The Taoiseach has expressed confidence that the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland remain stable, despite the leadership upheaval within the DUP.
Leo Varadkar has undertaken his final engagement as Taoiseach, visiting Northern Ireland for a meeting of cross-border ministers.
He and other members of the Cabinet attended a meeting of the North South Ministerial Council, established under the Good Friday Agreement.
They were greeted by First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly ahead of the meeting with ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive in Co Armagh.
Speaking to reporters after attending the meeting, Mr Varadkar said: “I am confident that the institutions are stable and will be sustainable.
“Events happen in politics, whether it’s changes in leadership, there’ll be elections for the House of Commons, there’ll be elections for the Dáil all within the next year, and what’s really important is that institutions should be able to function through them and withstand any disruption that may occur.
“And that’s happened in the past, and I’m sure it can in the future,” he said.
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“And I know from my experience, having served in government for quite some time and having observed the [Northern Ireland] institutions functioning and not functioning, what we know is that whenever they fall, they tend not to be re-established for many years.
“And I think we should always bear that in mind and make sure that we don’t see another break happen.”
Tánaiste Micheál Martin stressed the need for ongoing stability at Stormont and said he saw a “very keen engagement and very keen commitment from the members of the Executive and indeed from our own Cabinet to the agenda that was ahead of us on a north-south basis, so I think there was a resilience there”.
“And I think that continuity, that certainty, that stability, I think it’s important for the people of Northern Ireland,” he said.
Ms O’Neill said it is business as usual as the Stormont Assembly returns following the Easter break.
“We’re here today as joint heads of government to be part of the North South Ministerial Council meeting, and what the public deserve and want is leadership, and we’re prepared to provide that leadership,” she said.
“We’ve spoken to all Executive colleagues, everybody was here today to play their part in terms of their own ministerial responsibility. We’re leaving here very quickly to get back into the Assembly because we’ve much business to do.”
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Ms Little-Pengelly added: “I’m absolutely determined to provide what stability I can to ensure that the Executive can continue in a positive tone.”
She said: “In relation to unionism in general, I believe unionism has a very strong and capable leader in [interim DUP leader] Gavin Robinson.
“He has my full support and I know that he has the support of unionism right across the piece.
“I wish him all the best in the weeks and months ahead. I think he will do a fantastic job to be that strong leader for unionism at this time.”
Later this evening, Mr Varadkar will visit Áras an Uachtaráin to officially hand in his resignation as Taoiseach to President Michael D Higgins.
Government investment in Northern Irish projects
In recent months, the Government has announced hundreds of millions of euro of investment in projects in Northern Ireland.
It includes €600m for the building of the A5 linking Co Donegal to Co Monaghan through counties Tyrone and Derry.
€50m has been set aside for the development of the GAA’s Casement Park in Belfast.
There will also be funding to improve cross-border rail links and to build a new bridge linking Warrenpoint in Co Down with Omeath in Co Louth.
Today’s meeting of the North South Ministerial Council is the first since July 2021.
The DUP withdrew from the council in September 2021 in opposition to new post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.
The move was subsequently deemed to be unlawful by a Belfast court.
The party later pulled out of the Stormont Executive in February 2022, collapsing the power-sharing institutions for two years.
The Executive was restored earlier this year following a deal between the DUP and the British government.
Meeting at time of political flux
The meeting is an important affirmation of the re-establishment of normal politics on the island.
It comes at a time of political flux in both Northern Ireland and the Republic.
Simon Harris is poised to take over as Taoiseach following a Dáil vote tomorrow.
Unionists will take the opportunity to assess the man who they will be dealing with in the months ahead.
Mr Harris has said he is not prioritising a united Ireland and is instead focusing on practical areas of cross-border co-operation.
Speaking on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics, he said that “instinctively” he wanted to see a united Ireland but that his priority was on harnessing the “full potential of the Good Friday Agreement”.
“I think the First Minister and Deputy First Minister are doing the people of Northern Ireland proud, I congratulate them and thank them for the stability they’ve brought to what’s been a very difficult period in Northern Ireland, even in recent weeks,” he said.
“The priority right now in my view is for the people on the island of Ireland to live in peace, live in prosperity, get to know each other better, co-operate and collaborate.”
Additional reporting: Mary Regan, PA
