The first time I spoke publicly about Irish unity was at an Ireland’s Future event in the Ulster Hall in 2022.

I remember our Protestant panel huddling together in the green room.

At that time, most of us felt vulnerable and isolated in our politics.

We knew that we represented many others in our community – open-minded and interested in Irish unity – but few were prepared to say it publicly.

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At this time, I was still using Twitter and refreshed it often to assess the security situation.

I arrived an hour early and left my car far from the venue. As it turned out, only a handful of protesters turned up.

The night ended with laughter and phone numbers for people who would become friends.

Nearly four years later, and I’m speaking at a Féile panel today on the topic of ‘Is Irish Unity Inevitable?’

Joining Amanda Ferguson, Claire Hanna and myself is Linzi McLaren – just one of the Protestants who has joined us on this journey of political curiosity and exploration.

Four years is not a long time, but much has changed in the debate since 2022, both in terms of Protestants’ involvement, and also in my own life.........

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