Irish Examiner view: Attitudes to Irish unity are changing

 Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald. inn Féin, in particular, would do well to reflect on whether a majority of people in the Republic want unity in the near future.

Two polls published this week on both sides of the border reveal some surprising attitudes to the prospect of a united Ireland or the breakup of the UK within the next few years. Both polls were held in the run-up to the 100th anniversary of the creation of Northern Ireland on May 3.

A majority of people in the Republic do not believe there will be a united Ireland within the next 10 years, according to a Red C poll. However, a majority of people on both sides of the border believe Northern Ireland will have left the UK within 25 years, either as a separate state or as part of a united Ireland. A poll commissioned by BBC Northern Ireland’s Spotlight programme reveals that only 40% of people in the North see the anniversary of its formation in 1921 as a cause for celebration. It also found that 49% of the North’s residents favour remaining a part of the UK, while 43% supported leaving. In the Republic, 51% favoured a united Ireland, with 27% backing the status quo.