11 April 2025

SDLP MLA Justin McNulty has hailed Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s landmark announcement of an additional €1 billion for the Shared Island Fund as a historic investment in reconciliation, partnership, and practical progress across the island of Ireland.

Newry & Armagh MLA Justin McNulty said:

“This funding is a powerful statement of intent. It reflects the very essence of Séamus Mallon’s lifelong commitment to building a shared home place – a society rooted in respect, equality, and opportunity for all. Séamus understood that the future of this island would be forged not by division, but by cooperation and a relentless belief in what we could achieve together. The Taoiseach’s announcement honours that vision.

"While the investment is intended to benefit all parts of the island, Mr. McNulty emphasised the particular opportunity it presents for Newry and Armagh — a region long marked by its resilience, its cross-border ties, and its untapped potential:

“My own constituency of Newry and Armagh is perfectly placed to demonstrate what the Shared Island Fund fund can do — from enhancing links in education, health, and infrastructure, to preserving and promoting our rich heritage, and fostering shared economic growth: we are a living, breathing example of what partnership can deliver.

“The Taoiseach’s announcement gives us a once-in-a-generation chance to turn big ideas into tangible change — but it’s up to all of us to do the heavy lifting. We must now harness this investment to lift up communities north and south, rural and urban, unionist and nationalist — and to realise the kind of Ireland Séamus Mallon imagined: shared, inclusive, and full of hope."