ANTRIM Gaels were among a delegation that met with representatives of the Taoiseach’s Office to discuss their campaign for Irish unity that has been endorsed by tens of thousands of people from across the country.
Former Antrim football captain Paddy Cunningham, camogie star Jane Adams and former county chair Ciarán McCavana were joined by Limerick hurler Darragh O’Donovan, Tyrone Gael Niamh McKernan and Tipperary All-Ireland hurling winner Timmy Hammersley from the Gaels Le Chéile group to press the government to begin preparations for Irish unity.
Last week a report by the Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, said every Government department should examine the implications of constitutional change and also called on the Irish government to prepare and publish a Green Paper on its vision for a united Ireland.
This is the first stage of what we hope will be ongoing engagement with the Taoiseach. We have asked for a follow up meeting with the Taoiseach himself and other members of our campaign.
— Gaels Le Chéile (@GaelsLeCheile) July 23, 2024
We want to thank everyone who has signed our letter. You can too 👇 https://t.co/YV3i7qN6lS pic.twitter.com/ssvemVZQXD
Commenting after Tuesday's meeting, former Antrim football captain Paddy Cunningham said: “We believe that detailed consideration about our shared future on the island of Ireland needs to be developed and that the Government needs to plan for this. This was also recommended by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement last week who called for preparations to begin immediately.
“Undoubtedly, the repercussions of Brexit and the perceived slow, unwieldy nature of government has prompted GAA members to become more involved in the national conversation on a new Ireland. If we don’t begin to plan or begin to form a Citizens’ Assembly to have these conversations to find out what each section of society desires, then until that process begins we’ll never know what those issues are and therefore we can't properly address them”.
Founding member of Gaels Le Chéile, Jane Adams said the group emphasised that now is the time for the Irish government to have “ambition and start developing a road map for a new and united Ireland”.
“This is the first stage of what we hope will be ongoing engagement with the Taoiseach. We hope to meet the Taoiseach himself in the time ahead with a wider representation of Gaels from across Ireland including superstars from all codes within the GAA.”
