Foreign Policy
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-21
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Neale Richmond (FG), Dublin Rathdown

Yes, the progress towards a referendum or any process of self-determination has been painfully slow but it is not straightforward simply to engage with the people because there are very clearly conflicting opinions here and, as a country outside that seeks to be supportive crucially of what this really is, it is a peace process. What went before 1991 was a brutal conflict that cost many lives, and what has come after may be frustrating and may not be the true fulfilment of what certain people want, but I would argue it is better than what went before. The process is sadly at risk based on isolated and sporadic incidences of violence in the region. Certainly, from an Irish Government point of view, the most important thing is not making binary choices and not making declarations; it is upholding the very real process, particularly in a wider context. We are at a time when international law and the rule of law are under threat.
We have a UN process, we support the UN process and we will continue to support that and make sure that process leads to an outcome that continues and maintains what is, to some extent, a relatively fragile peace.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:58+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-21