqYUdGd2FTd3hOell3T0RBMk9USTRcXFwvMi44MjAzNTM4NC5qcGc_dz02NDBcIixcIndpZHRoXCI6XCI2NDBcIixcImhlaWdodFwiOlwiNDI3XCIsXCJkZWZhdWx0XCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL3d3dy5icmVha2luZ25ld3MuaWVcXFwvaVxcXC9ibi1ub2ltYWdlLnBuZ1wiLFwib3B0aW9uc1wiOntcIm91dHB1dFwiOlwiYXZpZlwiLFwicXVhbGl0eVwiOlwiNTVcIn19IiwiaGFzaCI6IjY0YzMwYzVhZjZhNmEyZTQwM2Y5ZmUwZTk3NWZkMDczYTJiMjU0MzIifQ==\/harris-says-people-should-be-prepared-to-talk-about-shape-of-a-new-ireland.jpg?w=640\")
T\u00e1naiste Simon Harris, Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin, First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O\u2019Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly at the North South Ministerial Council. Photo: Brian Lawless\/PA.<\/p>\nPoliticians should be prepared to talk about what a unified Ireland would look like, T\u00e1naiste Simon Harris has said.<\/p>\n
The T\u00e1naiste was commenting after his Fine Gael party\u2019s candidate for the presidency, Heather Humphreys, suggested unification could involve the retention of a devolved parliament at Stormont.<\/p>\n
Ms Humphreys insisted that people in Northern Ireland who have a British identity had \u201cnothing to fear\u201d from constitutional change, as the Presbyterian from Co Monaghan highlighted her own experience as part of a \u201cminority community\u201d in the Republic of Ireland.<\/p>\n
Her remarks came on the same morning that political leaders from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland gathered in Dublin for a meeting of the North South Ministerial Council.<\/p>\n
T\u00e1naiste Simon Harris, Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin, First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O\u2019Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly at the North South Ministerial Council. Photo: Brian Lawless\/PA.<\/p>\n
At a post-meeting press conference, Mr Harris, Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Stormont First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little- Pengelly were asked about Ms Humphreys\u2019 suggestion.<\/p>\n
The T\u00e1naiste said: \u201cI think what Heather was doing today was showing a sophisticated understanding of the fact that these conversations, when they need to happen, that they need to consider all of these things.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019ve heard other politicians talk about these things as well. You know, you\u2019ve got to be willing to talk about what a new Ireland would look like, and I think that\u2019s what Heather was doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we also need to be very honest about what the role of the president is and what the role of the president isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the president of Ireland won\u2019t decide when there is or isn\u2019t a referendum \u2013 that\u2019s a matter for the Secretary of State of the British Government, and the president of Ireland won\u2019t decide government policy.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what the president of Ireland can do, and we\u2019ve seen people do this very well \u2013 we\u2019ve seen (former president) Mary McAleese do it extraordinarily well \u2013 is use their office, use their power, their soft power, to facilitate conversations, to bring people together, to promote reconciliation, to prompt and spark debates, to visit communities, to listen.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I, of course, believe that Heather is eminently and uniquely qualified to do that in the years ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Martin was not drawn on the issue of retaining a devolved Stormont post-unification. He said his immediate focus was on reconciling people across the island.<\/p>\n
\u201cReconciliation involves a lot of hard work and, in my view, we should focus on connecting and reconciling people from different communities, different traditions, north and south, and creating a far more natural, seamless interaction between peoples. And that is easier said than done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Taoiseach added: \u201cMy agenda is really how do we share the island together in a pragmatic and effective way that benefits people, the people who live on the island.\u201d<\/p>\n
You could be talking about devolved government in Northern Ireland as part of an overall Irish solution<\/p>\n
Heather Humphreys<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Neill said she welcomed that the question of Irish unity was at the \u201cheart of the presidential debate\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s only a healthy thing,\u201d she said. \u201cI think more and more people are entering into the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sinn F\u00e9in vice president added: \u201cMy call, I suppose, in terms of the Irish government\u2019s role here, is that the planning needs to happen, the preparation needs to happen, and I really want to see that happen at pace. And I think that will be crucially important.\u201d<\/p>\n
