Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald, speaking on the 100th anniversary of the Boundary Commission, said: “A century on from the Boundary Commission Ireland has changed beyond recognition. The conversation about Irish unity is now open, confident and growing. Referendums on Irish unity are within our grasp and can happen by the end of this decade. The Irish government needs to start planning now.
Mary Lou McDonald said, “Today we mark one hundred years since the collapse of the Irish Boundary Commission. It was a moment that revealed not just a political failure, but a deep betrayal of the Irish people.
“The leaked details of the report dashed nationalist hopes that large areas of the North would be transferred to the Free State and that Irish Unity would be expedited. Instead, the minimal adjustments proposed exposed the Commission as a piece of British government duplicity.
“The leak of the details of the Report on 7th November 1925 exposed a deal that abandoned nationalists in the Six Counties and caused division on this island for generations.
“A century later, Ireland has changed beyond recognition. Partition has been exposed as a failure – socially, economically and politically. The conversation about Irish unity is now open, confident and growing.
“Across every county, people are engaging in how we can build a new and united Ireland based on fairness, equality and opportunity for all.
“The hopes of our generation for the reunification of Ireland were reflected in the Presidential Election. The prospect of Irish Unity was recognised as an immense opportunity for our future.
“We must learn from history. The future of this island must be decided by the people, in an open, democratic process – through dialogue, planning, and referendums North and South by the end of this decade.
“One hundred years after the Boundary Commission tried to copper fasten division, we are looking now to reconciliation, national renewal and Irish unity.
“Together, we can build an Ireland that finally fulfils the promise of equality and freedom for all our people.”
