Chai Brady
Fr Oliver O’Reilly There is “huge relief” after negotiations on the Brexit deal were finalised on Christmas Eve, according to a priest based in a border parish.
Fr Oliver O’Reilly PP of of Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan, said he was “absolutely thrilled” as the post-Brexit trade agreement aimed at governing the UK and EU’s relationship was finalised last week.
The document lays out detail on trade, law enforcement and dispute settlement among other arrangements. The UK will leave the single market and customs union on December 31.
Fr O’Reilly told The Irish Catholic: “We are very much a border parish, it’s just right on the border and we’re closely interlinked. Many people from the North, particularly from Kilmore, from Fermanagh, would come to Mass here in Ballyconnell.
“We have a strong industrial hub right along the border from Derrylin back down to Ballyconnell, we’re very lucky we have 4-5,000 people employed so all these businesses needed a deal very badly so they could continue trading without any major interruption. The businesses and the people that own these various industries are very pleased. There is huge relief, it’s actually palpable in the area.
“It’s many communities, it’s a region with huge employment, it’s a region from basically west Cavan, south Fermanagh and south Leitrim, there’s huge numbers employed in this area.”
Decision
The European Parliament in Brussels will be asked for its consent to the deal in 2021. For the process to be concluded all 27 member states must adopt the decision.
The European Commission has proposed the agreement be applied on a provisional basis until February 28.
Under the arrangements by the end of a five-and-a-half-year transition the number of fish the UK can catch in British waters will rise from about half now to two-thirds. The deal covers trade worth about £660 billion (€730 billion) and means goods can be sold without tariffs or quotas in the EU market.