Stephen Kelly
Professor Stephen Kelly
Professor of Modern Irish History and British-Irish Relations
Liverpool Hope University
Duties:
Management & Administrative (selected):
Department Level
1. Responsible for the management and administration of the Department, including managing the Department budget and maintaining appropriate records and making available information as required by senior management.
2. Direct and manage the academic programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including teaching, research, programme development and design, academic assessment and academic administration.
3. Responsible for quality assurance procedures and other procedures including, progression, complaints processing, grievance and disciplinary.
4. Responsible for the management and support of staff, including timetabling and evaluating staff performance.
5. Director of MA History programme.
School Level
1.School Management Committee member.
2. Early Career Research (ECR) mentor and academic advisor.
3. Postgraduate roles – AMR & CRE participation, Independent Chair and Internal PhD examiner.
University Level
1. Member of Senate
2. Senior Academic Committee member
3. To continually engage in external activities, necessary to the development and promotion of Liverpool Hope University, including advise on and participate in the promotion and marketing of the Department.
Academic Responsibilities (selected):
Department Level
1. Co-ordinate and deliver undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including lectures and small-group teaching (tutorials and seminars)
2. Develop and deliver innovative, research-led, high-quality courses.
3. Annual planning of the curriculum and teaching schedule.
4. Continued assessment/examination grading and feedback.
5. Student academic mentorship and pastoral care.
Research Responsibilities:
1. Continue to publish national and international outstanding peer-reviewed research-informed publications (see ‘Publications’ below).
HONOURS AND PRIZES:
2021-2022:
1. Visiting Fellow, University College Dublin Humanities Institute, 2021
2018-2017:
1. Erasmus Teaching Exchange Programme – KU Leuven University, Belgium, April-May 2018
2. 2017 Book Prize winner, Political Studies Association, Conservative and Conservatism Specialist Group
3. Teaching and Learning Innovation Award, LHU
2017-2016:
1. Archives By-Fellowship, Churchill College, University of Cambridge
2. The John Antcliffe Memorial Fund Grant, 2016-2017, Churchill Archives Centre
2016-2015:
1. British Higher Education Academy Teaching Fellowship
2015-2014:
1. Teaching and Learning Innovation Award, LHU
2014-2013:
1. Exceptional New Lecturer Award, a student nominated, LHU
2012-2011:
1. The John Henry Newman Resident Fellowship (The National Institute for Newman Studies, Pittsburgh, USA)
2. IRCHSS Post-Doctoral Fellow, UCD
2010-2009:
1. The James O’Mara Gold Medal Bursary research award
FUNDING AWARDS:
2018-2019:
1. Research Bursary, LHU. Project title, ‘Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative Party and the Northern Ireland conflict, 1975-1990 (Part 3) (£644.00).
2017-2018:
1. Research Bursary, LHU. Project title, ‘Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative Party and the Northern Ireland conflict, 1975-1990 (Part 2) (£977.00).
2. Teaching and Learning Innovation Award, LHU (£250.00).
2016-2017:
1. The John Antcliffe Memorial Fund Grant, 2016-2017, Churchill Archives Centre, University of Cambridge (£3,000).
2. Scholarly Publication Grant, LHU. Project title, ‘A failed political entity’: Charles Haughey and the Northern Ireland question, 1945-1992. Indexer costs and photography image rights (£750.00).
2015:
1. Research Bursary, LHU. Project title, ‘Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative Party and the Northern Ireland conflict, 1975-1990 (Part 1). (£1,275.00).
2014:
1. Teaching and Learning Innovation Award, LHU (£854.00)
2. Research Bursary, LHU. Project title, ‘A failed political entity’: Charles Haughey and the Northern Ireland question, 1945-1992. Archival visits (£1100).
2013:
1. Scholarly Publication Grant, LHU (£750.00)
2. Organising a Conference Award, LHU (2 awards) (£2,500.00)
2011:
1. National University of Ireland (NUI), Scholarly Publication Grant Award (€2,000)
2010:
1. Lord Edward Fitzgerald Memorial Bursary Fund, Silver Medal (UCD, NUI)
Professor of Modern Irish History and British-Irish Relations
Liverpool Hope University
Duties:
Management & Administrative (selected):
Department Level
1. Responsible for the management and administration of the Department, including managing the Department budget and maintaining appropriate records and making available information as required by senior management.
