Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an deis labhairt i bhfabhar Éire aontaithe. I believe passionately in Irish unity. It is the reason I got involved in politics. The partition of our country was a historic injustice and we have an obligation to undo that injustice. What gives me hope is the huge excitement I see all over the island at the prospect of unity. That excitement is particularly shared by younger people because they know they have the opportunity in this generation to make a united Ireland a reality. Therefore, this is a time of hope, optimism, opportunity and possibility. It is a huge transformational opportunity that very few generations in very few countries in the world have an opportunity to seize. It is an opportunity to create a brand-new, better, fairer country and to end a historic injustice, namely the partition that has divided our country and communities.

All that hope and optimism stands in stark contrast with a Taoiseach, a Fianna Fáil leader, who has decided to put himself between the hopes and aspirations of the Irish people to make it a reality. Thirty years on from the Good Friday Agreement and well over a century on from partition, Micheál Martin says it is too soon to talk about Irish unity. That is not acceptable. It is out of kilter with the wishes of the Irish people. This will not be accepted by Sinn Féin. It should not be accepted by the Members of this House, but I know for sure that it will not be accepted by the people of Ireland who know we have a destiny. That destiny is to be the best nation we can possibly be.

To reach our maximum potential we need to undo one of the big barriers to doing so, the partition of our country, which has been a drain on so much of our potential for so long. We now need a Government with backbone, but, more importantly, one that reflects the ambition of our young people. That ambition is seen in our cultural, sports and music spaces, where young people are loudly and proudly declaring they want to see a united Ireland in their lifetimes. This House has a responsibility, first, to endorse this Sinn Féin motion and second, to work together and not let anyone block the march of this country any longer - not those who want to revert us to the past, not those who want to blinker themselves and certainly not a Taoiseach who seems to want at all odds to block the potential of the Irish nation. Better men than Micheál Martin have tried in the past. All have failed.

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