Return of Stormont Assembly even brings 'a renewed hope' to Donegal

The opening remarks of the new First Minister of Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neil, offered possible benefits - and renewed hope - for Donegal from the returned devolved government at Stormont.

On Saturday afternoon, the Sinn Féin Deputy Leader took to her feet having been elected as Stormont's first nationalist First Minister.

As the power-sharing institutions returned following a two-year hiatus, following a two-year boycott by the DUP over trade arrangements post-Brexit, DUP MLA Emma Little-Pengelly was installed as the Deputy First Minister and the DUP’s Edwin Poots is the new speaker.

The impending return of the North South Ministerial Council is one obvious consequence of the return of MLAs to Stormont.

Long-awaited works to the A5 road from Derry city to Aughnacloy and increased investment in the North West region were outlined by O’Neill.

“We have many shared priorities,” she said, noting that housing and childcare were atop the agenda.

“Key infrastructure development such as the A5, A29 road schemes, Casement Park and other signature projects will be delivered so we can enhance connectivity and support communities.

“Regional balance and continued investment in Derry and the North-West are essential.”

Charlie McConalogue, the Donegal TD and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine, said he believes that the return of the Northern Ireland Executive is ‘a very important first step in making politics work on this island’.

Minister McConalogue said he was looking forward to working closely with his counterpart Andrew Muir, the Alliance Party’s newly-installed Minister for Agriculture.

“There are big challenges ahead and it’s very important that we have the Executive in place to meet those,” Minister McConalogue told The Week In Politics.

“As a border Minister and a Minister from Donegal, it is particularly important for the North West region to see the Northern Ireland Executive up and running again.

“There is a renewed hope in this area in terms of what the future might hold. There has been a lot of political despair in relation to the absence of the Executive.”

He said he expected the North South Ministerial Council to return ‘immediately’.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Finance and TD for Donegal, Pearse Doherty, said the elevation of O’Neill represented “a historic moment of change.”

He said: “For the first time we have a Sinn Féin First Minister. In Michelle O’Neill we have an opportunity to deliver for workers and families across our society and we are determined to deliver.”

The two top jobs in the ministerial executive wield equal power and responsibility, but the elevation of a republican to the office of first minister, by virtue of Sinn Fein becoming the region’s largest political party in the 2022 Assembly election, is undoubtedly a significant symbolic moment for Northern Ireland.

The two top jobs in the ministerial executive wield equal power and responsibility, but the elevation of a republican to the office of first minister, by virtue of Sinn Fein becoming the region’s largest political party in the 2022 Assembly election, is undoubtedly a significant symbolic moment for Northern Ireland.

The DUP, the largest unionist party in the region, has agreed to the recall of the political institutions on the back of its deal on post-Brexit trade with the UK Government, which party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says has effectively removed the so-called Irish Sea trading border on goods remaining within the UK.

On Thursday, the Government fast-tracked two pieces of legislation contained in the agreement through the House of Commons, opening the way for the Assembly to return on Saturday.