Ireland's Sinn Fein Wants Emerald Isle Reunified Following Brexit

One of Ireland's leading political parties is calling for the reunification of the Emerald Isle now that Britain is exiting the United Kingdom.

Declan Kearney, the chairman of Sinn Fein, said Friday that the result of the United Kingdom's "Brexit" referendum "dramatically changes the political landscape" in the north of Ireland.

"The British government as a direct result have forfeited any mandate to represent the interests of people here in the north of Ireland in circumstances where the north is dragged out of Europe as a result of a vote to leave."

Northern Ireland's deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, a Sinn Fein member, said there is now a "democratic imperative" for a reunification vote, The Irish Times reported.

Ireland is thought of by many people as one country, but it actually consists of two, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is under British rule. The split occurred in 1921 following years of conflict between the United Kingdom and Ireland, and violence between Ireland's nationalists and unionists.

Nationalist groups, which include Sinn Fein, have been for years calling for a reunification of Ireland by ending British jurisdiction in the north. And that call has grown louder following the Brexit vote.

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