Mr. Richard Neal:

The Senator referred to geography and I know it was also referenced earlier. In an RTÉ interview I pointed out that while travelling from Donegal to Derry with Tom Foley, the then Speaker of the House, whose family came from Ireland through Boston on their way to the west coast of America, our bus was stopped and searched by British soldiers with night vision gear and heavy armaments. They went up and down the bus. On a later visit with Speaker Pelosi, my phone pinged when I crossed the Border. That is the example the Senator has highlighted. He is onto a very important and prescient point, namely, that we must convince people in the unionist tradition in the North that their identity will always be protected, including in any decision that would be rendered by people across the island as it relates to the future. A significant amount of remarkable work has already taken place. I think the goodwill that has been exhibited by Members of the Senate is convincing unionists through a reasoned discussion that their tradition and history will be acknowledged.

Members of the committee should know that we tried very hard to do that. I know that unionists were probably suspicious of my intentions when I came to Ireland as part of the delegation and met with them, but I pointed out that Thomas Jefferson, the founder of my political party, was at least a nominal Episcopalian, while Andrew Jackson, who perhaps cemented the tradition of the Democratic Party in America, was another individual who did not share my religious background. In time, a growing economy can convince people that the concept of unity without uniformity, which we embrace in America, can triumph. I was very careful through the years to point out that we would never be able to cajole the unionist tradition through a harsh campaign of violence. That would not work.

Now, there is a new day. I refer to the Irish economy, the resilience of people in the Republic and what the State has done in the aftermath of the very difficult years that followed the banking crisis that affected the world. That conversation should ensue. Making sure that a hard border would not be resurrected would be a major part of that conversation. I thank the Senator for his very helpful contribution.