An independent Northern Ireland?

Sir, – Brett Templeton's proposal (April 28th) for an independent Northern Ireland, as an alternative option to a shotgun Irish reunification, merits consideration. Post-Brexit, the Northern Irish should be allowed a referendum on independence first and not be stampeded into a union with the Republic. This would allow Northern Ireland to rejoin the EU. There is already a clear growing sense of Northern Irish identity, as shown in the 2015 census, with 20 per cent declaring as Northern Irish, as distinct from British (40 per cent) or Irish (25 per cent). Post-Brexit, should Scotland break from the UK, there is also my proposal of a 12-million-strong Tri-Celtic Union, of three independent states, between Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic. – Yours, etc,

DORCHA LEE,

Navan, Co Meath.