They’ll be choking on their pints as they sit down in the Welders Club in east Belfast’s Dee Street.
But once that initial bitter taste subsides, you wonder whether the idea that the Dublin Government should step in to rescue Harland and Wolff would be easier to swallow with the knowledge that one of the iconic industries that built Belfast will survive long into the future.
Money is money, no matter where it comes from. And it’s the currency of business and survival, even if there proves to be a strong rumbling across the east of the city should Dublin plant a firm foot in the heart of its economy, and a hand around one of the crown jewels of British economic history.
The idea, which at first glance appears far-fetched, has been floated by SDLP MLA Cara Hunter. However, it would certainly present an opportunity for the Dublin Government to signal its intentions over a shared future.
And an already financially buoyant Republic of Ireland would have much to gain as it has an ambitious plan to invest in offshore wind technology.
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While putting two and two together doesn’t necessarily mean the answer will be investment in the shipyard, there has certainly been a renewed interest in investing north of the border.
Cash has been flowing northwards through the Shared Island programme — more often than not for projects which will, naturally, benefit the economy in the Republic as well as Northern Ireland.
Such projects include €600m committed for the A5 north-west transport corridor, while work is advancing on related N2 and TEN-T upgrades in Monaghan and Donegal.
Construction of the Narrow Water Bridge, linking the Mourne Mountains with Cooley Peninsula, and completing the Carlingford greenway are also on the agenda. While the contribution to Casement Park may not have been successful in getting the stadium built in time for the Euros in 2028, that money remains on the table for now.
Money too is there for improved rail services between Dublin and Belfast while, halfway between the cities, investment has been made in improving the Boyne Visitor Centre to encourage more tourism. Cash is flowing, in stark contrast to the drying up of funds from across the Irish Sea.
It will be interesting to see if a ‘testing of the water’ sees the unlikely notion sink without trace before any launch is considered.
And the suggestion will raise another conundrum: which is more important to the people of east Belfast — pride in the past or the prospect of a solvent, perhaps prosperous, future?