It's trendy these days to be anti colonialism, but as soon as you mention ireland all the support fizzles out. Fucks up with that? Most young people hate tories, hate british empire, etc etc, but then you say IRA and everyone gets scared. It's not even like my generation has an emotional attachment to it either - it's before our time
I don't know what to tell you other than as a child of that said generation, I think you're somewhat misinformed. Anecdotally speaking I dont know a single person who fits that description that isn't on board with a United Ireland. The Troubles bred apathy, yes, but I would never say complacency. The issue of the modern Irish middle class is brain drain. People leaving to find better work in other countries, which has the side affect of them becoming somewhat disconnected from Northern Irish politics.
Me too :) As I write this in a land far from home, having grown up with fellow children of professional catholics, I can easily tell the opposite story. The notion of a United Ireland just isn't something that's taken seriously by my cohort. We can compare anecdotes all day and polling data may be flawed, but the depressing reality is that only 25% of us consider ourselves nationalist and 40% are neither. Sure those labels may be stigmatised by recent history, but the signs are not pointing in the right direction.
It's all moot though. The Republic wouldn't take us anyway!