The Taoiseach is expected to hail a “new era” in British-Irish relations in a speech in Derry on Monday.
Simon Harris is due to undertake a number of engagements in what will be his first visit to the city as Taoiseach.
In a trip focusing on North-South links, Mr Harris is due to meet political, civic and community leaders – including the mayor of Derry, Lilian Seenoi-Barr – and announce a branding collaboration between the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route, which runs along the Derry and Antrim coast.
He will also visit the site of a new teaching and student services building under development at Ulster University’s Magee campus in Derry as a result of the Government’s Shared Island funding and deliver the John Hume and Thomas P O’Neill Chair in Peace lecture at the university.
In his speech, the Taoiseach is expected to focus on the “new energy” in North-South and east-west relationships and emphasise his commitment to seeing the Belfast Agreement implemented “to its full potential”.
He will praise the impact of recent meetings with the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, which have set in motion a “much-needed reset of relations” between the two governments, and the restoration of the Northern political institutions and the relationship between the North’s First and Deputy First Ministers, Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly, which have “injected fresh energy into politics ... and opened new possibilities for North-South co-operation”.
Mr Harris is due to emphasise the “renewed momentum in cross-Border collaboration” and the Government’s commitment to investing in the North’s future through the Shared Island fund.
“Today, we are restoring a genuine sense of partnership, ensuring that together we address the critical issues that underpin lasting peace, progress and reconciliation,” the Taoiseach is expected to say.
“The Irish Government is fully committed to strengthening relationships across all political traditions on this island, and to rebuilding trust where it has been eroded.”
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