Ever since I was a little child I have held Ireland in high esteem. It has been the one place in the world that has held my attention and affection regardless of how the world around me changed. When it came time for me to do a report on a European country in ninth grade Geography I jumped to study Ireland. When it came time to start looking at study abroad programs for college my only answer was Ireland. My Irish-American heritage is one of my defining factors. As such, I have and forever will feel connected to the Emerald Isle, and cannot wait until I have the opportunity to stand on the island and say, "Tá mé abhaile.”
As much as I look forward to Ireland, I grew up in a family that believed that Ireland was a nation split between two countries, and that one day we would see a unified Ireland. I still hope for this to happen, to see a united flag fly over the entirety of the island.
With the recent referendum vote in the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, the embers of Irish Reunification have started to kindle larger flames.
I do not see Brexit as an overall good thing in the grand scheme of British politics: the UK must remain a crucial trading and diplomatic partner to the rest of Europe, regardless of if it is part of the EU. The UK cannot claim to be an isolated island and a world leader at the same time. Also, as the pound and global stock markets tumble, the world economy must quickly adapt and change to meet the demands of a UK that is not part of the European Single Market. However, the new Britain work, and no matter what happens I am rooting for a reunified Ireland.
Ireland is one nation with similar cultures, history, and language on both sides of the border. True, there are major differences that still split the North and the Republic, that need to be openly and honestly investigated and questioned. However, the differences are not the same as they were one hundred years ago when violence broke out at the 1916 Easter Rising. They are not the same as they were even in the late 90s.
Now that people in the North refer to themselves as Irish, not all but many, a reunification process seems possible. What makes it the most plausible is the Brexit vote. The majority voted to leave the EU, but the Northern Ireland majority voted to remain. Northern Ireland sees itself as better when a part of the EU, and I hope they can start to see themselves as better a part of Ireland as well.
Ireland is home to 6.4 million people and an ancestral homeland to 80 million people across the world. Ireland was a unified nation-state before, and now it has the chance to be one again. I pray that all my visits to my homeland will be to one land.
