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Over 300 people attended Armagh Down & Louth People's Assembly on Thursday last at the Carrickdale Hotel. Organised by Sinn Féin, party President Mary Lou McDonald spoke at the event and requested the Irish Government to establish a Citizens Assembly on Irish Unity.
Speaking after the event Newry and Armagh MLA Conor Murphy said "This Peoples’ Assembly was an opportunity for citizens from the border region to have their say on the future of Ireland.
"The ill-effects of living under British rule are keenly felt in this area and the implications of Brexit casts a long shadow.
"So too does the British Government’s Legacy Bill of Shame, and its mean spirited ‘Borders and Nationalities Bill’ which makes it mandatory for visitors travelling into the North from the South to firstly obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation.
"This is the latest threat from London to the people here particularly in this region."
The Carrickdale event was the fourth organised by Sinn Féin’s Commission on the Future of Ireland. It was chaired by Dr Conor Patterson of Newry and Mourne Enterprise Agency. The panel included; Reverend Karen Sethuraman; ICTU Assistant General Secretary Gerry Murphy; Mairéad McAlinden former CEO of the Southern Health & Social Care Trust and Aidan Browne of Dundalk’s DkIt's Regional Development Centre.
Mr Murphy added "In addition to an excellent and varied panel, the contributions from the audience were thoughtful, spirited, informed and very interesting."
Uachtarán Shinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald opened the event. In a wide ranging address Mary Lou spelt out the difficulties caused by partition and the opportunities which will be created by ending division.
Ms McDonald addressed those from a unionists background “To those from the unionist culture I extend a sincere welcome – the new Ireland must be a warm house for all and your traditions and beliefs must be respected and cherished. I invite you especially to be part of the conversation and for us all to plan for the future together." she said
Urging the Irish government to facilitate and support our changing country by establishing a Citizens' Assembly on Irish unity she said: “This is an exciting time for us all; filled with opportunity and hope for a better future. That’s why we need to get it right. Our new constitutional national democracy will emerge from a phased transition and that is why planning and preparation should begin now. Grassroots communities should be involved at the beginning of that process, not at the end.”
Speaking directly about the challenges facing the border region Ms McDonald added “Our shared challenge is to create a future which is warm and welcoming for everyone and where the potential prosperity of areas like this border region can be fully unlocked.”
