Minister for Justice Michael McDowell's vision of a reconciled Ireland was dismissed today by a DUP Assembly member as an unhelpful and unrealistic "dream".
Democratic Unionist Assembly member Peter Weir accused Mr McDowell of being out of touch after he claimed at the Patrick MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Co Donegal yesterday that Northern Ireland and the Republic could become political partners on a reconciled island very soon.
DUP MLA Peter Weir
The minister also predicted sectarian tensions between Catholics and Protestants would dissipate and people north and south would become valuable citizens of the enlarged European Union.
Mr McDowell told the summer school: "In concrete terms, I see Ireland rapidly becoming a successful, self-confident member of a partnership-based EU.
"I believe that the great project of reconciling Orange and Green will succeed, and that both parts of Ireland will become partners in a common political enterprise.
"I believe that a much more diverse, heterogeneous sense of Irishness will replace the narrow official self-image of monochrome Catholic, nationalist Ireland which characterised the Republic in the 20th century.
"I envisage Ireland as an island with seven or eight million inhabitants," he added.
Several politicians, academics and church leaders have addressed the week-long lecture series which celebrates the life of Donegal writer Patrick MacGill, who died in 1963.
Sinn Fein chief negotiator Martin McGuinness, SDLP leader Mark Durkan, Ulster
Mr Weir said tonight while Mr McDowell was entitled to outline his political aspirations in his speech, they were "out of touch with reality.
"Election after election in Northern Ireland has proven beyond all doubt that the people of the Province want to remain as citizens of the United Kingdom," the North Down Assembly member said. "A clear majority support the maintenance of the Union between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
"Census statistics support the argument that there is no realistic likelihood of Irish unity.
"I would not wish to deny Mr McDowell or any Irish nationalist their dreams but dreams are all they are.
"Mr McDowell and others would be far better off working to build a better relationship between our two sovereign states instead of wasting time building up the hopes of nationalists about something that will never happen."
Unionist chief negotiator Alan McFarland and DUP chairman Maurice Morrow will take part in a debate at the summer school tomorrow on the peace process.