Will i ever see a united Ireland in my lifetime????

Question

I am from the republic of ireland and i want to know if the whole North/South division will ever be a thing of the past??

Opinions please

Answer 1

I don't think so, no. I think too much has gone on, and people tend to have good memories.

Answer 2

I don't know. If it does happen, none of us will live to see it I'm sure. We were slowly but surely moving on from the Troubles in Northern Ireland, but you don't have to scratch too far beneath the surface to uncover hatred/bitterness etc, in even the most level headed of people.

To change anything about the country now would just stir it all up again and I really don't want to fight. If any of that trouble kicked off again I would be on the first plane out.

The people who really matter here, are the people living in Northern Ireland.

The people in the South (In my opinion) Only want a united Ireland as a matter of principle (To unify the country, to get back what is rightfully theirs, etc)

but for the people living in Northern Ireland, it means so much more, as any change would have an immediate effect on our day to day lives (may or may not be for the better)

So it really should just be down to us as to whether or not we want to break away from the UK, and not the decision or opinion from anyone outside Northern Ireland.

My personal opinion is, if it isn't broke, don't fix it, I'm happy enough to just stay as we are, but if there was a united Ireland tomorrow, I would still be happy enough as long as it didn't cause any problems with how I live my day to day life and I still have the same standard of living.

Answer 3

I don't think so for at least a few more generations. There is so much religious differences for people to get past. Also, Ireland's violent past is too fresh in many people's minds to let go. I think it will take a long time for people to be willing to put aside the religious differences and the loss of life to be willing to attempt to unite the two areas. JMHO.

Answer 4

you already are. Sinn Fein. We are one

Answer 5

In your Lifetime or mine, I cannot say, as none of us know how long we have to live. To Answer your question, I believe that in time we will have an agreed Ireland, ruled by the people of Ireland for the good of all. This is starting to happen, and the end result may be a single state, or a federal state. Even now, we have seen a coming together in the North with shared Power, and joint meetings and working together between both parts of the Nation. I have always believed these days would come in God's good time, and I rejoice to see these days. There will always be those who for their own vested interests do not want to see this happening, but when you see God working and the hearts of  Ian Paisley,

Gerry Adams, Martin Mc'Guinness changing from a Never, Never, position, to a Yes, let's do it one, then who knows what the future holds. Last year I spent some time in Egypt with a group from the North, who were from the unionist tradition. Out of six of them 3 held Irish Passport, and also favoured an

ending of the Partition of the country. One of these was an ex R.U.C. man, who had been shot, and had a number of bullets fired into him. There is plenty to hope for, already we are working towards an all Island economy. However, there will still remain some who will try to force a wedge between Roman Catholic and Protestant, North and South. for their own reasons. We also have to remember that the United Kingdom as it is a present has no wish to retain or remain in the North of Ireland. Also, the different countries that make up the U.K. are moving towards 3 Independent countries, and they will no longer wish to be paying the bill for the North of Ireland. Again, we now have the position that the Irish Government are spending money in the North, the Irish President and Irish Ministers are backwards and forwards to the North on a regular basis. So, what we need now is to ask all friends of Ireland, to pray and work for continuing healing, between North and South, and between all the Nations within the British and Irish islands.

Answer 6

Baby steps. If anyone had told me 20 years ago that Ian Paisley would be sharing power with the guys in Sinn Fein, I'd have laughed in their faces, but they are doing it, and it is huge huge progress. It's taken a long time to reach this point, so let's not **** it up by being hasty and impatient. We may have a Velvet Revolution within 20 years, but as I said, baby steps.

Answer 7

It would be really great to see but u have to consider a number of things first:

1)would u just cause the violence and bloodshed we saw in the past

2)would the people living in NI who consider themselves British accept now being officially Irish

3)Could the Irish Government afford another 6 counties on top of the 26 it already has i.e. could it afford to open/maintain new schools/hospitals etc.

However all things considered Ireland will always be the 32 Counties in my eyes.....u can call it what you want its still Irealnd-one island one nation!!!

Answer 8

Probably not. The people of the north may one day vote to be part of a united Irish republic but that does not mean that the people of the republic wish to take on that part of the island that has 1.9 million souls who need looked after in an all Ireland set up. Would an all Ireland republic be sustainable? I think it probably would within the context of the EU, but that does not mean that the people of the the republic want that hassle.