President's job to 'reach out hand of friendship' before any border poll

Heather Humphries said she was proud of her Presbyterian background

It is the job of the Irish president to "reach out the hand of friendship" to unionists in Northern Ireland in advance of any referendum on a united Ireland, a candidate for the role has said.

Heather Humphreys, who will represent the Fine Gael party from the Irish coalition government in election, comes from a Presbyterian background in the border county of Monaghan.

Speaking to the Irish broadcaster RTÉ, Humphreys spoke about how one of her grandfathers signed the 1912 Ulster Covenant, an oath of resistance to Irish home rule.

"I come from the tradition of 1798, the United Irishmen," she said. "I'm very proud of my tradition, I'm very proud of where I come from."

Humphreys was asked if she believes it is the job of the president of Ireland to accelerate the process towards a position where a border poll can be held.

She replied: "Well, I think it's the job of the president, absolutely, to put the work in, to put the groundwork in to get people talking, reaching out that hand of friendship because at the end of the day there's about one million people in Northern Ireland that identify as British citizens."

She said she felt "well placed to speak" to those identifying as British.

"I am a product of this country, of the Republic of Ireland, and I think when they see me, they will get some idea of what it's like - that this is a welcoming country and I'm happy to say that."

Humphreys also said she believes her background provides a "unique" insight around the issue, adding that there is a need to "deepen our understanding".

When asked when she would like to see a united Ireland, she responded: "We will have a united Ireland based on the Good Friday Agreement."

The Good Friday Agreement, which brought an end to 30 years of conflict known as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, states that a border poll can only be called when the Northern Ireland secretary of state believes a majority of people in Northern Ireland favour a united Ireland.

Speaking on the same programme, Humphreys said she is a supporter of the Irish language.

"I know it is important and I love the language," she said.

She has faced scrutiny over what critics have claimed was her failure to honour a previous commitment to improve her Irish speaking ability.

However, she explained that she already has "basic Irish" and she now plans to improve her language speaking skills.

"I learned Irish at school, and I commit to going back to the Gaeltacht and refreshing my Irish and I actually think I could do this journey, and I could bring others with me."

The term Gaeltacht describes areas in Ireland where the Irish language is, or was until recently, the primary spoken language of most of the community.