This meeting is one of a series offered by the HKS New England Alumni/ae Association.
DATE: Tuesday, May 25th, 2021
TIME: 8-9 AM ET

The myriad difficulties in implementing the terms of the UK-EU Withdrawal Deal, and in particular the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol, has heightened tensions between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland; between the British and Irish governments; and between the UK and the EU. The political fallout has led to discussions about the prospects for constitutional change on the island of Ireland. The possible calling of a ‘border poll’ (i.e. referendum on Irish unity) would be a moment of high political drama, likely to elicit strong, contested reactions. This presentation will examine the critical role for political and civic leadership across Northern Ireland, the UK, Ireland, and also the US, in moderating and managing this currently challenging period.

Mary C. Murphy holds a Jean Monnet Chair in European Integration and is a senior lecturer in politics in the Department of Government and Politics, University College Cork. Mary has published extensively on Brexit and on the EU relationship with Ireland, north and south. She is the President of the Irish Association for Contemporary European Studies, a former Fulbright-Schuman Scholar, and a fellow of the Centre on Constitutional Change at the University of Edinburgh.