Keynote address by Taoiseach Micheál Martin: A new phase of the Shared Island Initiative

4th Shared Island Forum, Dublin Castle, 10 April 2025

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I am very glad to be here with you all this morning for the 4th Shared Island Forum.

Our gathering today reflects the diversity of civic, community and political traditions from every part of this island.

Attendance here and online also reflects our close relationships with the United Kingdom and across our European Union, with the United States and Ireland’s partnerships and diaspora around the world.

We meet here at St. Patrick’s Hall, Dublin Castle, which resonates with centuries of the political and social history of this island; and a place that has hosted some of the pivotal moments of modernisation, progress and change in Ireland over recent decades.

These histories are part of our evolving national story; a story which was transformed for the better in May 1998 when the people of Ireland, in historic referendums North and South, overwhelmingly endorsed the Good Friday Agreement.

An accord that was reached, this day 27 years ago, through the determination to achieve peace by a generation of political leaders in Northern Ireland, and through a strong partnership of successive Irish and British Governments - an Irish-British partnership which I am pleased to say is today warm and warming, strong and strengthening.

The Good Friday Agreement provides the indispensable framework for political relationships on this island and across these islands and for deciding on constitutional questions.

Crucially also, it affirms a mission for us all - in politics, civil society and in our communities - to “strive in every practical way towards reconciliation” of the different traditions of this island.

Is é misean agus aistear an athmhuintearais a ndéanaimid machnamh air ag fóram an lae inniu, agus atá i gcroílár Thionscnamh an Oileáin Comhroinnte.

It is that mission of reconciliation which is at the heart of the government’s Shared Island Initiative and of this Forum today.

I established and announced the Shared Island Initiative some four years ago - in this same hall, but to an empty room and an on-line audience during the COVID pandemic.

Commencing then a new, whole-of-government policy:

• to put a sustained, strategic focus on the future of the whole island and how we build a reconciled future together
• to ensure that, however the people may decide the island is constituted, it is the peaceful, thriving, contented home place that we all want it to be now at this time, and for our children and grandchildren
• and, to overcome the barriers to trust and understanding that endure, as communities recover from the terrible legacy of the Troubles

I said in announcing the Shared Island initiative, and I say again today, that achieving a more reconciled future, involves challenging questions for us all.

Like, how, in real terms, we can be more accommodating of our different identities and traditions across this island - Irish, British, both, or neither?

And, how we build up consensus on the future in ways that engage and have the trust of all, recognising our different, equally legitimate aspirations for the constitutional future, without being dominated or defined solely by these, when so much else unites us.

The fact remains that societal reconciliation is difficult and takes time.

Adequate mechanisms for justice and truth are still sought and must be achieved to meet the legitimate expectations of victims’ families and as a fundamental step in wider societal healing.

I welcome the fresh consideration which Prime Minister Starmer and Secretary of State Hilary Benn are giving to these issues currently; and can affirm that the Government of Ireland stands ready to consider any approach which can move these issues forward in a comprehensive and significant way across these islands.

A reconciliation of our traditions needs all of us to be willing to look and think anew and to go the extra mile - to build new bonds and more trust and confidence across our communities.

The Good Friday Agreement provides the agreed democratic framework, and the values and commitments we need to do that.

Through the Shared Island Initiative over the last four years, we have sought to sustain an inclusive, open, ambitious focus on building a shared future with all communities and political traditions on this island.

We have sought to show what some pathways to reconciliation can look like.

The Government of Ireland through the Shared Island Fund, has delivered a step change in all-island investment and cooperation, allocating more than €500 million by the end of last year:

The government also agreed a series of major new cooperation programmes with the power-sharing Executive:

Working together on how we raise educational attainment in deprived communities - which is fundamental in addressing the educational needs of children in disadvantaged situations both North and South.

And, our tourism, enterprise and environmental conservation agencies through the North South Ministerial Council and the North South Bodies are now working together in more strategic, impactful ways, benefitting both parts of the island and developing how we work together.

In 2020, I put a priority on getting existing cross-border commitments resourced and moving forward - the Narrow Water Bridge, Ulster Canal, investment at Ulster University in Derry and a North South Research Programme for Universities across the island. All are now underway.

And the government has committed €600 million to the A5 upgrade to enable a safer, long-overdue road connection for the North-West.

We are now supporting an hourly-frequency rail service between Dublin and Belfast, to multiply economic and social connectivity, with a 50% increase in passenger numbers already seen.

With total funding of some €100 million to date, there are now all-island cooperation programmes for universities and research institutions; local authorities; civil society organisations; in the arts; on community climate action; and, as part of the Creative Ireland programme.

People from all places, generations and backgrounds collaborating in new ways on common concerns, both North and South and with partners in Great Britain.

Working for instance on cancer research; palliative care; growing female-led enterprise; building new island-wide professional networks; and, making our sports clubs more energy sustainable - to name just a few of the impactful projects underway.

Each one is helping to create a better home place on this island for all.

