In a recent speech at the Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin, the Irish ambassador to Great Britain, His Excellency Mr Bobby McDonagh, spoke about the British-Irish relationship in a changing European Union.
He referred to a joint statement made in Downing Street in March by the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister, David Cameron. According to the leaders, “The relationship between our countries has never been stronger or more settled, as complex or as important as it is today.”
It was the first statement between the governments of the two countries that was not focussed exclusively, or even primarily, on Northern Ireland.
Mr McDonagh said he was delighted to have heard these words, saying that, “Over many centuries, until as recently as a few years ago, it would have been hard to imagine those four adjectives (strong, settled, complex, and important), apart perhaps from the word complex, being chosen to describe the British-Irish relationship.”
The choice of these words, he said, illustrates just how far we have come.
Mr McDonagh said he enjoyed looking at some of the elements which have contributed to the immense progress in British-Irish relations in recent years, which gave him an opportunity to reflect on Ireland’s future and its relationship with Great Britain.
Important Factors in Co-operation
According to Mr McDonagh, Britain and Ireland’s simultaneous accession to the European Union, and our shared membership for nearly forty years now, has been important and positive...important politically, psychologically, economically and personally. Politically, it has brought our politicians together, month after month, for four decades, he said. It has given us deep common interests like never before, and a structure for pursuing those interests, as well as for resolving differences when they arise.
