Contributor:

Professor Diarmaid Ferriter

Talk Title:

The Partitionist Mentality

Talk Synopsis:

This talk explores how Partition affected relationships between nationalist politicians on either side of the border. It suggests that these were characterised by a ‘partitionist mentality’ and that for many decades there was only limited engagement by successive Dublin governments in northern affairs. It looks at how attitudes have changed over time, the impact of the Troubles and more recent political agreements but also some of the differences between the outlook and experiences of ‘the northern and southern keepers of the flame of Irish unity’ – something that Professor Ferriter says is ‘a significant and under-explored complication’.

Short Biography:

Diarmaid Ferriter is Professor of Modern Irish History at UCD and member of the Royal Irish Academy.

Further Reading:

The Partition of Ireland 1911-25 – Michael Laffan