My department’s Shared Island Unit is progressing a wide-ranging research programme, with the Economic and Social Research Institute and other partners, to provide a better evidence base and analysis of the whole island in economic, social, cultural and political terms.

And over 4,000 representatives across all communities have contributed to the Shared Island dialogue series so far. In a range of formats, convened both by Government and by civil society. Many of you are here today.

You are all part of an unprecedented, island-wide civic deliberation; on how we build new relationships, challenge our own pre-conceptions, and take action to build a shared future.

For instance, the Shared Island Youth Forum, a diverse group of 80 young people deliberated over the course of a year and last September published an inspiring statement of their vision and values for the future of this island.

The Youth Forum’s vision has and will continue to inform how Government develops the Shared Island Initiative.

The Youth Forum’s values for how we shape our island’s future are also inspiring. Including their focus on values of compassion; altruism; empathy; creativity; curiosity and open-mindedness.

These values brilliantly complement the principles of the Good Friday Agreement and can guide how we pursue the goal of reconciliation in politics and in our communities in the years ahead.

I was also impressed by the ‘Birds of a Feather’ Creative Ireland project which has brought women together from Ballinasloe, Belfast, Ennis and Inishbofin, with a common interest in craftwork.

Some of them had never crossed the border before.

One contributor on the project spoke of “fears and barriers reducing” and of being “fascinated how people can build relationships while they’re busy doing other things.”

That is absolutely the case and those kinds of relationships are built every day in countless ways across this island - through Shared Island programmes and indeed well beyond - with people going the extra mile and recognising that we can give and gain so much more when we work collectively across our different communities, traditions and places.

We build a reconciled future not just with good intentions or slogans but in coming and working together in every practical way.

We can be confident but in no way complacent about the task still ahead.

We need to foster connections in every domain, bring down barriers and fears, and support new shared endeavours that will involve and benefit every town and community on this island.

Our new Programme for Government is clear on our commitment to the unity of the Irish people and our conviction that this can only be our sustained focus on and investment in reconciliation.

Adding to the €1 billion already in place, we are now providing an additional €1 billion out to 2035 to foster reconciliation, mutual respect and growth.

Through the Shared Island Fund and other sources, we will deliver the largest ever programme of North/South investment and research, open new links and build further engagement and understanding.

Already this year, the government has allocated over €50 million from the Fund to move forward with new, multi-year Shared Island programmes:

- On sustainable tourism, now that the Narrow Water Bridge is under construction to be a lynchpin for active travel and recreation, we are providing €6 million for agencies and local authorities to harness the opportunities this will bring for Carlingford Lough and the wider region.

We are providing the same level of funding for amenity development and promotion of the Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark in Cavan and Fermanagh and the Sliabh Beagh area of Monaghan, Fermanagh and Tyrone.

More people from home and abroad will visit these spectacular destinations along the border, where local partnership is at the heart of their tourism offering.

-The government has also provided €10 million for new nature restoration schemes, delivered by communities North and South with environmental conservation agencies, to protect our island’s unique biodiversity in a joined-up, cooperative way.

- We have increased the Shared Island Civic Society Fund to €6 million to support new and more strategic civic partnerships across the island in the years ahead, building on more than 100 projects started so far.

- And, with a total commitment of €20 million, we are funding a series of new cooperative programmes on arts and cultural heritage over the next five years, to deepen exchange and understanding.

Enabling more island-wide productions, tours and exhibitions across all arts and cultural spheres and in the screen sector, where the island has world-class capacity and talent.

Complementing this, as part of the new Ireland-UK 2030 partnership, Prime Minister Starmer and I, as part of our Summit just last month, agreed to a new strategic cultural partnership, for institutions and audiences to engage more with the culture and heritage of both our countries.

Over the next five years, we will support a flourishing of arts and cultural exchange across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

This is only the beginning of what we will achieve through an expanded Shared Island Initiative in the time ahead.

Our strengthened partnership with the UK Government and positive engagement with the Executive and through the North South Ministerial Council provides the most promising context we have had for years for harnessing what North/South and East/West partnership can deliver.

This is an exciting, essential opportunity to develop each of the complementary and interconnecting relationships of our Good Friday Agreement - through our shared political institutions and across society.

We have set out in the Programme for Government a broad, ambitious agenda to achieve that goal.

With specific commitments like establishing new air connectivity between Derry and Dublin, and enhancing supports for cross-border media reporting, which Ministers are now progressing.

To drive and systematise this work, the government has introduced targets for all departments to bring forward new investment cooperation proposals, working with counterparts in Belfast and London.

On healthcare, we want to build up island-wide provision of specialist services, following on from the successful model on paediatric cardiac care in Dublin.

The all-island economy is growing in size and sophistication. Enterprise agencies, North and South are now working together more substantively on supporting female entrepreneurship, clustering and green investment by firms.

We will build on this, including with more collaboration on start-ups, innovation, trade promotion and foreign direct investment.

The government will also put a focus on developing the all-island skills agenda, including on construction and infrastructure, and seek to harness the full benefits of the island-wide labour market, working with the Executive and through the Labour Employer Economic Forum.

