Taoiseach Enda Kenny says there must be no return to a hard border

The Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said that there must be no return to a hard border between Northern and Southern Ireland. Mr Kenny made the comments during a wide ranging speech Institute of International and European Affairs event at the Mansion House in Dublin.

The Taoiseach said the move would have serious implications for the Republic's economic prosperity.

Mr Kenny also warned that if no executive was formed after the election on 2 March, Northern Ireland would struggle to have its concerns heard. The Taoiseach said: "With the dissolution of the assembly, there is a very real danger that the absence of political leadership in Northern Ireland will lead to a retreat to partisan debate and an even greater marginalization of Northern Ireland's concerns. "The Brexit process will not wait for another round of lengthy talks in Stormont. "When Article 50 is triggered, the world will move on, and it will move on quickly. "Of course I will do my best to put forward the interests of the north in the Brexit negotiations."