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LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago
(Seo alt ónár bhfoireann Gaeltachta. Is féidir an bunleagan as Gaeilge a léamh anseo)
SINN FÉIN is trying to turn the party’s push for a referendum on reunification into a political issue but there is not much behind the campaign, Taoiseach Mícheál Martin said during an interview on 7 Lá on TG4 last night.
In an interview with broadcaster Máirín Ní Ghadhra, the Taoiseach said that the Shared Island initiative being put forward by his Department was the most important proposal for reunification since the Good Friday Agreement.
He added that promoting reconciliation was his priority, as had other Fianna Fáil leaders before him, such as Seán Lemass and Éamon Devalera.
Martin indicated that he did not believe there would be a referendum on the issue before 2030 as he did not believe there would be a majority in favour of reunification by then.
Sinn Féin has often predicted and demanded a referendum on the issue by 2030 as they pressure the Government to prepare for a referendum and campaign for the reunification of the country.
Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, the Northern Ireland Secretary of State is responsible for setting and announcing the timetable for a referendum.
“We need to bring people together and, for example, we are now close to completing the bridge at Narrow Water,” he said, referring to the bridge across Carlingford Lough that connects Narrow Water in County Down and Omeath in County Louth.
This is a project that has symbolic importance, he said, but beyond that, he believes it will be of great economic benefit to the community living on both sides of the border in the area.
“It is almost there,” he said, indicating that the bridge would be completed before the end of next year.
Responding to the question from the host about the talk of a referendum on the reunification of the country, the Taoiseach said.
“What Sinn Féin and other parties are talking about is politics and a kind of campaign but there is not much behind it, there is not much substance in my opinion.
Because bringing people together is hard work, you have to keep at it day after day, year after year.
“The most important thing on this island right now in my opinion is much more connections between people, much more understanding between people and that’s what we’re talking about, cultural matters, poetry, literature.
“Groups have come together because of this initiative, that’s very important and much better than having a referendum too soon because there’s no prospect of a referendum before 2030 and a vote in favour of unification.
“Gradually, people are becoming more confident and we should give this process a chance.”
He said the most important question, more important than what political system there would be, was whether people would be able to work together and train together.
Beidh an Taoiseach ag bualadh leis an Uachtarán Donald Trump i gceann míosa..cad é mar a mhothaíonn sé faoin gcuairt? pic.twitter.com/gK6Xj8kUvB
— 7 LÁ (@7LATG4) February 17, 2026
He also said during the interview that he would be going to Washington on St. Patrick’s Day and that he would meet President Trump there.
Sinn Féin leaders Mary Lou McDonald and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill have said they would not go to Washington for a second year in a row in protest against Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
The Taoiseach also reiterated that he would continue in his role as leader of Fianna Fáil until the general election although he admitted that he had had a very difficult year last year and that he was personally disappointed by the way the Presidential election ended after his party’s candidate Jim Gavin withdrew from the contest.
The Journal’s Gaeltacht initiative is supported by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
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