[FRinCanada2]

Thank you for taking the time to explain that with sufficient detail that I and others with my limited knowledge of the

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoiseach

concern. That being said wouldn’t Ireland be a better position to negotiate directly with the UK on trade agreements without the need to filter that negotiation through the EU? What about getting the US involved in bilateral or trilateral talks between UK, Ireland and the USA? Would that not be a viable option or am I missing something else.

[Cronos]

That being said wouldn’t Ireland be a better position to negotiate directly with the UK on trade agreements without the need to filter that negotiation through the EU?

No, Ireland would be in a worse, a far worse position.

What does Ireland want? they don't want a border on the island of Ireland because that's the Good Friday Agreement that ended violence in Ireland.

Whenever they negotiated in the past with the UK, they got the worse of it as the smaller, dependent party.

For the Irish it makes sense to negotiate as part of the club with 26 other members rather than be bullied by a much larger UK

[Cronos]

What about getting the US involved in bilateral or trilateral talks between UK, Ireland and the USA? Would that not be a viable option or am I missing something else.

The USA hasn't offered.

The Good Friday agreement was between the UK and Ireland but with the USA and the EU as guarantors of peace.