Louth Fianna Fáil TD cautious on Fianna Fáil/SDLP merger talks

Following newspaper reports that Fianna Fáil and the SDLP are in talks over a possible merger in Northern Ireland, the Dundalk Democrat spoke to Louth Fianna Fáil TD Declan Breathnach to get his views.

Deputy Breathnach, passed off the reports as media speculation, but said he would always be willing to communicate with “like-minded parties”.

“This is part of on-going speculation over a period of time between the Irish News, the Belfast Telegraph and now the Irish Times”, he said.

He continued, “While I have not been party to any such reported discussions I have always said that Fianna Fáil have and will continue to have communications with like-minded parties and people in the interest of the island of Ireland and its citizens.

“Any discussions between the SDLP and Fianna Fáil leadership have been personal to them and I welcome that this is on-going.

Deputy Breathnach spoke of his past work with his contemporaries in Northern Ireland:

“Fianna Fáil will always act for and on behalf of all on this island as I have always done myself in my past engagements at Local Authority level and my involvement with the Memorandum of Understanding between Louth County Council and Newry and Mourne District Council and with the East Border Region.

“This continues now at parliamentary level being Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on North-South Bodies and Cross-Border Co-Operation and being Vice-Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, and through my involvement with the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly”, he concluded.