Cavan local area representative, Cllr Paddy McDonald was one of 5,000 people who attended an event in Dublin over the weekend that focused on a 32-county republic. Cllr McDonald told Northern Sound that 10 political parties on the island were represented at the 'Ireland's Future - Together We Can' gathering but nobody from a unionist background appeared.
The Sinn Fein councillor said he was disappointed over that because the event, described as "the most significant and important for discussing a united Ireland", was open to everyone on the island of Ireland. Meanwhile, Ireland's Future - a civic organisation advocating for a united Ireland - released a document hours before the event took place claiming that a 32-county republic would cost €4bn per year, which was more affordable than previous estimates that reached €10bn annually.
Cllr McDonald said it was a very positive event where the importance and necessity of the Good Friday Agreement was brought to the fore. "The only way we will get this island of Ireland united is for people from all political persuasions to sit around the table and talk about it. In the long run it is going to beneficial to everybody living on this island," he added.
