Stephen Kelly (Liverpool Hope University)
Irish Studies Seminar Room, 27 University Square 01/003, Belfast, BT71NN
Monday 9th November 2026
The Broken Emerald: Edward Heath and the early years of the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1968-1975
This paper critically examines Edward Heath's public and private attitudes toward Northern Ireland during his time as official leader of the Opposition (1965-1970 & 1974-1975) and U.K. prime minister (1970-1974). With access to new and previously closed archival files, this paper radically challenges current historiography on Heath's Northern Ireland policy.
The paper offers a fascinating insight into some of the more controversial aspects of the U.K. government's Northern Ireland policy during the early years of the 'Troubles', including Heath's attitude to the use of the so-called 'five techniques' of torture; his pivotal role during the events leading to 'Bloody Sunday', on 30 January 1972; and, lastly, his role as one of the leading architects of the Sunningdale Agreement of December 1973.
Stephen Kelly is Professor of Modern Irish History and British-Irish Relations and Head of the School of Humanities at Liverpool Hope University, UK. He has published extensively on Modern Irish History and the Northern Ireland Conflict. He is the author of Gerald Boland: A Biography (2024); Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative Party and the Northern Ireland conflict, 1975-1990 (2021); 'A Failed Political Entity': Charles Haughey and the Northern Ireland Question, 1945-1992 (2016); Frank Aiken: Nationalist and Internationalist (edited collection) (2014); and Fianna Fáil, Partition and Northern Ireland, 1926-1971 (2013). His latest monograph, ‘The Broken Emerald': Edward Heath and the early years of the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1968-1975 (2026), will be published in November 2026.
This paper critically examines Edward Heath's public and private attitudes toward Northern Ireland during his time as official leader of the Opposition (1965-1970 & 1974-1975) and U.K. prime minister (1970-1974). With access to new and previously closed archival files, this paper radically challenges current historiography on Heath's Northern Ireland policy.
The paper offers a fascinating insight into some of the more controversial aspects of the U.K. government's Northern Ireland policy during the early years of the 'Troubles', including Heath's attitude to the use of the so-called 'five techniques' of torture; his pivotal role during the events leading to 'Bloody Sunday', on 30 January 1972; and, lastly, his role as one of the leading architects of the Sunningdale Agreement of December 1973.
Stephen Kelly is Professor of Modern Irish History and British-Irish Relations and Head of the School of Humanities at Liverpool Hope University, UK. He has published extensively on Modern Irish History and the Northern Ireland Conflict. He is the author of Gerald Boland: A Biography (2024); Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative Party and the Northern Ireland conflict, 1975-1990 (2021); 'A Failed Political Entity': Charles Haughey and the Northern Ireland Question, 1945-1992 (2016); Frank Aiken: Nationalist and Internationalist (edited collection) (2014); and Fianna Fáil, Partition and Northern Ireland, 1926-1971 (2013). His latest monograph, ‘The Broken Emerald': Edward Heath and the early years of the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1968-1975 (2026), will be published in November 2026.
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