I delivered a briefing paper for the Faith in Europe group on 16 July, ‘Identity on the island of Ireland after Brexit and Covid-19: Can the Churches Help Shape a New Landscape?’ The meeting was originally scheduled for London but held remotely via Zoom.
You can read the full text of my briefing here.
The introduction to my remarks (below) provides some sense of the content of the paper.
Introduction
Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak with you today on ‘Identity on the island of Ireland after Brexit and Covid-19: Can the Churches Help Shape a New Landscape?’ My talk will proceed as follows:
First, I will outline changes in political and religious identification on the island since 1998, the year of the Good Friday Agreement;
Second, I will reflect on how Brexit has been a shock to relationships and identities across the island (and between Ireland and the UK);
Third, I will describe how the churches have responded to Brexit, primarily profiling the work of the Irish Council of Churches/Irish Inter Church Meeting; and
Finally, I will consider the role of religion during the Covid-19 pandemic, arguing that the churches’ increased visibility and cooperation, which is related to responding to the pandemic, may open doors for more significant public engagement for church contributions on Brexit, particularly around issues of identity, belonging and collaboration.