Mr. Samuel Beckton:

Dia daoibh go léir. The decade of centenaries in Ireland has been an important period in our lives as historians. It has been a time of cultural reflection and of historical events that need to be reviewed. There have been commemorations for the Ulster Covenant, the First World War, the Easter Rising, the 1918 general election and, last year, the establishment of Northern Ireland. However, there have been some centenaries that have gone or will go unnoticed. In 2020, it was marked how more than 100 years ago the Protestant associations of Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan were established. Originally they derived from the former unionist associations. Once they knew their counties would not be allocated to Northern Ireland, they refocused themselves from unionist interests to protecting Protestant interests. In 1920 they were defensive organisations to bring local Protestant militias together to protect themselves from IRA and bandit raids. Following the War of Independence, protecting Protestant interests took on a new meaning as these associations wanted to give their communities a voice in the Irish Free State. Next year will mark the centenary of when these associations, for the first time, stood a candidate in the 1923 general election. These associations would continue standing candidates for general elections until 1961, and up to 2004 for local elections. This was well into the 21st century and spanned four generations of the Protestant community being involved in these associations. The last Protestant association meeting that was ever held was in Clones in 2016, the same year this capital was the centre of the commemorations for the Easter Rising.

The Northern Irish census, as many have put it, has recently announced a Catholic majority for the first time in centuries in Northern Ireland. Combined with the recent historic electoral victory for Sinn Féin in Stormont, there are many who have the view that a Border poll will occur soon. Even if a united Ireland was to happen, Dublin must realise that the unionist community will not simply disappear. It will evolve and its unique sense of a cultural and political identity and attitude may be present in another 100 years even, just as the Ulster unionists in the Border counties had done. When learning of the experiences of these Protestant associations, the same mistakes may not be repeated. The Newtowncunningham Community Outreach Project recommends and implores this committee that a federal constitution must be established in the event of a united Ireland to allow the people of Northern Ireland limited self-governance to allow all local voices to be heard: unionist; Northern Irish nationalist; and other. The right of dual identity and citizenship should be maintained and widened across Ireland. Article 8 of the Constitution should be amended to allow Ulster Scots to be recognised as the third language of Ireland following Irish and English respectively.

Though it is not our constitutional recommendation, I agree with Seamus that joining the commonwealth of nations would be a good conciliation to unionists in the North. Ulster unionists would have to evolve, whether they like it or not, in the event of a united Ireland but in what manner depends on the grievances they have. Trying to remove their voice, as some in the Border counties believe has happened to Protestant associations, would just lead to hardship, unrest and an inevitable failure to create a truly united tricolour nation. If so, a future centenary on unification will come in 100 years' time but will not be fully commemorated by all in Ireland as it will bring up uncomfortable memories, old grievances and dig up old wounds and questions that many would like to keep buried and forgotten, just like the centenary of the Irish Civil War this year.