Twenty-five years after the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement there is much to reflect on. Has the Agreement worked for the people of Northern Ireland? What changes have different communities seen as a result of its implementation, both good and bad? How has Brexit impacted perceptions surrounding the Agreement? And is reform needed to steer it through the next twenty-five years?
Join us at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge or online, on 4th July at 2pm for a half-day symposium to critically reflect on these questions and more. Three expert panels including grassroots community leaders, party politicians from the region, and academics writing about Northern Ireland, will yield a variety of perspectives about the past, present and future Agreement. The event is open to the public and will be followed by Q&A.
Introduction, 14:00 – 14:10
Dr Niamh Gallagher
Grassroots politics, 14:15 – 15:15
Chair: Dr Barry Colfer
We will be joined by Emma Murphy (QUB Student Union President), Mark Langhammer (Leader of the National Education Union in Northern Ireland), Michael Cooper (Derry Blue Badge and former Sinn Féin councillor for Derry), and Brian Dougherty (community worker with the Londonderry Bands Forum and North-West Cultural Partnership).
Party politicians, 15:20 – 16:20
Chair: Professor Richard Bourke
We will be joined by Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin), Doug Beattie (UUP), Kate Nicholl (Alliance Party), and Claire Hanna (SDLP).
Tea and coffee break, 16:20 – 16:40
Academics on Northern Ireland, 16:40 – 17:40
Chair: Professor Helen Thompson
We will be joined by Professor Deirdre Heenan (Ulster University), Dr Mary Murphy (University College Cork), Professor Jon Tonge (University of Liverpool) and Professor Brendan Simms (University of Cambridge).
Q&A
17:40 – 18:30
Chair: Dr Niamh Gallagher
A Q&A featuring all our speakers of the day
For any questions, please email us at: islandofireland@caths.cam.ac.uk
