THE time is drawing nearer for Irish unity, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said yesterday, with a border poll “back at the centre of political discussion.”

Speaking at a major republican commemoration, she told the thousands gathered: “It is not a question of if a unity referendum will happen but a question of when.”

Ms McDonald had previously said that an Irish border poll could not take place amid Brexit uncertainty. However, she said there was now an “urgent need” for dialogue and called on the Irish government to prepare for a “new inclusive Ireland, beyond partition.”

“We are entering a defining period in Irish political history,” she said. “Change is coming and it must be managed, sensitively and imaginatively. A process of national reconciliation must be central to any genuine effort to unite the people of this island.”

Ms McDonald was attending an event in Castlewellan to mark the 37th anniversary of the deaths of 10 Irish republican hunger strikers, including Bobby Sands and Patsy O’Hara.

She said the 1981 hunger strikes had been “a pivotal moment in Irish history,” resisting British efforts to “criminalise the struggle for a united Ireland.”

Sinn Fein’s leader hailed their bravery, saying they had inspired freedom-loving people across the world. “They died for us,” she said to applause, adding: “We will not allow them to be criminalised, ever.”

The future would see “an Ireland united and at peace with itself. It will be a successful, prosperous Ireland of opportunity for all, regardless of class, colour, religion, gender or sexual orientation,” she said.

Ms McDonald warned that Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party’s “supply and confidence” agreement with the British government means that Ireland is seen as “collateral damage” in the Tories’ bid to remain in power.

“That is why we need a strong Irish government leading on these issues,” she said.