MEP says endgame of partition nears

Claims SInn Féin are "on cusp" of leading governments both north and south

A local MEP has told crowds at a commemoration for the 1798 rebellion that we are entering the "endgame of partition".

Sinn Féin MEP for Midlands-Northwest Chris MacManus made the comments while addressing crowds gathered in Bodenstown to commemorate Theobald Wolftone.

His party has been pushing for a Citizens' Assembly on unity and Mary Lou McDonald has elsewhere suggested a border poll could be held within the next decade.

“This commemoration serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle for a new Ireland, a United Ireland, an Ireland that can be a place for all and is a testament of the unbreakable spirit, which is instilled in us as a people," said MacManus.

“This year marks the 225th anniversary of the 1798 Rebellion. It also marks the 100th anniversary since the ending of the counter-revolution that was the Civil War.

“One hundred years later, as we move onwards to that day of Irish Unity, we view an Ireland where Irish Republicanism is to the fore and Sinn Féin the largest political force across our island. Sinn Fein has 300 elected representatives throughout the 32 counties of Ireland who will be giving republican leadership each day of every week of every year."

MacManus concluded by stating that the new phase of the struggle represented the endgame of partition.

“As we enter a new phase of our cause, that of the endgame of partition, Sinn Féin are on the cusp of leading government north and south and we need now, for our activists to be ready to help us achieve and deliver that change."