Sir, – Fintan O'Toole's article "Neighbours – Ireland and Britain" (Weekend Review, September 10th) captures the complexity of relationships in these islands, and how they have evolved quite differently from the narrow nationalist vision of the founding fathers, as a result of economic and cultural developments in Britain, the United States and Europe.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny in his speech to a British-Irish conference in Oxford recently argued that the proposition of a united Ireland must be considered in a post-Brexit EU. He assumes a common desire for continued EU membership as its driver and is therefore precariously balancing the ideals of Irish unity and EU membership on the single pinhead of Brexit. He would do well to consider Fintan O’Toole’s article, the complex history of the Ireland-Britain relationship, unforeseen circumstances, and that this country has yet to follow a narrow political blueprint. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL GANNON,
Dublin 14.
Sir, – Kevin Ryan portrays nationhood and sovereignty as outmoded relics of a bygone age (September 12th). Except his theory falls apart when one considers there are more independent sovereign countries in the world today than there have ever been, with the greatest glut arriving in the past 30 years following the collapse of the Soviet Union. In addition, there are a large number of independence movements around the globe – from Scotland and Catalonia, to Kurdistan and Balochistan – all attempting to establish their own version of sovereignty and nationhood. Indeed the most visible demonstration of this increasing desire for sovereignty was the recent EU referendum in the UK. Who is to say if referendums were conducted in other EU states that similar results would not occur? – Yours, etc,
CIAN CARLIN,
London.