John Major delivers 2023 Henry Grattan lecture

Posted on: 25 May 2023

Former British Prime Minister Sir John Major (pictured below) last night delivered the 2023 Henry Grattan Lecture at the Embassy of Ireland in London on the topic of 'The Peace Process and Beyond'.

He said tweaks may be needed to the Good Friday Agreement, noting: "Apart from the turmoil of the Brexit years, when relations were disturbed, London and Dublin have become closer, perhaps, than at any time in our long joint history. I hope we have the good judgement to build on that."

"At some time, the British and Irish Governments may wish to review the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement and, perhaps, make some tweaks ‒ but not, I think, very many: the Act has stood up well over a long infancy.

"But it might be prudent to amend the legislation to protect the Executive and Assembly from being collapsed if one Party fails to take up its responsibilities."

Following the talk on the evening of 24 May 2023, Sir John sat down with Rory Carroll, Trinity alumnus and Ireland correspondent for The Guardian, to further discuss the peace process and the legacy of the Good Friday Agreement.

Irish Ambassador Martin Fraser and Mrs Deirdre Fraser welcomed Trinity Provost Dr Linda Doyle (pictured below) and John Major to the Embassy in London for the event.  

The Ambassador spoke about the peace process and his own experiences working with various prime ministers throughout his career. He also spoke of the great support and leadership Sir John has shown throughout the peace process and in strengthening the UK-Ireland relationship.

Provost Dr Linda Doyle addressed the importance of the connections and collaborations that continue to exist between Trinity and British universities. She said Sir John's leadership, with integrity, honesty and openness, reflected the qualities that Trinity aims to instil in its students.

An initiative of the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy, the Henry Grattan lecture series has been running since 2013, featuring speakers including former Taoiseach Mr John Bruton, EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness, former President of Ireland Mary McAleese and Mario Draghi, former President of the European Central Bank.

Previous lectures have addressed topics such as The Political Consequences of Brexit, The Challenges of EU Migration and EU-US Relations in a Changing World. 

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