Ireland’s prime minister has warned that avoiding a post-Brexit “hard border” is now vital for the republic’s national interest.



Enda Kenny said Ireland would fight against any attempt to create a fortified frontier once the British government triggers article 50 for the UK to leave the European Union.



In a speech on Wednesday evening at the Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin, Kenny said the country had “no choice” but to prevent any hardened border caused by Brexit. He added that Brexit posed a major threat to Ireland’s economic prosperity.

Kenny said: “The Irish government will oppose a hard border, argue for free movement on this island, seek EU funding for cross-border projects and protect the rights of EU citizens, whether from North or South. But this requires the support of all strands of opinion if we are to succeed.



“We have no choice but to work together, North and South, all of us. That said, let me be absolutely clear on one point. It is a matter of vital national interest for Ireland that we do not return to the days of a hard border that we knew only too well. Or indeed create a new one in the future.”

Kenny stressed the importance the EU has played in shoring up the peace process in Northern Ireland, with billions of euros pumped into community and infrastructure projects in the region, as well as the encouragement of the free movement of people.



“The European Union has always been about removing barriers, about bringing people together in peace and prosperity. The treaty of Rome, which we will celebrate on its 60th anniversary next month, is one of the greatest peace agreements in history. Without it, there could have been no Good Friday Agreement,” he said.

He added: “So, I am in absolutely no doubt that the European Union, which has done so much to support reconciliation on this island, will defend the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement. I am confident that the European Union will not bring us back to a border of division.”



On Friday, Kenny and his foreign minister Charlie Flanagan will host a conference at Dublin Castle on the impact of Brexit.