Our Ireland-UK 2030 partnership also includes a focus on infrastructure and on energy, recognising that all the jurisdictions on these two islands, working together, can be at the forefront of the clean energy transition.

We will pursue coordinated strategic investment in offshore wind energy and support an all-island supply chain to better harness the huge potential of the sector.

We will continue the hugely successful North South Research Programme to deepen university and research cooperation across the island, with a further round of awards to be made by the Higher Education Authority in the coming months, supported through the Shared Island Fund.

And, we will seek to build on the excellent Co-Centres programme, supported by Taighde Éireann with Northern Ireland and UK partners with a focus on environmental sustainability, and back more world-leading collaboration and innovation by research institutions and industry, to develop new ways forward on shared challenges and opportunities.

We also look forward to joint hosting with the United Kingdom of the Euro2028 Football Championship and T20 Cricket World Cup; we will explore other co-hosting opportunities in men’s and women’s sports; and, work to see the redevelopment of the GAA’s Casement Park stadium in Belfast, where our €50 million funding commitment remains.

With new Programmes for Government now in place both North and South, there are a wide range of other areas where the government’s and Executive’s priorities align.

I look forward to working with the First and deputy First Minister and the Executive as a whole to agree new cooperation that will help to address common challenges and needs for the island.

Including on ending gender-based violence; strengthening emergency management across this island; and introducing a green hydrogen refuelling corridor on the Dublin to Belfast route.

Later this month, I will launch a new stage of my department’s joint research programme with the Economic and Social Research Institute, to inform strategic policy considerations for both jurisdictions on the island across all policy areas.

I welcome that the Central Statistics Office will develop a new North-South statistical series and publication to provide comparable data on social and economic measures across both jurisdictions.

The government will also work with Local Authority partnerships in border regions and across the island to design, develop and advance new projects. So that at every level and in all places, we are sharing experience and building strong relationship, programmes and investments, to reach a new level of cooperation and understanding across this island.

A deeper appreciation of how different traditions and heritages have shaped every townland on this island - with differences only in degree or emphasis - is a fundamental part of reconciliation, and I would like to say a few concluding words on this.

We will only truly understand our different points of view on this island by valuing local communities in all their make up and ways of life - across sport, music, arts and culture, language, heritage and tradition.

These are intrinsic ways in which we all find and express belonging and meaning; pride and hope - in our own lives, and in our community and place in the world.

Irishness - in all its variety - does not stop at the border, neither does Britishness - in all of its. Nor is there a county on this island that has not been shaped by both, and more besides.

I believe there is a growing confidence, capacity and desire to give more space to our different traditions and viewpoints; and to recognise our connected heritage.

And, of course, arts and culture are mirrors through which we - artist and audience both - represent, reflect, and even reimagine who we are.

We need to multiply the moments of interaction and exchange in all cultural and community domains, across our communities and borders.

That is why we are initiating the Shared Island and East-West cultural cooperation programmes this year.

This will create a wealth of new opportunities for artistic and cultural collaboration and experiences; building on the broad and deep connections and exchanges we already enjoy.

This is a crucial part of the journey of reconciliation we can and must make in the time ahead.

And, today, I am announcing a new dimension to the Shared Island Initiative.

A ‘Shared Home Place’ story-telling programme for communities to engage with the past and contemporary heritage of our home places.

A Shared Home Place borrows from my late friend Seamus Mallon’s words and his endeavour to deepen a shared connection to place and to community.

This participative, community initiative will be open to people across every town on this island; to build new connections and consensus on our place-based heritage.

It will engage also with Irish communities in Britain and further afield, and with the contributions of Irish, Anglo-Irish and Ulster-Scots traditions across the island of Ireland - recognising how these are an integral part of the heritage of every county today and crucial to how we approach and build our future.

And, the Home Place series will recognise and include the greater ethnic and cultural diversity of the island now, which is a source of richness and strength in society.

As writer Lucy Caldwell said in a Shared Island Future Takes interview last year, we should “give credence to all versions of the Irish story…even and especially when they don’t accord with our own”.

This engagement will take learnings and inspiration from the Decade of Centenaries through which we sought and found new ways to understand and acknowledge who we were at a pivotal time in the history of this island.

The focus of Home Place is on our communities today, their inherent wealth of heritage and on the sometimes-forgotten connections that unite communities across the island.

Now we take the next profound steps in reconciling how we look to and build our shared future, across all communities and different traditions, and however the island may be constituted.

We will consult widely in the months ahead and commence the Home Place engagement later this year, as part of the next phase of our expanded Shared Island Initiative.

Eavan Boland in her poem ‘Mother Ireland’ wrote “now I could tell my story, it was different from the story told about me.”

As we recount and rediscover our home place stories to and with each other, they may well be different in some respects from what was told about or to us previously.

If we really listen and truly engage, I am sure that we will find that they can be all the richer for that.

And help inspire how we forge our way ahead, together, on this our shared island of Ireland.

Go raibh mile maith agaibh.