2. Direct and manage the academic programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including teaching, research, programme development and design, academic assessment and academic administration.
3. Responsible for quality assurance procedures and other procedures including, progression, complaints processing, grievance and disciplinary.
4. Responsible for the management and support of staff, including timetabling and evaluating staff performance.
5. Director of MA History programme.
School Level
1.School Management Committee member.
2. Early Career Research (ECR) mentor and academic advisor.
3. Postgraduate roles – AMR & CRE participation, Independent Chair and Internal PhD examiner.
University Level
1. Member of Senate
2. Senior Academic Committee member
3. To continually engage in external activities, necessary to the development and promotion of Liverpool Hope University, including advise on and participate in the promotion and marketing of the Department.
Academic Responsibilities (selected):
Department Level
1. Co-ordinate and deliver undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including lectures and small-group teaching (tutorials and seminars)
2. Develop and deliver innovative, research-led, high-quality courses.
3. Annual planning of the curriculum and teaching schedule.
4. Continued assessment/examination grading and feedback.
5. Student academic mentorship and pastoral care.
Research Responsibilities:
1. Continue to publish national and international outstanding peer-reviewed research-informed publications (see ‘Publications’ below).
HONOURS AND PRIZES:
2021-2022:
1. Visiting Fellow, University College Dublin Humanities Institute, 2021
2018-2017:
1. Erasmus Teaching Exchange Programme – KU Leuven University, Belgium, April-May 2018
2. 2017 Book Prize winner, Political Studies Association, Conservative and Conservatism Specialist Group
3. Teaching and Learning Innovation Award, LHU
2017-2016:
1. Archives By-Fellowship, Churchill College, University of Cambridge
2. The John Antcliffe Memorial Fund Grant, 2016-2017, Churchill Archives Centre
2016-2015:
1. British Higher Education Academy Teaching Fellowship
2015-2014:
1. Teaching and Learning Innovation Award, LHU
2014-2013:
1. Exceptional New Lecturer Award, a student nominated, LHU
2012-2011:
1. The John Henry Newman Resident Fellowship (The National Institute for Newman Studies, Pittsburgh, USA)
2. IRCHSS Post-Doctoral Fellow, UCD
2010-2009:
1. The James O’Mara Gold Medal Bursary research award
FUNDING AWARDS:
2018-2019:
1. Research Bursary, LHU. Project title, ‘Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative Party and the Northern Ireland conflict, 1975-1990 (Part 3) (£644.00).
2017-2018:
1. Research Bursary, LHU. Project title, ‘Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative Party and the Northern Ireland conflict, 1975-1990 (Part 2) (£977.00).
2. Teaching and Learning Innovation Award, LHU (£250.00).
2016-2017:
1. The John Antcliffe Memorial Fund Grant, 2016-2017, Churchill Archives Centre, University of Cambridge (£3,000).
2. Scholarly Publication Grant, LHU. Project title, ‘A failed political entity’: Charles Haughey and the Northern Ireland question, 1945-1992. Indexer costs and photography image rights (£750.00).
2015:
1. Research Bursary, LHU. Project title, ‘Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative Party and the Northern Ireland conflict, 1975-1990 (Part 1). (£1,275.00).
2014:
1. Teaching and Learning Innovation Award, LHU (£854.00)
2. Research Bursary, LHU. Project title, ‘A failed political entity’: Charles Haughey and the Northern Ireland question, 1945-1992. Archival visits (£1100).
2013:
1. Scholarly Publication Grant, LHU (£750.00)
2. Organising a Conference Award, LHU (2 awards) (£2,500.00)
2011:
1. National University of Ireland (NUI), Scholarly Publication Grant Award (€2,000)
2010:
1. Lord Edward Fitzgerald Memorial Bursary Fund, Silver Medal (UCD, NUI)
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Books
As the sub-title suggests (‘No textbook solutions’), this study provides compelling new evidence that the Conservative Party under the respective leaderships of Heath, Thatcher, Major and Hague struggled to formulate a coherent and long-term Northern Ireland policy during their respective leaderships of the Conservative Party.
