-EU support required for border communities-

Fianna Fáil TD for Cavan-Monaghan and European Parliament candidate for Midlands-North-West Brendan Smith has said he will ensure that the co-operation, respect and friendship between the communities on both sides of the border will be maintained and nurtured.

Speaking in Drogheda following meetings in Newry and County Louth Deputy Smith explained, “I live in a border county and I have seen the damage and destruction of society that borders have delivered in small towns and villages on both sides. For too long we lived with our backs to one another. We cannot go back. We must not go back to those days.

“Since the Good Friday Agreement was signed twenty-one years ago, the men, women and children in these communities have worked to build strong relationships and co-operation. There is still huge untapped potential in that Agreement. Our businesses are supporting each other developing the All-Ireland economy, resulting in the creation of sustainable jobs and incomes for thousands of families.

“The region is most exposed to the fallout of Brexit and I will be a voice in Europe to protect their livelihoods.  

“I want to be that voice for the young people, the senior citizens, the farmers and businesses as well as the local families in this area. In 2015 I highlighted the difficulties that would arise from Brexit when the Referendum was first mooted in Britain and I will continue to fight for the local people in border communities.

“Young people on both sides of the border from Donegal to Dundalk, have not and should not experience the depth of division and disruption of community lives that we had to live with prior to the Good Friday Agreement,” concluded Deputy Smith.