Category Archives: Cross-border cooperation

A reconciling Taoiseach and the yawning gaps in well-being that may lead towards a united Ireland

Posted on Wednesday, 23 April, 2025 by andypollak

I was at the fourth Shared Island Forum in Dublin Castle earlier this month when the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, gave one of those remarkably reconciling speeches that he is becoming known for. The former chief executive of Cooperation Ireland, Tony … Continue reading →

Posted in Cross-border cooperation, General, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Theme for an all-island Values Forum: Love is the doctrine of this country?

Posted on Thursday, 20 February, 2025 by andypollak

I am going to return to the theme of my last blog earlier this month: the need for a forum to discuss not the constitutional politics which continue to divide the people of this island, but the values – peace, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cross-border cooperation, General, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

The Border Region as a microcosm of opinion across the island

Posted on Monday, 21 August, 2023 by andypollak

I have a particular fondness for the border town of Clones; it was a place I visited frequently during my 14 years running the Centre for Cross Border Studies in Armagh. It was in the news earlier this month for … Continue reading →

Posted in Cross-border cooperation, General, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland | 1 Comment

Why Micheál Martin’s speech was inspirational and why the Shared Island initiative matters

Posted on Tuesday, 20 December, 2022 by andypollak

Nobody would ever accuse the former Taoiseach, Micheál Martin (now Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs), of being an inspirational public speaker. But listening to his speech at the big Shared Island event in Dublin Castle earlier this month, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Cross-border cooperation, General, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland | 6 Comments

Majority of Southern voters think united Ireland “not very important” but they would like to see it “some day”

Posted on Tuesday, 14 December, 2021 by andypollak

That is the headline I would like to have seen on the Irish Times front page lead story on 11th December about the paper’s latest opinion poll on unity and other issues. Its editors went instead for the much more … Continue reading →

Posted in Cross-border cooperation, General, Irish reunification, Republic of Ireland, Sinn Fein | 1 Comment

Could North-South agri-food cooperation help cross the rural-urban climate change divide?

Posted on Wednesday, 17 November, 2021 by andypollak

So in the end the political will did not exist among world leaders at COP26 in Glasgow to radically tackle global warming. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned at the end of the conference: “We are still knocking on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cross-border cooperation, General, Ireland, Europe and the world, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, The island environment | Leave a comment

A clash between Northern bad faith and good cross-border business and infrastructure?

Posted on Friday, 26 February, 2021 by andypollak

The unionists are digging another hole for themselves with their court action against the Northern Ireland Protocol. There is universal agreement in non-unionist Belfast, Dublin, London and Brussels that the Protocol, however unpleasant in the short-term for the North’s consumers … Continue reading →

Posted in Cross-border cooperation, General, Northern Ireland | 2 Comments

Sometimes I despair about the lack of fresh thinking in the Republic about moves towards unity

Posted on Thursday, 5 November, 2020 by andypollak

On 23rd October, the day after the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, launched his ‘Shared Island’ initiative, I wrote the following letter to the Irish Times: The Taoiseach’s comments at the launch of the Government’s new ‘Shared Island’ initiative, prioritising sharing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cross-border cooperation, General, Irish reunification, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland | 2 Comments

An Open Letter to Micheál Martin

Posted on Wednesday, 1 July, 2020 by andypollak

Dear Taoiseach Congratulations on your election last Saturday. We have known each other for 23 years, since you were the rookie Fianna Fail education spokesman (soon to become Minister for Education) and I was the rookie Irish Times education correspondent. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Cross-border cooperation, General, Irish reunification, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland | 7 Comments

Why we need to fight the Corona virus on an all-island basis

Posted on Tuesday, 7 April, 2020 by andypollak

This is an updated and expanded version of an article published in the ‘Belfast Telegraph’ on 2 April. I find I have a little more to add to the Covid-19 reflections of my last blog: specifically about North-South cooperation in … Continue reading →

Posted in Cross-border cooperation, General, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, The island environment | 1 Comment