Louth TD McGreehan praises steps to Irish unity in Dáil debate
Deputy highlights personal experience of partition and praises Shared Island Fund
Fianna Fáil TD for Louth, Erin McGreehan, has welcomed a debate in the Dáil this week on Irish Unity, using her contribution to share personal reflections on life in North Louth and the ongoing challenges posed by partition.
“Growing up in North Louth, you lived the failure of partition. I saw how communities were split and how deeply that division affected people,” Deputy McGreehan said.
She continued: “Even today, the Border holds us back. Irish Unity is not about erasing differences or rewriting identities; it is about respect, reconciliation, and building on what we share to make this island stronger, fairer, and more successful.”
Deputy McGreehan highlighted the Good Friday Agreement as a roadmap for the future, providing a peaceful and democratic framework for progress.
“Of course, there are challenges – especially in breaking old habits of mistrust – but that is why the Shared Island Fund is so important. It is turning aspirations of unity into tangible action,” she said.
“We are seeing bridges being built, canals being restored, and research being shared. As Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Further and Higher Education, I see first-hand the collaboration between institutions north and south, where young people are shaping a common future.”
Deputy McGreehan spoke of what she said was the groundwork for Irish Unity is already being laid through initiatives like the Shared Island programme but urged that this momentum be maintained.
She added: “We must build on this progress during the lifetime of this Government. We need to consider how we can work towards a border poll and how it can be achieved in a respectful and inclusive way."
Concluding her remarks, Deputy McGreehan reflected on her personal vision for the island’s future.
“As a young girl growing up in North Louth, I saw the failure of partition first-hand. I believe in an Ireland that is generous, modern, and reconciled with itself - an island that faces outward with confidence and inward with compassion. An Ireland that accepts its past, learns from it, and works together for a better future. That is the Ireland I have always believed in, and it is the Ireland I will never stop working towards.”