Presidential election candidate Catherine Connolly has said she would “of course” want to see a united Ireland during her term in office and would “use her voice” to achieve it.
But the Independent TD said she also recognised that Irish unity would be guided by political decision making.
Speaking to reporters outside Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich on the Falls Road in Belfast on Thursday, Ms Connolly rejected suggestions that her visit was a waste of time given that people in the North have no vote in the upcoming poll.
“Wasting my time? Absolutely the opposite. I have always felt that we have cut off a limb of our body in having Northern Ireland cut off from us,” she said.
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“I have spoken more than once on the importance of giving the vote to the Northern Irish people, in this election in particular ... unfortunately that is not going to happen for this election.”
Expressing her support for Irish unity, she said it was “difficult to put a time limit” on a Border poll.
Any move towards a united Ireland would “have to be a process” and could only be done by the “the consent of the majority of people” as “enshrined in our Constitution”.
“It will be gradual, it is a building of trust for a united Ireland where we value everyone,” Ms Connolly told reporters.
“Of course I would like to see it in my term as president, but whether that will happen will be a political decision.
“But I will use my voice in every way possible for that vision to be a reality.”
Asked if she was “courting” Sinn Féin, which has yet to nominate a candidate, Ms Connelly said she disliked the word.
“I look forward to support from every single side. I look upon myself as a uniting candidate, somebody that can draw people together and unite on the basic issues that are important to us.”
Ms Connolly said her decision to enter the presidential race was based on the “enormous amount of messages” of support she received and “ignored for too long”.
“It wasn’t in my ambit,” she added.
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Following the press conference, she met representatives from the Irish language sector and the campaign group Mothers Against Genocide.
Ms Connolly also visited Irish language medium schools in west Belfast during her campaign trip.
Gary Murphy, professor of politics in Dublin City University, described her decision to travel North as a strategic one to “get Sinn Féin to support her”.
“She would have a decent chance of getting a good vote if Sinn Féin rolled in behind her. If it doesn’t and nominates its own candidate, she has no chance whatsoever,” he said.
Visiting a republican voting stronghold “makes sense”, according to the academic, in that Ms Connolly has “never really been associated with Irish unity in any way and has no record of being vocal on that”.
“A cynic might say, ‘What is she doing up on the Falls Road when she should be in west Cork?’,” Prof Murphy added.
“The optics are quite extraordinary, that a candidate would go up to a Sinn Féin heartland and make a statement, take a few questions, in a place, to be frank about it, where there are no votes.
“I can only think it is, whether subliminal or not, an effort to show Sinn Féin voters that she would be friendly to the idea of pushing for a united Ireland.”
