Irish border residents worry about future if no-deal Brexit

small ferry moves gently across calm waters of Carlingford Lough, connecting picturesque hamlet of Greencastle in rrn Ireland with vill of Greere, a mile and a half away in Republic of Ireland. It began sailing a little more than two years ago, saving farmers, commuters and tourists an hour-long drive inland to nearest bridge. service is ar sign that border has all but vanished since Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998, ending deces of sectarian violence and creating a quiet sense of rmality that older generations cherish and younger people may take for granted.
But if U.K. leaves European Union on Oct. 31 without a Brexit divorce deal, this local boat could find itself plying an international border. 

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Paul O’Sullivan: 'We don’t kw what to expect'

“We don’t kw what to expect,” said Paul O’Sullivan, ferry company’s managing director. “Brexit has resulted in chaos for our company.”With both in EU, border barely resonates. As members, both U.K. and Ireland have to abide by rules of club — free movement of goods, services, capital, and people. In a -deal Brexit, that all goes and border — only land border between U.K. and EU — will resonate once again. Little wonder n that it’s been most intractable issue in Brexit negotiations over past three or so years since U.K. voted to leave EU in June 2016. With little more than three weeks to go before scheduled Brexit date of Oct. 31, two sides have failed to agree on a plan to ensure border remains open, without checkpoints that were magnets for violence during three deces of conflict. More than 3,500 people died during “ Troubles.”

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Stance has raised concerns 

“People in ir 40s and 50s and older, we remember Troubles very well,” said 51-year-old Patrick Robinson, a member of Border Communities Against Brexit. “What started off as border troubles exactly like what is going to happen w escalated into what became kwn effectively as civil war in rrn Ireland.”British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that U.K. as a whole, including rrn Ireland which voted to remain in EU during referendum, has to leave on scheduled Brexit date — with or without a deal. t doing so, he says, would undermine faith in democracy. That stance has raised concerns that a physical border will return and threaten fragile peace process in rrn Ireland and ecomic opportunities it has created. one really kws what will happen even though political leers on all sides keep insisting border will stay open. People are worried about long-term impact of potential changes. Like many businesses, Carlingford Lough Ferry has received little guidance: Will farmers carrying hay from south need to declare ir goods? Will re be forms? Customs officers with clipboards? And n re’s question of wher ferry will be allowed to operate at all. Back in days of hard borders, tre between rth and South was impeded. It took truck drivers hours to get cleared and cross to or side. Lush rolling hills were marred by guard towers, soldiers and checkpoints. Criss-crossing border several times a day was challenging. inability to longer move freely is likely to hurt smallest operators most.

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Daniel Donnelly:  way to mitigate against risk

“ ecomic shock will be so great that re is way to mitigate against risk,” warned Daniel Donnelly, a spokesman in rrn Ireland for Federation of Small Businesses. Even low tariffs in event of a -deal could wipe out profits that small businesses with low margins make, he ded. People here just don’t see any point in going back to past. Piloting ferry across Carlingford Lough, 31-year-old Shane Horner remembered border checks and troops that were deployed along border when he was a child. crossing was slow and intimidating, he said, but “once that stopped it was grand, you could come and go as you pleased. ”Today, farmers from Republic take new ferry service to sell sil and hay from lush fields of County Louth to customers rth of border. Wedding parties from rth use it to cross for events in medieval Carlingford. It’s a bus service on water — t a stronghold between nations. “re is a cross-community dimension,” said O’Sullivan, who remembers meeting some rrners taking ferry on ir first journey across border. “If re is a hard Brexit, it almost certainly will have an verse impact.”

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