Visits to Northern Ireland by Taoiseach and Tánaiste on 12 January

The Taoiseach is travelling to Belfast on Thursday for meetings with the leaders of all the main political parties, and with the Northern Ireland Brexit Business Working Group.

The Tánaiste is travelling to Hillsborough on the same day to meet with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. He will then travel to Armagh for a number of engagements, including a visit to the Secretariat of the North South Ministerial Council, the launch of a new Shared Island Civic Society Fund and a meeting with victims and survivors of Troubles-related violence.

These two visits happening on the same day is a clear sign of the government’s commitment to resolving the difficulties around the Protocol and helping ensure that the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement can once again operate effectively across all three strands.

The Taoiseach’s meetings will be an opportunity for him to engage at first hand with both political and business leaders on key political issues and on the Northern Ireland Protocol, and to stress the importance of making progress on an EU-UK agreement and restoration of the NI Executive.

The North South Ministerial Council, the core institution of Strand II, has not met in any of its configurations since November 2021. The Tánaiste’s visit to the Secretariat is a sign of support for those working there and a sign of the importance the government attaches to Strand II.

While in Armagh, the Tánaiste will launch a new Shared Island Civic Society Fund. The Fund is further confirmation of the government’s firm commitment to deepen support to civic society on an all-island basis and in support of the Good Friday Agreement.