Architects of the European Union peace programmes in Northern Ireland will come together at NUI Galway tomorrow, Friday, for the first time in 20 years to reflect on the role the EU played in the Northern peace process.
They will be joined by academic experts for a unique symposium at the University to discuss the EU’s role in the peace process, the future of the Good Friday Agreement, and the Irish border in the shadow of Brexit.
The symposium will discuss the challenges posed by Brexit 20 years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, at a time when EU involvement in the Peace Process and cross-border relations in Ireland is at the centre of public debate.
Speakers will include Mr Carlo Trojan, former secretary general of the European Commission and head of the 1994 Northern Ireland Task Force; Mr Hugh Logue, former EU Commission official; Ms Jane Morrice, former head of the EU Commission Office Northern Ireland; Mr Colm Larkin, senior official of the EU Commission from 1974-2004; Andy Pollak, founding Director of the Centre for Cross Border Studies in Armagh.
Also speaking at the event will be Tom Arnold, current chair of the All-Island Civic Dialogue on Brexit; Dr Katy Hayward, School of Sociology, QUB and Dr Mary C Murphy, Department of Government, UCC; and Dr Giada Laganà, Dr Brendan Flynn and Dr Niall Ó Dochartaigh, School of Political Science and Sociology, NUI Galway.
Event organiser, Dr Giada Laganà from the School of Political Science and Sociology at NUI Galway, said: “This is a unique occasion to learn that the role of the EU in the Northern Ireland peace process has been much more significant and much more positive than is often recognised.”
The event will be opened by Noel Dorr, former secretary general of the Department of Foreign Affairs and former Irish Ambassador to the United Nations and the UK. Professor Alan Ahearne, Director of the Whitaker Institute, will make closing remarks.
The symposium will take place in the O’Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance, NUI Galway on Friday, 27 April from 9am to 5.30pm.
The event is free and advance registration is essential at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/
