Description
The Purpose of this paper is to examine North-South Irish political relations between 2017 and 2019. Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have closely integrated economies, transport systems and politics. The two governments cooperate on a wide range of policy areas both formally and informally. This paper seeks to understand the effects of Brexit on political attitudes towards cooperation across the Irish border. It further seeks to investigate whether other obstacles exist and to what extent they influenced relations between Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland politicians from ruling parties (Fine Gael, Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Parties) primarily. I will explore whether Brexit acted as a turning point. Drawing upon newly conducted interviews with politicians and other sources, this paper highlights the importance of politicians and political parties in cross-border institutions. This paper reflects upon the peace process and the spill-over effects of outside interferences on it, such as Brexit, and by extension the European Union’s influence. It particularly highlights how the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) was by far the largest obstacle to the functioning of cross-border institutions in recent years. This paper looks beyond the largely researched effects of Brexit on the region through considering the role politicians and political attitudes North and South of the Irish border have had on cross-border institutions and political relations.
