TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has predicted that the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland will eventually form a unified single state – though he does not anticipate it happening in the near future.
Speaking at a question-and-answer session in Cleveland, where he is promoting investment in Ireland, Kenny said he believed a unification of the two countries would happen ‘one day’.
This would require a referendum to be approved in both countries, under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, and was not likely to happen in the near future.
Cleveland.com says he told guests: “The priority is keeping peace on the streets.”
The Taoiseach told the group that though Ireland’s economy was still stuttering, there were signs of an economic turnaround, with exports growing and the high-tech sector flourishing.
“We are moving steadily in the right direction,” the site quotes the Taoiseach as telling the City Club of Cleveland.
He warned, however: “We cannot be complacent about the challenges that lie ahead. It is a long and difficult road.”
Kenny also assured the audience that Ireland’s corporate tax rate of 12.5 per cent would not be changed, and that Ireland’s inflation was among the lowest in Europe.
The Taoiseach is today attending the Mayo Society of Greater Cleveland’s annual banquet, and returns to Ireland tomorrow.
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