This week seven leading Irish American Organizations placed an advert in the New York Times calling for an Taoiseach to convene a Citizens Assembly for Irish Unity. In the coming days the advert will also appear in the Washington Post, LA Times, San Jose Mercury News, the Sacramento Bee, Irish Voice, Irish Echo, Irish Examiner (USA) and Ohio Irish News.

Speaking in New York, Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald TD said:

“I welcome this initiative from seven leading Irish  American organisations, who are joining voices from across Ireland  calling for the convening of a Citizens Assembly on Irish Unity. Irish America has been central to the advancing of the peace process and the defense of the Good Friday Agreement, including in recent months as the Tories sought to undermine the Irish Protocol, something key to avoiding a hard border on the island.

“The reality is that change is already underway and we are in the endgame of partition.  The Good Friday Agreement sets out the process for the referenda, north and south, the only question is when will they take place.  Therefore it critical that real preparations begin now and just as we did in other referenda the starting point should be the convening of a Citizens Assembly.

“Over the coming days, politicians from across Ireland will be engaging widely with Irish America and the US Administration and I’m sure that this will be a major point of discussion.”

The signatories to the advert include the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, the James Connolly Labor Coalition, Friends of Sinn Féin USA, Brehon Law Societies of New York, Nassau and Suffolk County and the Irish American Unity Conference.