Liam Neeson expects to see a united Ireland in his lifetime, saying 'everybody ... trends now
Liam Neeson says he expects to see a united Ireland in his lifetime, but this can only be done as long as everybody is 'respected'.
The veteran actor said 'everybody has to be appeased' to bring about the unification of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which have been divided since 1921.
The 70-year-old, who was raised as a Catholic in the predominantly Protestant town of Ballymena, remarked 'Protestants in the North of Ireland have a strong voice'.
Neeson, who began his career on stage in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, also recalled how theatre performances would be interrupted by bomb threats.
He also praised the 'extraordinary achievement' of the Good Friday Agreement, which brought an end to most of the violence in the country when it was signed 25 years ago.
Veteran actor Liam Neeson, pictured here at the London premiere of his new film Marlowe on Thursday, says he believes there will be Irish unification in his lifetime
The Oscar-nominated actor revealed his expectations for the future of Northern Ireland while promoting his next film, Marlowe.
Speaking to Sky News, Neeson said he believed unification would happen but 'everybody has to be appeased' in order to do so.
'I hear them [Protestants in Northern Ireland], I know where they're coming from, and they have to be respected,' he said.
'If there's going to be a united Ireland, their voice has to be heard and they have to be represented, if a united Ireland comes about.'
Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland were partitioned in 1921 by the UK government due to the Protestant majority wanting to maintain ties with Great Britain.
However, in the decades after the Unionist leadership of Northern Ireland were accused of discriminating against the Irish Nationalists and the significant minority of Catholics who lived in the territory.
This sparked The Troubles, an armed conflict which saw republican and loyalist paramilitary groups, as well as the British Army involved in clashes across Northern Ireland.
Bombings became relatively common place, with Neeson remarking that when he was performing some shows had to be stopped due to bomb threats.
He said: 'We'd have to go out onto the street with the audience, and the soldiers came in and searched, and maybe an hour I say, okay, you can go back in again.'
He added that while it was dangerous, he was 'in a bubble' so didn't pay it much attention, and that his 'rude awakening' to the situation was after Bloody Sunday in Derry.
The 70-year-old said in order for unification to happen 'everybody has to be appeased', including Protestants. Pictured: Demonstrators march past British troops in Derry to commemorate those killed in Blood Sunday
Neeson said the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, which quelled most of the violence in Northern Ireland, was an 'extraordinary achievement'. Pictured:
