Gráinne Mhic Géidigh of Sinn Féin, member of the board of Údarás na Gaeltachta, addressed the party's Ard Fhéis at the weekend on issues of a united Ireland.
Mrs. Mhic Géidigh said the era of partition was over, that partition hadn't worked in the past and would never work. Duplication of services, with two economies, two education systems two health systems and two transport systems on a small island, fo
r example, never made sense, she said.
She pointed to all-Ireland initiatives, asking who would have believed in the past that a Unionist minister would be implementing all-Ireland health plans, or that a Sinn Féiin minister would be moving forward on a dual carriageway from Dublin to Derry. In the same way, she pointed to the all-party, cross-border Donegal County Council-led initiative to restore rail service to the north-west.
Mrs. Mhic Géidigh pointed to those as examples where she said the party was using its political powers not just for the benefit of its communities but by gradually doing away with the border by convincing Unionists that co-operation makes sense. Cross-border groups and projects succeed because people north and south see the benefits, she said.
The Údarás board member delivered her remarks in Irish, as follows:
A chairde, ní raibh muid ariamh chomh cóngarach do Éire Aontaithe agus atá muid anois. De réir a chéile tá an teorainn ag imeacht agus is de réir a chéile a thógtar na caisleáin.
Tá stráitéis agus polasaithe ag Sinn Féin le aontacht agus neamh spleachas a bhaint amach agus is muid an t-aon pháirtí atá ag tabhairt dearcadh sonrach phoblachtanach isteach go croílár pholaitíocht na hÉireann.
Tá ré na deighilte thart a chairde, níor oibir sé san am a chuaigh thart, níl sé ag obair anois agus ní oibreoidh sé go deo.
Ar oileán beag cosúil le hÉirinn ní dhéarna sé ariamh ciall é a bheith scoilte. Ní raibh ciall ariamh le dhá choras sláinte, dhá eacnamaíocht dhifriúla, dhá choras oideachais, dhá choras iompair.
Is fíor le rá go raibh droch thionchar ag seo ar ár dtír uilig agus is cinnte gur fhulaing mo chontae féin, Dún na nGall, go mór dá bharr.
Tá cur chuige pholaitiúil uile-Éireannach ag Sinn Féin agus tá stráitéis againn oibriú go dian dícheallach chun deireadh a chuir leis an chríochdheighilt seo atá ag coineáil cúl ar dhul chun cinn ár dtíre.
Cé a shíleadh, traidhfil blianta ó shin, go mbeadh Aire Aondachtach de chuid an UUP, Micheal Migimsy ag cur i bhfeidhm pleananna sláinte ar bhonn uile-Éireannach? Seo díreach an rud atá ag tarlú, le comhoibriú idir na 6 chontae agus rialtas na 26 contae, tá seirbhís radaiteiripe do chúram ailse sa Iarthuaisceart ag déanamh neamhaird den teorainn agus ag tabhairt tús áite do othair. Tchíonn muid ár nAire féin, Conor Murphy, ag bogadh chun tosaigh agus tré chomhoibriú le rialtas an 26 contae, ag cur débhealach idir Doire agus Baile Atha Cliath ar fáil.
