Trump supports Irish reunification

During a Dublin meeting with Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Donald Trump said he wanted the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to unite. The comments came on a visit centred on the Irish Open at his golf course. The UK government maintained its position on a border poll.

• 1921Year Ireland’s partition began
• 1998Good Friday Agreement signed
• About 3,000Deaths during sectarian violence — Before the peace agreement

Q1

What would a border poll decide?

It would ask whether Northern Ireland should leave the United Kingdom and join the Republic of Ireland, subject to the agreement’s consent rules.

Q2

Why is this issue sensitive?

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement ended three decades of sectarian violence that killed about 3,000 people in Northern Ireland.

Q3

What is London’s position?

London says no referendum should be held until there is clear majority public support, and it cites the agreement’s consent threshold.

Q4

Why do presidential remarks matter?

The United States helped broker the Good Friday Agreement, giving Washington a long-standing role in the Northern Ireland peace process.