The 2016 Brexit referendum altered Irish–British relations, exposing deep political, cultural and social fissures in the ‘equality’ between communities in Northern Ireland. It also sparked public debate about the future for the island of Ireland: in the north, given that the majority voted to remain in the EU, and in the south, in terms of both Irish–British trade relations and the implications for ‘old’ or ‘new’ Irish, Angloor British-Irish, Ulster-Irish and Ulster-British domiciled there. Diplomats, civil servants and politicians have long held an interest in the wider social role of sport, and sporting administrators also operate in the context of how ‘the diverse identities and traditions on the island are understood, felt, expressed and promoted, and how they are perceived and understood by those of other traditions’. In episode 11 of the ARINS podcast, Katie Liston, Joseph Maguire and Bruce Kidd explore the role of sports in crafting identities and shaping politics on the island of Ireland.
The ARINS podcast goes live on the first Thursday of each month and episodes are available on SoundCloud, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
You can read Katie Liston and Joseph Maguire’s paper, as it appears in Irish Studies in International Affairs, at doi.org/10.1353/isia.2022.0005.
Bruce Kidd’s response is available at doi.org/10.1353/isia.2022.0007.
Katie Liston is Senior Lecturer School of Sport, University of Ulster.
Joseph Maguire is Professor Emeritus of Sociology of Sport, Loughborough University.
Bruce Kidd is Professor Emeritus Sport and Public Policy University of Toronto.
About the series
This podcast series provides evidence-based research and analysis on the most significant questions of policy and public debate facing the island of Ireland, north and south. Host Rory Montgomery, MRIA, talks to authors of articles on topics such as cross border health co-operation; the need to regulate social media in referendums, education, cultural affairs and constitutional questions and the imperative for good data and the need to carry out impartial research. New episodes are released on the first Thursday of every month and can be found on our SoundCloud channel or any podcast platform.
About the project
ARINS: Analysing and Researching Ireland North and South brings together experts to provide evidence-based research and analysis on the most significant questions of policy and public debate facing the island of Ireland, north and south. The project publishes, facilitates and disseminates research on the challenges and opportunities presented to the island in a post-Brexit context, with the intention of contributing to an informed public discourse. More information can be found on the ARINS website.
ARINS is a joint project of The Royal Irish Academy, an all-island body, and the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs.