A border poll is purely an issue for the North, Minister Paschal Donohoe has said, writes Elaine Loughlin, Irish Examiner Political Reporter in Glenties.

It comes just a day after his party leader and Taoiseach Enda Kenny raised the possibility of holding a referendum on reunification in the context of Brexit.

However, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform appeared to soften this stance by claiming a vote to unite Ireland with the North will be the decision of the North’s Secretary of State.

Speaking at the MacGill summer school tonight Mr Donohoe said: “What the Taoiseach was re-emphasising were the clear mechanisms that were enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement, it is an internationally recognised treaty that was put together with huge commitment from all communities in Northern Ireland and the British and Irish government.

“It is recognised in the Good Friday Agreement that if the Secretary of State of Northern Ireland recognises or believes that there is desire amongst the people of Northern Ireland to change their legal status then the mechanism is in place to trigger a poll and referendum within Northern Ireland.

He added that the Good Friday Agreement has to be “recognised within a future agreement between the EU and the UK”.

“It is a matter for the communities of Northern Ireland and the Secretary of State of Northern Ireland.

“The Brexit vote has generated a profound challenge for all parts of the United Kingdom. It will have fundamental consequences for the UK and the European Union and consequences for Northern Ireland,” Mr Donohoe said.