Letterkenny high street, by Sleepyhead2 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Letterkenny is a border town located around 20 miles from Derry and the first major town in Donegal encountered when you leave Derry and head south into the Republic of Ireland. Its high street is a mix of retail, coffee shops, restaurants and charity shops. Cross border trade and tourism plays a key part in its economy.
The Brexit conversations are happening amongst locals but there appears to be some ambivalence as if they are oblivious as to the upheaval happening in London. When I asked locals if they expect border controls to return they say they just don’t know what is happening yet. Much like the rest of the population of the islands, then. However, one local tells me “I think a lot of people from this town never really saw the impact of the troubles and now because of mass unemployment they can’t leave the town so it is insular and they are ambivalent to all of this”. They also believe that the English electorate might come to their senses saying “I think a lot of people over here think because it was so close there will be a 2nd referendum”.
