No chance of Irish EU exit after UK departure, says Bertie Ahern

Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said the Republic would not be so rash as to leave the the European Union.

Mr Ahern said the impact of Brexit on the State would be "enormous". Moreover, he did not consider an Irish exit from the union likely following the United Kingdom's departure.

“Sometimes we are mad in Ireland, but we’re not that mad to leave the European Union,” he said. “We’re not going to do it now, tomorrow or in the future.”

In an interview on Sky News’s All Out Politics on Friday, Mr Ahern also said the possibility of a united Ireland as a consequence of Brexit was unlikely.

“I am a person who would love to see a united Ireland someday, but it’s not going to happen as part of these discussions,” he said.

The former taoiseach argued that the Republic’s two main concerns about Brexit are the damage to the food sector and the issue of the Border.

Mr Ahern noted the gravity of the Border problem for Ireland. “The whole Border issue” is “a nightmare for us”.

“The Border between North and South, between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, becomes the natural border between UK and EU. I don’t know where that’s going to end up. But it is a big worry,” he said.

Mr Ahern also said he expected the UK government to honour its financial obligations and pay the increasingly contentious €60bn EU exit bill.