THE MAJORITY of the Irish public would like to see Ireland and Northern Ireland unite before they die.
That’s according to a poll conducted by Amárach Research for Claire Byrne Live on RTÉ 1 [via The Journal], which shows 63% of people want a united Ireland in their lifetime.
By contrast, just 18% of those polled said they would be against Irish unity ever happening while 19% were undecided on the issue.
The poll was conducted amid mounting speculation that the United Kingdom’s impending departure from the European Union could eventually lead to the unification of Ireland.
The UK is set to leave the EU on March 29th but has yet to reach an agreement on the terms of that departure, sparking concerns of further unrest between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Despite the growing worries, the research found that 48% of respondents felt Brexit would not unite the 32 counties while only 31% felt Britain’s departure from the EU would see Ireland united.
The question of whether Brexit would prompt the introduction of a hard border in the island of Ireland left respondents divided though.
According to the findings of the poll, which was based on a series of questions put to a panel of over 1,000 Irish adults, 37% people thought a hard border was likely, while 37% disagreed.
The remaining 26% of respondents simply didn’t know.
