The Island of Ireland Contemporary History and Politics Network: Civil Servants and the Northern Ireland Peace Process

Monday 3, March 2025, 15:30 - 17:00

Main Building Council Chamber, Cardiff University

Dr Giada Lagana and Dr Jon Kirkup – School of Law and Politics – are pleased to invite you to this live filmed panel discussion featuring three senior civil servants who played a leading role in the Northern Ireland peace process. Reflections on the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement have rightly led us to see the peace process as the culmination of decades of effort by both the British and Irish governments, as well as political actors in Northern Ireland. However, it is often forgotten that the architecture of Northern Ireland’s constitutional settlement has also been the result of the work British, Irish and Northern Irish civil servants, working in the shadows to shape the environment for compromise.

To describe what it took to design the peace process academics from Cardiff University will be joined by Sir Quentin Thomas, Prof. David Cooke and Prof. Chris Maccabe, all prominent civil servants who worked in the UK's Northern Ireland Office.

All welcome and you can sign-up to attend via Eventbrite. 

This event is organised by the Island of Ireland Contemporary History and Politics Network. The event will be filmed - if you would like to attend, but do not wish to be filmed, please speak to one of the event organisers on the day to make them aware of this.