Sinn Fein’s Conor Murphy warned Ireland’s government not to put its head in the sand about Irish reunification as his election to the Seanad was confirmed.
Mr Murphy is leaving his job as Stormont economy minister and Newry and Armagh Assembly member to switch to the upper house of the Irish parliament.
The republican veteran secured his Seanad seat close to 1am on Monday morning after a lengthy count at the home of the Oireachtas parliament at Leinster House in Dublin.
Reflecting on his move south, Mr Murphy made clear his job would be to advance the debate on Irish unification and bring a “northern perspective” to the conversation around planning for constitutional change.
He said he also would lean on his ministerial experience to focus on issues around creating and maintaining all-island economic links.
Conor Murphy alongside Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald and vice-president and Stormont First Minister Michelle O’Neill (PA)
The former MP, who led Sinn Fein’s negotiating team in many political talks north of the border, secured one of nine seats on the Seanad’s industrial and commercial vocation panel.
The electorate for what was one of five vocational panels in the Seanad poll was made up of TDs, outgoing senators and sitting councillors in the Republic of Ireland.
“I’m delighted to be a northern voice in the Seanad,” he told the PA news agency at Leinster House.
“I think there are northern voices needed there to give that all-Ireland perspective. So I am very much looking forward to the challenge.”
Mr Murphy acknowledged it was “difficult to leave” his ministerial job at Stormont.
“The Department for the Economy is a great department, and I very much value the work that we’ve done there, but I think we have put the department on the right trajectory, we’ve set the priorities for it,” he said.
“So it really would be a matter of whoever replaces me following through on that work and implementing what we’ve put in place.”
Sinn Fein is expected to unveil Mr Murphy’s ministerial replacement at Stormont later on Monday.
Mr Murphy said he hoped his contribution would extend beyond the Seanad chamber in Oireachtas and he would be able to play a wider role in politics south of the border.
“Well, I certainly hope so, I hope to be able to,” he said.
“I have a lot of contacts, I have a lot of negotiating experience, a lot of contacts in the Government here and across political parties. I hope to be able to use that to influence the debate in relation to unity in the time ahead, and to keep that momentum going towards what is needed here, which is preparation for Irish unity in advance of the referendum.”
Asked about the new Irish government’s approach to reunification, particularly deputy premier Simon Harris’s contention that it was not a priority for the coalition, Mr Murphy added: “There’s no point in putting your head in the sand and hoping that this discussion is going away. It’s not. It’s gaining momentum and I hope that my presence here adds something to that.”
The South Armagh politician rejected any suggestion his switch to the Oireachtas was part of an attempt by senior Sinn Fein figures north of the border to exert more influence on the direction of the party in the Republic of Ireland.
“Our party is an all-Ireland party, so our party officer board, our Ard chomhairle (ruling council) is made up of people from all over the 32 counties,” he said.
“So there is no northern leadership or southern leadership. There is one leadership in Sinn Fein, and we’re a very united party.”