The New Ireland Group (now known as New Ireland Vision) was formed in 1982, seeking
political and social reconciliation in Ireland, and the formation of an Ireland accommodating both the Gaelic Irish and Unionist traditions. The group predominantly of Presbyterian and Church of Ireland people based in the
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
who felt that the intractable problems could be tackled more appropriately by way of an all-Ireland agreement for a New Ireland in many ways reflecting on the vision of the
United Irishmen
The Society of United Irishmen was a sworn association in the Kingdom of Ireland formed in the wake of the French Revolution to secure "an equal representation of all the people" in a national government. Despairing of constitutional reform, ...
.
It was formed by
John Robb who became a member of the
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann (, ; "Senate of Ireland") is the upper house of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (the lower house).
It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its memb ...
from 1982-1989.
Evolving out of an earlier group called the
New Ireland Movement. The group made a detailed submission to the
New Ireland Forum
The New Ireland Forum was a forum in 1983–1984 at which Irish nationalist political parties discussed potential political developments that might alleviate the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The Forum was established by Garret FitzGerald, then T ...
in 1983.
Other figures include labour activist
Jack McDowell
Jack Burns McDowell (born January 16, 1966) is an American former baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, McDowell played for the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and Anaheim Angels of the Major League Baseball (MLB). Ni ...
, ecology campaigner
Peter Emerson
Peter Emerson (born 1943) is a political activist in Northern Ireland.
Born in Britain, Emerson's father was from County Cork, and his mother from Cheshire. He served as a submariner in the Royal Navy, where he was promoted to first lieutenant. ...
,
Philip Orr
Philip Andrew Orr (born 14 December 1950) is a former Irish international and British and Irish Lions Rugby Union loosehead prop.
Orr was born in Dublin. Educated at The High School, Dublin and Trinity College Dublin, he played for Old Wesley ...
, and Francis Gallagher.
The group produces a publication called ''The New Irelander''. A number of its members actively support the ''
De Borda Institute'' and in 1986 some of the
de borda's electoral systems were tried out during the New Ireland Groups Peoples' Convention as an exercise in
consensus decision making
Consensus decision-making or consensus process (often abbreviated to ''consensus'') are group decision-making processes in which participants develop and decide on proposals with the aim, or requirement, of acceptance by all. The focus on es ...
.
TOWARDS A MORE INCLUSIVE DEMOCRACY - Submission to the Democracy Commission from THE DE BORDA INSTITUTE
/ref>
The group organises events in the Northern Ireland where speakers from different parts of Ireland and from different political and social backgrounds speak. Speakers have included people from other regions of conflict in the world, community groups in Ireland, and Irish people who served with the United Nations. Its members regularly make contributions to the media and presentations to government commissions.
References
{{Reflist
External links
New Ireland Group
Political advocacy groups in the Republic of Ireland
Politics of Ireland
Politics of Northern Ireland