Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald sat down with us in her constituency office in north Dublin to talk Brexit, the EU and Irish unity. She explained her criticisms of the European project as a self-described “good European”, her ambitions to lead a government in Dublin, and what she thinks needs to happen ahead of a referendum on a united Ireland. Naomi discovers. This is the full cut of the interview partially featured in our finale of Season 2, ‘Nationalism’. Thank you so much for your support.
Listen here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/24261966
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Halfpints: Ireland’s Unionist Senator
The last Irish unionist politicians were elected in the 1920s… until now. With Brexit changing everything, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar invited Armagh native Ian Marshall to run as an independent candidate for Seanad Éireann. Marshall topped the poll, becoming the first northern unionist to be elected to the Irish parliament. His candidacy was supported by the nationalist party Sinn Féin to boot. In this interview Marshall explains his staunch opposition to Brexit, what life was like for his Protestant farming family in South Armagh during the conflict in Northern Ireland, and how he feels about a potential future referendum on Irish unity.
Marshall was featured briefly on the Season 2 episode ‘Irish Politics and the Civil War’. You can listen to the full interview now on Patreon: exclusive extra content we produce to thank our patrons.
Listen here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/22855237