Importantly, this study utilises an array of hitherto neglected (and in several instances recently made available) primary sources from archival institutions across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Such archival institutions include The National Archives of the United Kingdom (i.e., prime minister’s office); The Bodleian Library, University of Oxford (i.e., the Conservative Party Papers and Archive of Sir Edward Heath); and the Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, University of Cambridge (i.e., Margaret Thatcher Personal Papers). Additionally, this study will also be supported by a series of interviews with retired and still active politicians, policymakers and civil servants (including Sir John Major).
‘A rather full life’
Gerald Boland (Gearóid Ó Beoláin), a militant revolutionary, politician and statesman, has until now ranked amongst the neglected figures of modern Irish history. This book addresses this historical imbalance. Boland’s life story offers readers an insight into the birth and subsequent development of modern Ireland. From a humble working-class family, steeped in the Irish republican tradition, Boland played an active role in the Irish revolution and subsequently was at the forefront of political life in the nascent years of the Irish Free State, first as a Sinn Féin elected representative and thereafter within Fianna Fáil. His story thus offers a personal insight into many of the major military and political events that helped shape Ireland over the duration of his lifetime (1885–1973).
This biographical study provides readers with a critical examination of Gerald Boland’s military adventures, political manoeuvres and, significantly, his often overlooked role as one of Ireland’s eminent state-builders. The picture that emerges is of a patriotic adolescent developing into a strong-willed militant young man, politician and, later, respected (and sometimes feared) government minister. He was never afraid to speak his mind, exhibiting an independent spirit that gained him a reputation for brutal honesty. He did not suffer fools gladly.
"Filled with new detail after new detail gleaned from a host of archives and first-hand interviews, this book tells the fascinating story of an iconic party leader and prime minister forced by events into making more concessions than she and her colleagues ever imagined possible. Required reading for anyone interested in the Thatcher era, as well as in the Troubles and the tortuous route out of them." --Tim Bale, Professor of Politics, Queen Mary University of London, UK
"A major subject, examined through the interrogation of very rich source material. A fascinating study of painfully evolving relationships." --Richard English, author of Does Terrorism Work? A History
Abstract
The first woman elected to lead a major Western power and the longest serving British prime minister for 150 years, Margaret Thatcher is arguably one the most dominant and divisive forces in 20th-century British politics. Yet there has been no overarching exploration of the development of Thatcher’s views towards Northern Ireland from her appointment as Conservative Party leader in 1975 until her forced retirement in 1990. In this original and much-needed study, Stephen Kelly rectifies this.
From Thatcher’s ‘no surrender’ attitude to the Republican hunger strikes to her nurturing role in the early stages of the Northern Ireland peace process, Kelly traces the evolutionary and sometimes contradictory nature of Thatcher’s approach to Northern Ireland. In doing so, this book reflects afresh on the political relationship between Britain and Ireland in the late-20th century.
An engaging and nuanced analysis of previously neglected archival and reported sources, Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative Party and the Northern Ireland Conflict, 1975-1990 is a vital resource for those interested in Thatcherism, Anglo-Irish relations, and 20th-century British political history more broadly.
Charles J. Haughey maintained one of the most controversial and brilliant careers in the history of Irish politics, but for every stage in his mounting success there was one issue that complicated, and almost devastated, his ambitions to lead Irish politics: Northern Ireland. In ‘A Failed Political Entity’ Stephen Kelly uncovers the complex motives that underlie Haughey’s fervent attitude towards the political and sectarian violence that was raging across the border.
Early in Haughey’s governmental career he took a hard-line against the IRA, leading many to think he was antipathetic towards the situation in Northern Ireland. Then, in one of the most defining scandals in the history of modern Ireland - The Arms Crisis of 1970 - he was accused of attempting to supply northern nationalists with guns and ammunitions. Whilst his role in this murky affair almost ended his political career, the question of Northern Ireland was ever-binding and would deftly serve to bring Haughey back to power as taoiseach in 1979.
