Mary Lou McDonald had previously said unification was within "touching distance" after the return of power-sharing government to Northern Ireland, led by her Sinn Fein colleague Michelle O'Neill. But she acknowledges there is "an awful lot of work to be done".
Rumpelstiltskin was originally written as a leprechaun but was changed when Colm Meaney objected, claiming that this was an offensive stereotype against Irish people. According to Meaney, “Using caricatures or cliches of any nation is not something Star Trek is or should be into.” (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (p. 55))
That’s what Memory Alpha says:
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/If_Wishes_Were_Horses_(episode)
I’m guessing Meany didn’t have the clout and/or the job security on TNG to make that objection.
At least he finally got a say in the matter.
Too bad O’Brien seems to have paid for it from there on out, though.