Taoiseach announces further €1bn for Shared Island Fund

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

A further €1 billion has been added to the Shared Island Fund as Taoiseach Micheál Martin pledged to “bring down barriers and fears”, and boost cross-border initiatives.

The Taoiseach told the fourth Shared Island Forum on Thursday that Anglo-Irish relations were “warm and warming, strong and strengthening”.

He said societal reconciliation “is difficult and takes time”, and welcomed the “fresh consideration” given to the topic by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Northern Ireland Secretary Hillary Benn.

Speaking at St Patrick’s Hall at Dublin Castle, he said the venue “resonates with centuries” of history on the island and the “evolving national story”.

He announced a “Shared Home Place” story-telling initiative of the Shared Island Forum that would be launched later this year.

Mr Martin said it would be to document the past and contemporary heritage of our home places, adding “it will be revealing … the point is we stereotype too much”.

He said he had one uncle who was “a lifelong” member of the Labour Party and another who lived in India who was “a lifelong communist”.

“My father was a member of the Fianna Fáil party, I mean, you couldn’t make it up.”

Mr Martin said he looked forward to co-hosting the Euro Football Championship in 2028 and the T20 Cricket World Cup with the United Kingdom; and will continue to work towards the redevelopment of Casement Park in Belfast.

He said the Dublin government would work with First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly on ending gender-based violence; strengthening emergency management across the island; and introducing a green hydrogen refuelling corridor on the Dublin to Belfast route.