THE MAJORITY OF Irish people would like to see a united Ireland in their lifetime, a new poll has shown.

Last night’s poll for Claire Byrne Live on RTÉ 1, which was carried out by Amárach Research, revealed that 63% of people want to see a united Ireland before they die.

Just 18% of people said they would not like to see Irish unity happen, while 19% said they didn’t know.

There has been increasing speculation that the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union on 29 March could lead to the unification of the Republic and Northern Ireland.

However, most people who responded to the poll did not think that Brexit would cause a united Ireland.

48% of people felt that Brexit would not unite the 32 counties, with only 31% of respondents saying a united Ireland would happen because of Britain’s departure from the EU.

Meanwhile, the public was split down the middle when asked if there would be a hard border in the island of Ireland after Brexit.

If the United Kingdom crashes out of the EU without a deal on 29 March, it will revert to World Trade Organisation rules on trade.

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That means customs checks will have to take place on goods travelling between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, creating a hard border between the two countries.

Responding to the poll, 37% people felt there would be a hard border, while 37% also felt there would not be, with 26% of people saying they didn’t know.

The poll questions were carried out by Amarách Research for Claire Byrne Live yesterday, 18 February, and were put to a panel of over 1,000 Irish adults.