A chara, – Both Conor McCann and Cal Hyland make excellent points that there should be significant representation for Irish citizens living in the North and abroad in the Oireachtas (October 26th).
Indeed in a brief I recently submitted to the Constitutional Convention, I recommended that the Seanad should be reconfigured to represent the following constituencies: Irish citizens living within the island of Ireland who are not residents of the State, Irish citizens living elsewhere within the European Union, and Irish citizens living elsewhere in the world. I pointed out that because Seanad Éireann cannot overrule Dáil Éireann, it is an appropriate place for Irish citizens living beyond the borders of the State to have input into legislation.
I noted that some other EU countries offer non-resident citizens token parliamentary representation. Ireland could become the first country to provide focused and meaningful participation for its citizens worldwide. – Is mise,