Leo Varadkar says Ireland 'on path to unification'

Leo Varadkar PA

Leo Varadkar made the comments to the Irish broadcaster RTÉ

At a glance

  • Taoiseach (Irish prime minster) Leo Varadkar has said he believes Ireland is on the path to unification

  • Mr Varadkar told Irish broadcaster RTÉ he thought it would come in his lifetime

  • He commented that the success of the country would be judged on the treatment of a British minority

  • Mr Varadkar previously refused to answer a question on Irish unity in January

The taoiseach has said he believes Ireland is "on the path to unification" and that there will be a united Ireland within his lifetime.

Leo Varadkar made the comments in an interview on RTÉ's News at One.

He told the Irish broadcaster that in a united Ireland there would be a minority of roughly a million people who identify as British.

He said the success of any country would be judged on how it treats its minorities.

In January Mr Varadkar had declined to answer a question regarding Irish unity at the at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

He said then it could be deemed provocative during sensitive EU-UK negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

In Thursday's interview, Mr Varadkar said: "I believe we are on the path to unification. I believe that there will be a united Ireland in my lifetime.

"In that united Ireland there is going to be a minority, roughly a million people who are British and you judge the success and the quality of a country by the way it treats its minorities. And that's something we are going to have to think about."

Republican ballads

He also addressed The Wolfe Tones' performance at the Electric Picnic music festival in County Laois last weekend.

The popular folk group has sparked controversy in the past with one of their best-known songs, Celtic Symphony, which includes the lyrics "Ooh Ah, Up the Ra!", a reference to the IRA

"What is a republican ballad, a nice song to sing, easy words to learn for some people can be deeply offensive to other people," Mr Varadkar said.

Mr Varadkar said that if Ireland is to be united, the words of Northern Ireland comedian Patrick Kielty should be heeded.

Speaking on fellow comedian Tommy Tiernan's RTÉ show, the new Late Late Show host Kielty, whose father was murdered during the Troubles, said: "What I'm saying is that you can't physically unite the island and have nearly a million unionists up the road joining this country without changing some furniture to make those people feel welcome.”

He added: "I think you could probably start with not singing, 'Ooh ah, up the 'RA' in the changing rooms maybe".

No basis for Irish unity

A UK government spokesperson said: “In accordance with the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and the principle of consent, Northern Ireland will remain part of the UK for as long as its people wish for it to be.

“We are absolutely clear that there is no basis to suggest that a majority of people in Northern Ireland wish to separate from the United Kingdom.

“Northern Ireland, its people, and future generations have a bright and prosperous future within the UK.”

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