Abstract
This paper seeks to understand Brexit’s implications for current and future Irish reunification efforts by examining political science literature, survey data, and election outcomes. It assesses how constituent and political actors respond to resurfacing debates about border policy. Contentious withdrawal agreement legislation, as well as losing the economic benefits of EU membership, have caused anxiety amongst Northern Irish residents. The impact of this is demonstrated in survey results indicating increasing support for reunification, expressed frustrations by both nationalists and unionists with political representation, and political party Sinn Féin gaining significant ground in recent elections. The aforementioned factors indicate increasing openness to reunification. This paper finds a connection between the issues caused by Brexit and increasing support for reunification, providing an opening for future discussions on Irish reunification.
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Recommended Citation
Fernandez, Daisy S.
(2025)
"Breakdowns and Break-Ups? Brexit’s Implications for Irish Reunification,"
Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union:
Vol. 2025, Article 6.
Available at:
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/urceu/vol2025/iss1/6