Island of Ireland Contemporary History and Politics Network (IOI CHP)

Background

After commencing our work via a GW4 grant, our mission is to provide a network for established, early career and PhD researchers in English, Scottish and Welsh universities who study Irish/Northern Irish contemporary history/and/or politics. Such a network does not exist. We will host five witness seminars with practitioners, film videos with practitioners/academics for our Youtube channel alongside an annual conference to achieve this aim. We will also enhance English, Scottish, Welsh (and beyond) public understanding of Irish/Northern Irish politics and contemporary history via the outputs mentioned including videos with practitioners.

We are looking to provide expertise on key themes in Irish/Northern Irish politics and contemporary history including:

• Why was there a conflict in Northern Ireland?
• Why did peace emerge in Northern Ireland by 1998?
• What have been the dominant trends in Northern Irish and Irish politics since 1998?
• How might the future of Brexit and the border influence Irish and Northern Irish politics going forward?

The Northern Ireland conflict, peace process and border with the Republic have featured extensively in British-Irish and indeed now British-European Union relations. Understanding the dynamics and history of these key themes will help academics and the public in England, Scotland and Wales to follow current developments.

Project Summary

The aim of the network is to provide a place for academics in English, Scottish and Welsh universities alongside the public and practitioners to engage in discussion and activities on research related to the contemporary history and politics of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Our activities to achieve this goal are:

• Creating a series of discussion videos on key themes in Irish/Northern Irish contemporary history and politics with academics and conflict participants/politicians/practitioners, hosted on our new YouTube channel and our website.
• Create a YouTube channel and website to showcase our outputs.
• Host a series of witness seminars in Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter universities on key themes related to our research for a public audience. Panel discussions will involve academics from across England, Scotland and Wales alongside practitioners.
• Provide media training and expertise to PhD, early career and established researchers to present their ideas to the public via media.
• Hosting a conference to officially launch our network with peers across Irish and UK universities.
• Provide a place for academics to present their research in progress and receive feedback in our area.