Partners of the Centre for Geopolitics and St Catharine’s College, University of Cambridge
Convened by Dr Barry Colfer and Dr Niamh Gallagher
More than twenty years after the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and a century following the partition of Ireland, the ‘Cambridge Future of the Island of Ireland’ series invites leading figures from the world of politics, culture, academia and civil society to reflect on the future of the island of Ireland, as the implications of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU continue to reorder relations between the peoples and governments of these islands.
The series takes the form of hour-long conversations over Zoom with a brief intervention on a theme by a speaker followed by a semi-structured conversation with an academic. Moderated questions and answers with attendees follow. The series forms part of the European Strand at the Centre for Geopolitics, led by the Director, Brendan Simms.
EventsPrevious meetings
| Date | Title/Speaker | Video | Paper |
| 6 Dec | The future of Northern Ireland, with Doug Beattie MLA (Leader of the UUP) | here | |
| 29 Nov | Developing a human rights culture, with Ivana Bacik TD (Labour) | here | |
| 22 Nov | The future of the Island of Ireland with Matt Carthy TD (Sinn Féin) | here | |
| 15 Nov | The future of the island of Ireland with Lord Robin Eames (former Archbishop of Armagh and Anglican Primate of All Ireland) | here | |
| 8 Nov | The future of the island of Ireland, with John Bruton (Fine Gael) & Prof Kalypso Nicolaides, European University Institute, Florence | here | |
| 25 Oct | Uniting people from the grassroots, with Eileen Weir | here | |
| 18 Oct | Ireland past, present and future, with Bertie Ahern | here | |
| 11 Oct | Reconciliation and mutual trust – the crucial unfinished elements of the Good Friday Agreement, with Hugo MacNeill | here | here |
| 4 Oct | Picking up the pieces – relationships after Brexit, with Claire Hanna MP | here | |
| 20 Sep | The future of UK-Irish relations, with Sir David Lidington | here | here |
| 13 Jul | Ian Marshall, the only unionist elected to Seanad Éireann (2018-2020), former Ulster Farmers’ Association President (2014-2016), and community activist on ‘Beyond Identity Politics: Building Bridges and Uniting People’ (coming soon) | here | here |
| 01 Jun | Naomi Long MLA, Justice Minister of Northern Ireland on ‘The future of Northern Ireland’ | ||
| 12 May | Lucinda Creighton, CEO of Vulcan Consulting, former Irish Minister for European Affairs (2011-2013) | here | |
| 19 Apr | Neale Richmond, Fine Gael TD/MP for Dublin Rathdown Constituency, party spokesperson on European Affairs | here | |
| 23 Mar | Jim O’Callaghan, Fianna Fáil TD/MP for Dublin Bay South, party spokesperson on justice | here | here |
Mailing List
To hear about upcoming events, join the Centre for Geopolitics mailing list. You’ll receive an invitation to every event, as well as a monthly eNewsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.
If you prefer to only hear about events in this series – or if you any questions or comments relating to it- contact Dr Barry Colfer on bc438@cam.ac.uk.
