As part of the Keough-Naughton Institute's fall 2024 speaker series, Professor Peter Shirlow will deliver a lecture titled “The Failings of Irish Republicans and the National Question in Ireland.” Lecture Abstract This lecture will explore how, despite post-Brexit Referendum predictions of a united Ireland by as early as 2021, there has been, at best, limited growth in recorded support for ending partition between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Growth of Northern Ireland’s Catholic population has been less dramatic than predicted and the region now has the fastest growing economy in the UK. Peter Shirlow asserts that in this context, pro-united Ireland campaigns and republican activism, especially via civic fora and social media, have failed to significantly close the gap between Irish unity and pro-union proponents. In this lecture, Shirlow will consider how Irish Republican arguments for unity contain internal contractions: underscoring the economic successes of the South while also indicating its structural deficiencies, or pointing to socio-economic deficiencies of Northern Ireland even while Republicans are co-authors of its new found economic growth. Ultimately, Shirlow argues, the shortcomings of Irish republicanism lie in its inability to read and understand the new sociology of Northern Ireland– particularly temporal and social shifts that potentially render the inevitability thesis of Irish unification inconsistent, if not ineffective, in the short to medium term. Speaker Biography Professor Peter Shirlow (FaCSS) is the director at the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Irish Studies. He was formerly the deputy director of the Institute for Conflict Transformation and Social Justice, QUB. He is the independent chair of the Executive Office's Employers' Guidance on Recruiting People with Conflict-Related Convictions Working Group and a board member of the mental health charity Threshold. He is a visiting research professor at the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. He sits on the editorial boards of Irish Political Studies and International Planning Studies. Professor Shirlow has undertaken conflict transformation work in Northern Ireland and has used that knowledge in exchanges with governments, former combatants and NGOs in the former Yugoslavia, Moldova, Bahrain and Iraq. He has also presented talks to members of the US Senate and House of Representatives and is a regular media contributor. Originally published at irishstudies.nd.edu.

Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Abigail Washburn is a banjo virtuoso who became fluent in both the language and culture of China while prepping for a career in law focused on U.S.-China relations. Wu Fei, a Chinese musical prodigy and master of the 2,000-year-old 21-string guzheng, was destined for a professional career performing state-sanctioned works in her homeland. GET TICKETS  

This event is part of the Kroc Institute’s series on intersectionality and justice as a beneficial framework and methodology paired with peace studies. The series is led by Ashley Bohrer, assistant professor of gender and peace studies, and features a variety of guest presenters who address the potential of intersectional analysis to transform timely global conversations and issues. Since the new millennium, Rwanda has been celebrated as a prosperous country with the highest number of women (61% in 2018) in its Parliament. Yet, President Paul Kagame has been winning Rwandan elections since 2003, and in 2024 was elected to a fourth term with 99.15% vote. Led by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), the government has been criticized as an authoritarian state for its repression of political dissidents. Dr. Xianan Jin, lecturer in politics at the University of Exeter, will discuss her book project, "Selective Capital in Women’s Political Participation: Neoliberal Authoritarianism in Rwanda," which investigates the paradox between liberal political inclusion of women and oppressive state control. Originally published at kroc.nd.edu.

Eurydice  Presented by Notre Dame Film, Television, and Theatre by Sarah RuhlDirected by Sarah Gitenstein In a humorous and poetic reimagining of the classic myth, Eurydice must travel to the Underworld after dying on her wedding day. Once there, she must choose between returning to Earth with her love, Orpheus, or staying in the Underworld with her father. Performance Schedule  April 9-13, 2025Wednesday - Saturday at 7:30 PMSunday at 2:30 PM Philbin Studio TheatreDeBartolo Performing Arts Center Tickets Tickets for Eurydice are $10 for the general public and $5 for Faculty/Staff, Students, and Seniors (65+). If you would like to purchase tickets for the full NDFTT season, a season bundle is currently available. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 574-631-2800, in person at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center ticket office (M-F 12:00 - 6:00 PM), or online at performingarts.nd.edu. BUY TICKETS SEASON BUNDLE Parking Free parking is available daily after 5:00 pm in the Stayer Center parking lot, just north of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. Patrons may now receive free event parking at the Eddy Street Commons Parking Garage by bringing your event tickets and parking ticket to the DPAC Ticket Office to receive a pre-paid parking voucher. An accessible lot for disabled patrons is available immediately adjacent to the center; a valid hangtag or license plate is required. There is a ten-minute parking zone on the north drive of the center for ticket pick-up; during inclement weather you are welcome to drop off guests in this area and proceed to parking.“Eurydice” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC. www.concordtheatricals.com EURYDICE was originally produced by Madison Repertory Theatre, Madison, Wisconsin, August 29, 2003. Richard Corley, Artistic Director, Tony Forman, Managing Director. And subsequently produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2004. Tony Taccone, Artistic Director, Susan Medak, Managing Director. And Yale Repertory Theatre, James Bundy, Artistic Director, Victoria Nolan, Managing Director. Produced by Second Stage Theatre, New York, 2007 Carole Rothman: Artistic Director. EURYDICE is produced by special arrangement with Bruce Ostler, BRET ADAMS, LTD., 448 West 44th Street, NY 10036.   Originally published at ftt.nd.edu.

The Notre Dame Student Peace Conference is an annual conference organized by undergraduate peace studies students at the University of Notre Dame. During this free conference, undergraduate and graduate students from across the U.S. and abroad present original research, showcase innovative practices, and network with peers who share their passion for peace. More information about this year’s conference will be provided in the coming months. Students and faculty who wish to learn more about participating in the upcoming conference can visit the conference program page. Originally published at kroc.nd.edu.

Why Well-Run Companies Will Continue to Fail  is presented by Alex Slawsby, chief growth officer, InnoLead, an organization that creates  content, events and tools to help the world’s largest network of corporate strategy, innovation and R&D leaders drive change more successfully. The Ten Years Hence speaker series explores issues, ideas, and trends likely to affect business and society over the next decade. The theme of the 2025 series is Innovation: The Process of Creation and Renewal. Ten Years Hence is sponsored by the Eugene Clark Distinguished Lecture Series endowment. This is one of seven lectures in the Ten Years Hence Lecture Series. See website for details and other lecture dates. Free and open to students, faculty, staff and public.