DUP deputy First Minister Ms Little-Pengelly insisted there was no momentum towards constitutional change.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there are so many issues that we need to tackle, around health, around education, around growing our economy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do believe that we better serve the people of Northern Ireland by focusing on those issues that really impact on them, day in and day out, week in and week out. That\u2019s what I am about.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see any momentum towards the abolition of Northern Ireland. I don\u2019t think any of the figures or the statistics play that out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that people are attempting to build that momentum. But I\u2019m not going to be distracted by that. I\u2019m going to focus on delivering for Northern Ireland and making Northern Ireland the very strongest it can be.<\/p>\n
The issue of reunification and accommodating unionists within any new Ireland was debated between Ms Humphreys and rival independent candidate Catherine Connolly on an election debate on RTE Radio One on Friday morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could be talking about devolved government in Northern Ireland as part of an overall Irish solution,\u201d Ms Humphreys said when asked how a British identity would be reflected within a united Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are all conversations that we have to have. And there\u2019s no point in pre-empting anything before you go in, you talk to people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first thing we have to do is build trust. If we don\u2019t have trust, we have nothing. So we have to build trust. We have to deepen understanding.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I can see that very clearly \u2013 there\u2019s still a lot of misunderstanding out there, so we have to deepen that understanding, build trust and work together, because I believe that we must unite people first, as John Hume (former SDLP leader) said, and that is so, so important.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I feel I\u2019m very well placed to bring that conversation forward and to bring and work on it, to work towards a united Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Catherine](\"https:\/\/img.resized.co\/breaking-news\/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL2ltYWdlLmFzc2V0cy5wcmVzc2Fzc29jaWF0aW9uLmlvXFxcL3YyXFxcL2ltYWdlXFxcL3Byb2R1Y3Rpb25cXFwvMWU0ZjcyYjIyMmI2M2Y3NWI5YTE4NWVlZTQ2ZjViMmZZMjl1ZEdWdWRITmxZWEpqYUdGd2FTd3hOell3T0RBM01EazNcXFwvMi44MjAyMDQyMC5qcGc_dz02NDBcIixcIndpZHRoXCI6XCI2NDBcIixcImhlaWdodFwiOlwiOTYxXCIsXCJkZWZhdWx0XCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL3d3dy5icmVha2luZ25ld3MuaWVcXFwvaVxcXC9ibi1ub2ltYWdlLnBuZ1wiLFwib3B0aW9uc1wiOntcIm91dHB1dFwiOlwiYXZpZlwiLFwicXVhbGl0eVwiOlwiNTVcIn19IiwiaGFzaCI6IjM1NDBiNTMzMGU2MTEwYTAyNmNiYmRjYWUzYzczNTQ1YTViNmJjODEifQ==\/harris-says-people-should-be-prepared-to-talk-about-shape-of-a-new-ireland.jpg?w=640\")
Independent candidate Catherine Connolly. Photo: Brian Lawless\/PA.<\/p>\n
Ms Humphreys said that if elected, she would make sure the president\u2019s residence at Aras an Uachtarain in Dublin would be a \u201csafe place for unionists to come and outline their concerns\u201d.<\/p>\n
She said she would also seek to facilitate conversations between unionists and nationalists.<\/p>\n
Galway TD Ms Connolly said a reunified Ireland would have to \u201crespect and value differences\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will do that as president in as much as I can,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Ms Connolly said the Government was not doing enough to examine the issues around unification as she claimed a report on constitutional change compiled by a parliamentary committee in Dublin had been left \u201csitting on a shelf\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy vision as president will be to reach out to communities on all sides,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve visited Northern Ireland repeatedly, I visited different communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will facilitate open forums in relation to listening and building on the work that\u2019s ongoing. It\u2019s really important, the meticulous, methodical work that is ongoing by civic organisations on the ground.<\/p>\n
![\"Minister](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pa-78717833-2-e1760721277663.jpg\")
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