Irish senator Frances Black surveyed the crowd. “What a buzz!” she exclaimed to the 5,000 people packing the concert hall in Dublin. Topping the bill was not Beyoncé, Roger Waters or Bob Dylan — past stars of the 3Arena — but local actors and politicians. The sellout show? A “conversation” about Irish reunification.
Organised by Ireland’s Future, a three-year-old advocacy group chaired by Black, the aim of this month’s event was to spur debate and build support for a “new and united Ireland”, a century after it was divided into a 26-county republic and the six-county British-run Northern Ireland.
With more events planned, talk of unity on the island of 7mn is gathering momentum, spurred by Brexit, changing demographics and the pro-unity Sinn Féin surge to become the biggest party on both sides of the border.