Less than one-third of Irish Mirror readers would support ending Ireland's policy of military neutrality, according to our recent survey.
At the time of writing, 6,402 readers had responded to the survey.
One of the questions asked was Do you support the principle of Irish Neutrality?
4,270 (68%) readers responded that they did, while 2,055 (32%) said that they did not.
Readers were also asked if they would support holding a referendum on neutrality. Although Ireland has maintained a policy of military neutrality since independence, this policy is not currently enshrined in the Constitution.
A slim majority of readers rejected the idea of holding such a referendum. 3,321 (51%) said they would not support holding a referendum on neutrality while 3,103 (49%) said that they would.
The Government has faced criticisms recently over the response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with some believing that Ireland's neutrality is being undermined.
In our survey, readers were asked Are you concerned about the current situation in Ukraine? 5,964 (94%) said that they were, while only 406 (6%) said that they were not.
People Before Profit TD, Richard Boyd Barrett, has said that the Government is "using the Ukraine crisis as an opportunity to move Ireland closer to the European militarisation project."
Fine Gael Senator John McGahon, on the other hand, tweeted on Thursday that Irish neutrality "is not a sacred cow" and called for a national debate on the topic.
Respondents to our survey also had their say on the state of the Irish Defence Forces, with 75% saying that they disagreed with the statement "I am confident in the ability of the Defence Forces to protect Irish territory"
A number of readers left further comments on the topic.
Many vocalised their support for the policy of neutrality, such as one reader who said "We are a small nation, we've seen enough deaths in wars in Ireland already, our neutrality was decided by our history, it is who we are a peaceful nation that offers assistance to the UN, our neutrality should remain."
Another said: "I do believe Ireland should be a neutral country because we have no reason to enter military conflict with other nations and have a country that is too small and open to not be neutral.
" I also believe Ireland would not be able to defend themselves if we were under any form of threat. Our defence forces are under funded highly compared to other countries the weapons are outdated we have no air core and we have no radar system to even spot oncoming attacks."
A third wrote: "We are a neutral country and I don't appreciate Simon Coveney's comments and An Taoiseach saying we are militarily neutral but not politically neutral."
Other readers expressed their support for ending the policy of neutrality and joining international military alliances.
One said: "If we want to be part of the European Union, then we need to help defend it from unprovoked aggression, if necessary. Sitting on the fence is not an option, our neutrality benefits the aggressors who could violate our neutrality at the drop of a hat."
Another simply wrote: "Ireland should join Nato for its own security and to show solidarity with its allies."
Our survey on Irish Neutrality is still open for you to have your say. Share your views below, or click here.
