Mayo County Council passes motion on Irish unity

Members of Mayo Co Council have approved a notice of motion by Cllr Gerry Murray calling for preparations for Irish unity.

Cllr Murray told the March meeting of the council that Irish unity was "a very real issue and the groundwork needs to be done". A cross-party Oireachtas motion on the issue has already been passed by 12 other local authorities.

The motion read as follows: "That this council recognises that the reunification of Ireland is an objective of Bunreacht na hÉireann; that there is a growing national discussion around constitutional change with people from diverse backgrounds now exploring the possibility of Irish unity; that the Good Friday Agreement 1998 provides the democratic and peaceful means to achieve reunification through the provision of unity referendums; that the significant Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement report 'Perspectives on Constitutional Change: Finance and Economics' recommends the establishment of Citizens Assemblies and other relevant forums, and a designated Joint Oireachtas Committee and a Government Department to take responsibility for planning and preparing for constitutional change, received cross-party support; that this council will write to the Office of An Taoiseach, seeking the Irish Government to plan and prepare for Irish unity, through the following actions: Establish an all-island representative Citizens' Assembly or Assemblies, to allow for informed debate, and a Joint Oireachtas Committee on Irish unity to enable careful planning; produce and publish a plan towards Irish unity in conjunction with civic society and key stakeholders; engage with Northern Protestant and Unionist opinion about the future of Ireland; and work to secure a date for the referendums on unity provided for in the Good Friday Agreement."

The motion was seconded by Cllr Harry Barrett and approved by all members.

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.