Through recent access to an astonishing array of classified documents and extensive interviews, Stephen Kelly confronts every controversy, examining the genesis of Haughey's attitude to Northern Ireland; allegations that Haughey played a key part in the formation of the Provisional IRA; the Haughey-Thatcher relationship; and Haughey's leading hand in the early stages of the fledgling Northern Ireland peace process.
My new book is now available for pre-order from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Failed-Political-Entity-Northern-1945-1992/dp/1785370987/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467287546&sr=1-1&keywords=a+failed+political+entity
Edited books
Articles - peer reviewed (including accepted pub.)
Firstly, it provides a critical reappraisal of Boland’s handling of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and its relationship with Nazi Germany, specifically the known collaboration between both movements, including the role played by Nazi spies (notably Hermann Goertz) in Ireland during the Second World War (1939-1945). As somebody who described himself as ‘anti-Nazi’, Boland is portrayed as a minister who deeply despised Nazism and the movement’s collaborative efforts with the ‘new’ IRA, to use Boland’s description.
Secondly, this article analyses Boland’s attitude towards IRA hunger-strikers and his support for the execution of IRA members during the war-years. It reveals the extent of division within the Irish cabinet concerning Boland’s actions against the IRA and more broadly the pressures he faced as minister for justice. The impending death of IRA hunger-striker Patrick McGrath, in the winter of 1939, was a particularly difficult time for Boland. As is examined, many within Fianna Fáil, remembering their own recent past (including some government ministers), were profoundly uneasy about Boland’s initial refusal to show clemency concerning McGrath’s case.
Significantly, this work focuses on two controversial aspects of the joint communiqué issued on behalf of the British and Irish governments in the aftermath of the Anglo-Irish summit meeting of December 1980: first, the decision to use the phrase “the totality of relationships” to describe the relations between the two sovereign countries; and second, the proposed commissioning, on behalf of both administrations, of British-Irish joint study-groups.
As the sub-title suggests (‘No textbook solutions’), this study provides compelling new evidence that the Conservative Party under the respective leaderships of Heath, Thatcher, Major and Hague struggled to formulate a coherent and long-term Northern Ireland policy during their respective leaderships of the Conservative Party.
Importantly, this study utilises an array of hitherto neglected (and in several instances recently made available) primary sources from archival institutions across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Such archival institutions include The National Archives of the United Kingdom (i.e., prime minister’s office); The Bodleian Library, University of Oxford (i.e., the Conservative Party Papers and Archive of Sir Edward Heath); and the Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, University of Cambridge (i.e., Margaret Thatcher Personal Papers). Additionally, this study will also be supported by a series of interviews with retired and still active politicians, policymakers and civil servants (including Sir John Major).
‘A rather full life’
Gerald Boland (Gearóid Ó Beoláin), a militant revolutionary, politician and statesman, has until now ranked amongst the neglected figures of modern Irish history. This book addresses this historical imbalance. Boland’s life story offers readers an insight into the birth and subsequent development of modern Ireland. From a humble working-class family, steeped in the Irish republican tradition, Boland played an active role in the Irish revolution and subsequently was at the forefront of political life in the nascent years of the Irish Free State, first as a Sinn Féin elected representative and thereafter within Fianna Fáil. His story thus offers a personal insight into many of the major military and political events that helped shape Ireland over the duration of his lifetime (1885–1973).
This biographical study provides readers with a critical examination of Gerald Boland’s military adventures, political manoeuvres and, significantly, his often overlooked role as one of Ireland’s eminent state-builders. The picture that emerges is of a patriotic adolescent developing into a strong-willed militant young man, politician and, later, respected (and sometimes feared) government minister. He was never afraid to speak his mind, exhibiting an independent spirit that gained him a reputation for brutal honesty. He did not suffer fools gladly.
