NEW polling suggests a majority of Irish people want to see a united Ireland in their lifetime, opposing a hard border between the north and south of the country.

Speculation has increased over the prospect of Irish unity with Britain’s departure from the European Union drawing closer.

Polling on Monday night carried out by Amarach Research for the Claire Byrne Live show on RTE 1 showed that 63 per cent of people wanted to see a united Ireland before they die.

However less than half of the 1,000 polled thought that Brexit would lead to Irish reunification.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has told unionists in the occupied six counties to prepare themselves for that scenario.

Speaking on the BBC she said: “People across Ireland have an appetite for progress and should be given the opportunity to decide their own future through a unity referendum.”

A no-deal Brexit based on World Trade Organisation rules could see customs checks on goods travelling between the six counties and the Republic of Ireland.

That has raised fears of the return of a hard border, which is rejected by all mainstream Irish political parties.