Professor’s Book Goes Beyond Good Friday to Offer Insight into Northern Ireland Today

The Good Friday Agreement, signed in 1998 in Belfast, Ireland, ended most of the violence in Northern Ireland and led to peace between the British and Irish governments. But where does the country go from there?

Pitt-Greensburg professor Paul Adams answers that question and more in his new book, Beyond Good Friday: Governance Possibilities in Post-Brexit Northern Ireland (Bloomsbury, December 2025).

This St. Patrick’s Day, Pitt-Greensburg will host a celebration for Dr. Adams, who will read from and discuss his book on Tuesday, March 17 at 6 p.m. in the Smith Hall Lounge. The event is free and open to the public. A reception will follow.

While Brexit changed the trajectory of Northern Irish politics, Beyond Good Friday: Governance Possibilities in Post-Brexit Northern Ireland investigates and analyzes what Northern Ireland’s future may look like.

As Dr. Adams writes in the book’s introduction, “Shared co-sovereign governance of the region by the Republic of Ireland and the UK… could be one hope for not only long-term peace and stability, but also more effective governance.”

The significant changes affecting Northern Ireland, both past and future, Dr. Adams suggests, are both timely and healthy for Northern Irish democracy.  

Dr. Adams, a specialist in comparative politics and international relations, authored or co-authored chapters in many academic books. He also co-edited two anthologies: Western Europe and the United States: Foundations of Comparative Politics (2005) and The Impact of Natural Disasters on Systemic Political and Social Inequities in the United States (2020). He is an associate professor of political science at Pitt-Greensburg and affiliated faculty of the Jean Monnet European Union Center of Excellence and Center for European Studies at the University of Pittsburgh’s Oakland Campus.

The book-launch celebration is sponsored by Pitt-Greensburg’s Creative and Professional Writing Program. For more information, contact Professor Lori Jakiela at loj@pitt.edu.