Ewen Green Memorial Lecture
The Lessons of the Northern Ireland Peace Process
Professor Ian McBride
Thursday 15 October 2026, 5pm
Venue: Magdalen College Auditorium, Oxford
Ever since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, peace-makers and politicians have commended Northern Ireland as a model of conflict resolution. But what are the lessons of the peace process? Is it always a good idea to talk to terrorists? Should negotiations be inclusive, and what is the relationship between democracy and disarmament of militant groups? Does the participation of women make it more likely that conflict resolution will succeed? And is it really our business, as historians, to help identify the lessons of the past?
There will be a drinks reception after the lecture. All are very welcome.
About Professor Ian McBride
Ian McBride has been Foster Professor of Irish History at Hertford College, Oxford since 2016. His latest book, The Downing Street Declaration and the Origins of the Northern Ireland Peace Process, will be published in November. He is the author or editor of many books, including Eighteenth Century Ireland: The Isle of Slaves (2009) and the Princeton History of Modern Ireland (2016). He is currently writing a history of Irish Catholics under the penal laws, based on archival research in Rome.