"Filled with new detail after new detail gleaned from a host of archives and first-hand interviews, this book tells the fascinating story of an iconic party leader and prime minister forced by events into making more concessions than she and her colleagues ever imagined possible. Required reading for anyone interested in the Thatcher era, as well as in the Troubles and the tortuous route out of them." --Tim Bale, Professor of Politics, Queen Mary University of London, UK
"A major subject, examined through the interrogation of very rich source material. A fascinating study of painfully evolving relationships." --Richard English, author of Does Terrorism Work? A History
Abstract
The first woman elected to lead a major Western power and the longest serving British prime minister for 150 years, Margaret Thatcher is arguably one the most dominant and divisive forces in 20th-century British politics. Yet there has been no overarching exploration of the development of Thatcher’s views towards Northern Ireland from her appointment as Conservative Party leader in 1975 until her forced retirement in 1990. In this original and much-needed study, Stephen Kelly rectifies this.
From Thatcher’s ‘no surrender’ attitude to the Republican hunger strikes to her nurturing role in the early stages of the Northern Ireland peace process, Kelly traces the evolutionary and sometimes contradictory nature of Thatcher’s approach to Northern Ireland. In doing so, this book reflects afresh on the political relationship between Britain and Ireland in the late-20th century.
An engaging and nuanced analysis of previously neglected archival and reported sources, Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative Party and the Northern Ireland Conflict, 1975-1990 is a vital resource for those interested in Thatcherism, Anglo-Irish relations, and 20th-century British political history more broadly.
Charles J. Haughey maintained one of the most controversial and brilliant careers in the history of Irish politics, but for every stage in his mounting success there was one issue that complicated, and almost devastated, his ambitions to lead Irish politics: Northern Ireland. In ‘A Failed Political Entity’ Stephen Kelly uncovers the complex motives that underlie Haughey’s fervent attitude towards the political and sectarian violence that was raging across the border.
Early in Haughey’s governmental career he took a hard-line against the IRA, leading many to think he was antipathetic towards the situation in Northern Ireland. Then, in one of the most defining scandals in the history of modern Ireland - The Arms Crisis of 1970 - he was accused of attempting to supply northern nationalists with guns and ammunitions. Whilst his role in this murky affair almost ended his political career, the question of Northern Ireland was ever-binding and would deftly serve to bring Haughey back to power as taoiseach in 1979.
Through recent access to an astonishing array of classified documents and extensive interviews, Stephen Kelly confronts every controversy, examining the genesis of Haughey's attitude to Northern Ireland; allegations that Haughey played a key part in the formation of the Provisional IRA; the Haughey-Thatcher relationship; and Haughey's leading hand in the early stages of the fledgling Northern Ireland peace process.
My new book is now available for pre-order from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Failed-Political-Entity-Northern-1945-1992/dp/1785370987/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467287546&sr=1-1&keywords=a+failed+political+entity
Firstly, it provides a critical reappraisal of Boland’s handling of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and its relationship with Nazi Germany, specifically the known collaboration between both movements, including the role played by Nazi spies (notably Hermann Goertz) in Ireland during the Second World War (1939-1945). As somebody who described himself as ‘anti-Nazi’, Boland is portrayed as a minister who deeply despised Nazism and the movement’s collaborative efforts with the ‘new’ IRA, to use Boland’s description.
Secondly, this article analyses Boland’s attitude towards IRA hunger-strikers and his support for the execution of IRA members during the war-years. It reveals the extent of division within the Irish cabinet concerning Boland’s actions against the IRA and more broadly the pressures he faced as minister for justice. The impending death of IRA hunger-striker Patrick McGrath, in the winter of 1939, was a particularly difficult time for Boland. As is examined, many within Fianna Fáil, remembering their own recent past (including some government ministers), were profoundly uneasy about Boland’s initial refusal to show clemency concerning McGrath’s case.
Significantly, this work focuses on two controversial aspects of the joint communiqué issued on behalf of the British and Irish governments in the aftermath of the Anglo-Irish summit meeting of December 1980: first, the decision to use the phrase “the totality of relationships” to describe the relations between the two sovereign countries; and second, the proposed commissioning, on behalf of both administrations, of British-Irish joint study-groups.
that can be regarded as a definitive work on the Thatcher government and Ireland'.