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Taoiseach Micheál Martin delivered a major address on North-South cooperation this week at the annual Seamus Mallon Shared Home Place Lecture at Navan Fort, Armagh, announcing a doubling of the Government's commitment to the Shared Island Initiative with €2 billion funding through to 2035.
Speaking at the historic site of Emain Macha on Tuesday 22 July, the Taoiseach paid tribute to Seamus Mallon's vision of the north as a "shared home place" and outlined how the Government's Shared Island Initiative continues this legacy of reconciliation and cooperation.
Major Infrastructure Investments
- €25 million investment in hourly rail services connecting Dublin and Belfast via Portadown, which has seen passenger numbers increase by 50% in six months
- Construction of the iconic Narrow Water Bridge at Carlingford Lough, connecting the Cooley Peninsula and Mourne Mountains
- €23 million Shared Destinations tourism programme for Carlingford Lough, Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark, and Sliabh Beagh region
- Completion of Phase 2 of the Ulster Canal restoration at Clones, with Phase 3 set to commence next year
Research and Enterprise Programmes
The Government has provided €50 million through the North South Research Programme for cross-border collaborative research projects and university connections. The Co-Centres programme, co-funded with the Executive and UK Government, is enabling world-leading research on climate, biodiversity, water, and food sustainability.
Major island-wide enterprise, bioeconomy and biodiversity programmes are underway, supported by over €55 million in Government of Ireland funding and Executive contributions.
Cultural and Community
More than 150 projects have been funded through the Shared Island Civic Society Fund and Creative Ireland programmes, creating new communities of practice across the island. The Government is launching major new arts and cultural heritage programmes backed by over €20 million through to 2030.
New 'Shared Home Place' Programme
Inspired directly by Seamus Mallon's vision, the Taoiseach spoke of the government's new "Shared Home Place" programme to be launched later this year. This participative initiative will enable communities and the diaspora to explore and celebrate the diverse heritage layers of every town on the island.
"This is about all of us having more context, more points of connection and more confidence to acknowledge that Irishness and Britishness – in all of their varieties and continuing evolution – have shaped the heritage of every county on this island," the Taoiseach said.
The Future
The Taoiseach added that the enhanced Shared Island Initiative will deliver new air connectivity between Derry and Dublin, develop island-wide specialist healthcare services, and harness the benefits of the all-island labour market. The Ireland-UK 2030 partnership includes coordinated investment in offshore wind and supporting an all-island supply chain.
The Taoiseach concluded by referencing Mallon's belief that "a society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they will never sit," emphasising that it is now up to all communities – politicians, civic society, families, and neighbours – to tend the "tree of peace" planted in Ireland's "shared home place."
