Residents on both sides fearful of hard Irish border

Описание: (30 Jan 2019) Some residents living in a town near the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland say they fear the consequences of a hard border being erected between the two countries after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.
The end of the free flow of goods between the two countries and a possible resumption of violence between pro-Great Britain unionists and Irish republicans is a major concern, people in the border town of Castleblayney told the Associated Press.
Mary Goran, a photographer who lives in the town, said people were fearful that jobs could go, while fellow Castleblayney resident Raymond Tavey said the town faced an uncertain future.
Michael Quinn said nobody in the town wanted to see a border and feared it would put 20 years of peace at risk.
Brian Renaghan, a farmer from the Northern Irish town of Clontibret, said the border ran through his property.
"Up until now there's never been a problem because we're all part of Europe and now with the votes that's gone through at the minute all the talk of Brexit, if the UK leave Europe, this will be a European boundary. This will be the boundary between Europe and the United Kingdom and that itself will cause serious problems for me and serious problems for everybody in the area."
Much of the opposition from UK MPs to Prime Minister Theresa May's withdrawal agreement with the EU centres on a border measure known as the "backstop".
The backstop is a safeguard mechanism which would keep the UK in a customs union with the EU to remove the need for checks along the border between the UK's Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland after Brexit.
The border area was a flashpoint during decades of conflict in Northern Ireland that cost 3,700 lives.
The free flow of people and goods across the near-invisible border underpins both the local economy and Northern Ireland's peace process.
Many pro-Brexit British lawmakers fear the backstop will trap Britain in regulatory lockstep with the EU, and say they won't vote for May's deal unless it is removed.
May now intends to head back to Brussels to try and renegotiate an alternative to the backstop, but the EU says it has no plans to re-open the agreement.

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