After last week's furore, it looks likely that there will be an offer to host a joint reception for the Euro 2016 Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland teams but it will not be hosted in Belfast as originally mooted.
Representatives from the UUP and the DUP blanched somewhat when the idea was put forth by the SDLP's Declan Boyle last week. At the time, the UUP's Jim Rodgers noted that Dublin was not holding an equivalent reception.
Suzanne Breen in the Belfast Telegraph reported today that Dermot Lacey, Labour councillor for Pembroke-Rathmines and former Lord Mayor is to table a motion proposing that Dublin host a reception honouring both sides.
The SDLP were talking to me. I would be big supporter of the SDLP and I was talking to Tim Attwood who is one of their councillors in Belfast and he just suggested it would be a nice if both city councils supported it so I was more than happy to support that initiative.
Lacey spoke to Balls.ie and he told us that the proposal is not intended as a political gesture but merely as a recognition that we both inhabit the same island.
He's confident that people of in the South will throw their support behind the North if the Republic of Ireland are dumped out in the first round of the Euros and Northern Ireland advance to the knockout stages.
He hopes this would be reciprocated if they were eliminated and we advanced.
Leaving aside the politics of Irishness, I think most people are quite happy to see another team on the island do well. I think if the Republic of Ireland are knocked out, I think the people in the South will support the North and I hope vice versa.
I think what we are doing is simply acknowledging that this is an island. I'm making no comment on the politics of it. I mean I've heard Ian Paisley describing himself as Irish. And I think most people on the island consider themselves to be Irish. Some people also consider themselves to be British and as far as I'm concerned that's fine. I have no hang-up about that at all. But recognising that we are all on the island together and when we go abroad we are all Irish together, I think it's a way of celebrating that commonality without in any way commenting on the politics of the situation.
In his objection to the Belfast proposal, Rodgers threw up cost as a potential roadblock. Does Lacey think cost could be an issue down here?
I was Lord Mayor and we did have receptions and they did cost a few bob and I can't remember anybody objecting to the welcome home of the Irish team for the last major tournament we were in. I don't remember people objecting to hosting a reception for Peter McVerry or Brian O'Driscoll or Bob Geldof... You know, part of living is celebrations and celebrations usually cost a few bob. It's not a reason not to have them.
