NORTH Belfast MP John Finucane has told the audience at one of Ireland's most popular summer schools that a United Ireland is no longer a distant aspiration but a mainstream, achievable objective that demands urgent political leadership and inclusive planning.
Opening the 2025 Seán Mac Diarmada Summer School in Kiltyclogher, County Leitrim, Mr Finucane delivered a wide-ranging address on the theme ‘Leadership for a New Ireland: Responsibility in a Time of Change.’
“Ireland is changing," he said. "In the North, the era of an inbuilt unionist majority is over. That was once unthinkable. No longer."
He pointed to the rise of Sinn Féin as the largest party in the Assembly and the appointment of Michelle O’Neill as "First Minister for all" as historic markers of transformation. He emphasised the increasing convergence between North and South, socially, economically, and culturally.
“The economic realities, political aspirations, and lived experiences of people on both sides of the border are more aligned than ever before,” he said.
However, he acknowledged that this change is contested, stating: “The DUP continue to resist progress," and highlighted the ongoing opposition to equality, Irish language rights, and social change.
The summer school is dedicated to Seán Mac Diarmada who was one of the signatories of the 1916 Proclamation and was born in Kiltyclogher
On sectarianism, he said: “It is not enough to manage sectarianism. We must dismantle it and reaffirm that reconciliation is not the price of unity – it is one of its objectives.”
He also criticised successive Irish governments for their failure to prepare for unity, stating, “To bury our heads in the sand is not leadership – it is abdication.”
He proposed five practical steps: a Citizens’ Assembly, a Green Paper on unity, a Ministerial Unit, EU engagement, and an all-island economic strategy.
Addressing the legacy of conflict, John Finucane condemned the British government’s Legacy Act as “a political whitewash” that denies victims truth and justice.
“There can be no hierarchy of victims – no selective memory,” he asserted.
On global matters, the North Belfast MP passionately addressed the crisis in Gaza, calling it “a genocide” and criticised the Irish government for failing to act with moral clarity.
“Our own history compels us to stand with the Palestinian people,” he said.
He closed with a call to action rooted in hope: “Unity will not come about by accident. It must be built – carefully, inclusively, and with vision.”
