Brexit and the Island of Ireland: Brigid Laffan confirmed for Annual Lecture

One of Ireland’s most distinguished academics will deliver the Wales Governance Centre’s 2021 Annual Lecture.

Professor Brigid Laffan was Director of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute until her retirement last month, and has served academia in a swathe of roles in Ireland and at universities across Europe, playing a leading role in developing European studies as a discipline.

Professor Laffan, recognised as one of Ireland’s leading experts on Europe, will speak to the topic of ‘Brexit and the Island of Ireland’, analysing how Ireland responded to Brexit and the manner in which it disturbed the delicate political and institutional balances that were central to the Good Friday Agreement (GFA). Her lecture is further expected to encompass the Dublin government’s response to Brexit and the impact these processes have had on relations between London and Brussels.

The lecture will take place online via Zoom at 17:00-18:30 on Thursday 21st October, and registration is free and open to all at this link.

Professor Richard Wyn Jones, Director of Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre, commented:

"Brigid Laffan is one of the leading Irish social scientists of her generation as well as a central figure in European Studies. As such, it’s hard to imagine anyone being better placed to discuss the implications of Brexit for island of Ireland. We look forward to this year’s annual lecture with special anticipation."