I am delighted to welcome the Taoiseach here today. More than 3,500 people were killed during the Troubles, a roughly 30-year conflict between groups such as the Irish Republican Army, which wanted Northern Ireland to be part of Republic, pro-British unionist groups that wanted it to stay part of the United Kingdom, and British security forces.
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The pair also discussed the economic relationship between the two countries.
The meeting is expected to focus on the implications of Brexit for the UK’s strong trade links with the Republic of Ireland, and the future of the common travel area (CTA), an open borders arrangement between the two nations dating back to the 1920s.
And let me say a few words on each.
“Trade between the United Kingdom and Ireland is worth nearly £1bn each week, supporting 400,000 jobs across our islands”, she said.
Last March, the Minster for Justice Frances Fitzgerald signed a statutory instrument which obliges airlines and ferry companies operating between Ireland and the United Kingdom to submit passenger data, including flight or sailing arrangements as well as passport details, to authorities in both countries.
Warning that leaving the European Union could end up benefiting an economic elite unless a clear plan was put in place to protect wages, investment and maintain demand, Ms O’Grady said a national debate was needed on options for post-Brexit Britain.
Of course this means there will be a number of complex issues to address.
But, she added, there had been passport-free travel between Northern Ireland and the Republic before either the United Kingdom or Ireland was a member of the European Union, and she was committed to delivering “a practical solution for everybody”.
In related news, the Guardian noted that the Irish government is increasingly hopeful that it will be able to retain both free movement and a customs union across the border with Northern Ireland, but the shape of any deal will depend on the kind of wider Brexit sought by May and the willingness of the rest of the EU to be flexible.
But she noted that there had been a common travel area with the Irish Republic since the 1920s.
“Alongside this, we should continue our efforts to strengthen the external borders of the common travel area; for example, through a common approach to the use of passenger data”, the PM said.
Finally, we talked about the peace process.
Turning to the peace process, Mrs May said: “It is in all our interests to work together to safeguard our national security and the outcome of the referendum will not undermine it”.
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Describing the meeting between himself and May as “very good”, he said that they had “we have agreed to work together to build on the continuing strength and closeness of the UK/Ireland relationship”.
