Ireland's Future: Leo Varadkar and Jimmy Nesbitt speak at united Ireland event
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Actor Jimmy Nesbitt, who is from a unionist background, told the event he was open to a discussion about a possible united Ireland
Several thousand people gathered in Dublin for a conference to discuss planning for a united Ireland.
The crowd at the event at the 3Arena heard from politicians, members of civic society and business people.
It was organised by a group called Ireland's Future, which is campaigning for a united Ireland.
At the event, Tánaiste (Irish Deputy Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar said "there is a distinct danger we could focus too much on a border poll".
Mr Varadkar, who repeated support for a united Ireland, said that the focus should be more on "how we enhance engagement, build trust and create the conditions for a convincing majority for change".
Mr Varadkar said cross-community support was "far short" of what would be needed
He added that "cross-community engagement" both within Northern Ireland and between north and south was currently "far short" of what would be needed to build a "new Ireland".
Mr Varadkar, who will become Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) in December, said the objective should be to secure as large a majority as possible in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in any future poll, he added.
"50% plus one may be enough on paper and in law, and I don't dispute that for a moment, but a majority so narrow is not a recipe for success," he said.
"Our only hope depends on presenting a proposal - north and south - that will be able to achieve democratic consent and this will involve compromise."
Sinn Féin president Mary-Lou McDonald called on the Irish government to establish a Citizen's Assembly on Irish Unity
However, Sinn Féin president Mary-Lou McDonald told the audience that the days of "treading water" on planning for Irish unification are over.
"Ireland's future will be determined by choices made today, by decisions of this generation," she added.
"I think we should choose courage; I think we should choose ambition; I think we should choose hope.
"Those who say 'yes, but not now' have long lost sight of the bigger picture."
Ms McDonald called on the Irish government to establish a Citizen's Assembly on Irish Unity to plan for constitutional change and unity referendums.
What is a border poll?
Under the Good Friday Agreement, the power to hold a border poll rests solely with the Northern Ireland secretary.
He is legally bound to call one if "it appears likely" that a majority of people in Northern Ireland wish to leave the UK and join a united Ireland.
This week, the Northern Ireland Office said there was no clear basis to suggest a majority of people in Northern Ireland wish to separate from the United Kingdom.
"Our change must be orderly, democratic, peaceful, and planned," she said
"Those who seek to guard and defend the status quo have had their day."
Taoiseach Micheál Martin was not at the event but spoke later on Saturday at Fianna Fáil's ard fheis (party conference) - he said that the "harsh reality" is that too little had been done to bring communities in Northern Ireland together.
"There has been a lot of talk about unity and reconciliation but very little work done to actually build the bridges which make it happen," he added.
The audience heard from a range of other speakers, including Northern Ireland actor James Nesbitt, who said he remained unsure about arguments advanced by nationalists but that he was open to an informed discussion.
Thousands attended the conference in Dublin on Saturday
Mr Nesbitt, who was born in Coleraine and comes from a unionist background, said "to many from my background, talk of a united Ireland is difficult but the conversation is out there".
He added that rather than using the phrase "united Ireland", which can be viewed by some unionists as "incendiary", a better term could be "union of Ireland".
"I think one of the great challenges and actually one of the great opportunities is to start getting away from language that is incendiary," he said.
"I prefer something like a new union of Ireland where people from the north, particularly those from my tradition, would feel that they have their identity, that it is in no way threatened, that they have an equal voice, that they are part of a society that is progressive, inclusive, diverse."
He said the time could be right to view the debate in a "post unionism and post nationalism" context.
Mr Nesbitt added that any change must be "people-led" and that solutions could not be forced on people.
It was time to build on the "common ground", he said, to explore what a shared island means and let any discussion on future constitutional arrangements emerge.
What is the Ireland's Future conference?
Ireland's Future, the organising group behind the event, said the conference would be the "most significant and important" event for discussing a united Ireland.
The group said it was formed to "advocate for, and promote, debate and discussion" about the future of the island of Ireland.
It has held a number of events since it was formed in 2019 - its first was at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.
The leaders of Sinn Féin and the SDLP and senior figures from all of the main political parties in the Republic of Ireland attended the Dublin event on Saturday.
Organisers said they had sold 5,000 tickets for the event.
Actor Colm Meaney also took part in the event
Actor Colm Meaney and musicians Donal Lunny and Denise Chaila also attended.
"For the first time we're seeing voices that we haven't really heard before in the constitutional debate," said Andree Murphy, one of the organisers.
A total of ten political parties were represented.
Unionist parties from Northern Ireland did not attend.
The Alliance Party in Northern Ireland also declined an invitation. It said it did not feel that it was appropriate for it to attend what it called a "rally for a united Ireland".
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