A united Ireland would mean a new constitution

The most confusing point was: “The GAA still name their grounds and trophies after republican terrorists and hardly a mention from the Roman Catholic church in Ireland.”

Why should the Catholic church have to say anything about the GAA?

Should the Presbyterian Church in Ireland or Muslims also pass mention on this?

It is a silly point to make.

Lots of these types of scenarios can be thrashed out but as Alex Kane has pointed out, nobody knows what a united Ireland looks like.

When both nationalists and unionists speak of a united Ireland they speak in very abstract terms rather than stating exactly what is either attractive or repulsive about an all-Ireland state and what its structure will be.

If the current 26 counties state was extended to cover the 32 counties of Ireland, we would have an idea of what that all-Ireland state would look like.

That said, I don’t think that there is anyone who believes that would work.

What will be needed is a new constitution for Ireland with a federal structure, a new flag, a new anthem, strong provincial governments, perhaps even with Belfast as the capital city.

I think unionists would find it difficult to use the slogan “No to rule from Belfast”.

Personally, I think that lots of imagination can be used and the arrangement that exists in China where Hong Kong and Macau are Special Administrative Regions with their own governments and flags could be used in a federal Ireland.

A Special Administrative Region (SAR) for the British community in Ireland could be created under the auspices of a new Irish constitution.

Such a SAR could have its own flag and passports.

While the political structure of a united Ireland is unknown, the social elements of a united Ireland are clear. It means people living together and not having huge walls dividing them.

It means children going to school together. It means people playing the same sports together and not being distracted and divided by anthems or flags. It means removing the Angelus from RTÉ.

An all-Ireland state which still has a very divided society would definitely not be a united Ireland.

It is a point that many people do not think of. They only think of the political structure rather than the people.

Is mise,

Seanán Ó Coistín, Trier, Germany