GW4 Generator Fund Case Study: Island of Ireland Contemporary History and Politics Network (IOI CHP)

Community Leads: Sophie Whiting, Jennifer Thomson (University of Bath); Neil Matthews (University of Bristol); Thomas Leahy (PI), Giada Lagana, Jonathan Kirkup, Huw Bennett, Jessica Geoffroy, Daniel Chesse, Robbie Taylor (Cardiff University); Henry Jarrett (University of Exeter) 

GW4 Building Communities Generator Award enables the creation of a new network of researchers on Irish and Northern Irish contemporary history and politics, enabling a step-change in work on public engagement 

Researchers in English, Scottish and Welsh universities who study Irish and Northern Irish contemporary history and politics have, until now, conducted their work without the support of a collaborative network.  

Led by Dr Thomas Leahy at Cardiff University, the Island of Ireland Contemporary History and Politics Network (IOI CHP) aimed to fill the gap: to provide opportunities for academics specialising in those fields to meet regularly, share ideas, extend their networks within and beyond academia, and receive career development support in research dissemination and public engagement. 

In 2024, the community were awarded funding as part of GW4’s Building Communities Generator Award. The GW4 Building Communities Generator Fund is an open research call offering up to £20k to support collaborative research and innovation communities across the four GW4 universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter. It supports both the creation of new GW4 communities and the development of the strongest ideas emerging from our existing communities. 

This award enabled a network to be established, with academics from the GW4 Alliance and beyond (including universities in Dublin, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Coventry, London, Oxford and more). Network members then hosted several panel discussions and live events at Cardiff University and created a bank of videoed resources based on those sessions.  

Crucially, the events achieved wide and novel engagement, beyond the academic: they included politicians, Irish and UK veterans, former Irish Republican prisoners and hunger-strikers, victims/survivors from the conflict, former civil servants, journalists, political scientists and election specialists on politics in Northern Ireland. Many of these individuals were speaking at a filmed event for the first time, offering invaluable insights. As such, the resulting videos constitute a unique resource of considerable historical and political significance. 

The GW4 funding enabled a series of impactful initiatives, including a public event at the University of Bath focused on Northern Ireland’s Disappeared. Speakers included relatives of the Disappeared, a director of a victim and survivors’ group, and academic experts, addressing an engaged audience of students, staff, and members of the public. An accompanying art exhibition further enriched the experience. 

Researchers benefited from professional training in media engagement, enhancing their confidence and skills in radio and television interviews. This led to increased public engagement and a rise in media requests, significantly raising the profile and impact of the network. The award also supported expert consultation to improve the accessibility of the project’s video-hosting website for academic and public audiences. 

In January 2025, the team hosted a conference on peace-making and the Irish comparative experience, which strengthened international collaboration, including participation from Irish-based members. 

Following the network’s growing visibility, the Irish Consulate General of Wales invited the group to co-organise and host an exhibition by Irish artist Friz, celebrating Peace Heroines and women’s contributions to the peace process. Held in April 2025, the exhibition received coverage in the Irish Post. 

The network plans to apply for further funding to continue the video series and aims to create a pilot episode for a documentary series. The series would explore the many contrasting perspectives on the island of Ireland and in the UK about the legacy of conflict in Northern Ireland and how it could be addressed. The aim is to showcase the many different views on this topic, including conflict participants alongside victims, survivors and academics.  

Dr Thomas Leahy (Cardiff University), Principal Investigator of the Island of Ireland Contemporary History and Politics Network, said: “We were incredibly grateful to receive funding through the GW4 Building Communities Generator Fund, and we would wholeheartedly recommend the scheme to others. It enabled us to take an idea from the drawing board and bring it to fruition, giving us the space to explore contrasting perspectives and develop our thinking. Working together ensured that a great range of views were represented. The Generator Fund provided sizeable financial support, along with the resources and opportunities needed to build momentum and lay the foundations for future collaboration in our area of research.”

GW4 Building Communities 

The GW4 Building Communities Programme aims to build research and innovation communities of scale and capability, delivering a step change in world-class research that could not be achieved by one of the institutions alone. The Programme has two funding schemes:  

• The annual Generator Fund which awards GW4 communities up to £20K for 6-month projects.   

• The Development Awards which support new, and advance existing, collaborations across GW4 by funding single activities or resources with up to £5K. This is a rolling scheme, with no closing date.  

More details of both schemes, and how to apply, can be found at the links above.