The Island of Ireland and the European Union: Past, Present and Future

• Published date: 01 March 2026
• Author: Giada Lagana,Michael Holmes
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cep4.70030
• Section: Editorial

Contemporary European Politics

EDITORIAL

The Island of Ireland and the European Union: Past,

Present and Future

Giada Lagana

1

| Michael Holmes

2

1

School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK |

2

ESPOL, Université Catholique De Lille, Lille, France

Correspondence: Giada Lagana (laganag@cardiff.ac.uk) | Michael Holmes (michael.holmes@univ-catholille.fr)

Funding: Details omitted for double‐anonymized peer review

Keywords: cross‐border cooperation | EU‐Ireland relations | foreign policy | Irish politics | peacebuilding

ABSTRACT

This Special Collection explores the evolving relationship between the island of Ireland and the European Union (EU) against a

backdrop of profound political, economic and geopolitical change. Brexit, shifting EU security priorities, growing global trade

uncertainty and other challenges have disrupted long‐standing patterns of Irish engagement with Europe, with distinct con-

sequences for both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Addressing themes ranging from crisis governance and

external relations to peacebuilding, taxation and identity politics, the contributions highlight the diverse ways in which

Ireland's European future is being reshaped. Organised around the dual contexts of the Republic and Northern Ireland, and

complemented by cross‐border analyses, this Special Collection highlights the importance of an all‐island perspective. Col-

lectively, the articles shed light on broader questions concerning small states in the EU, the management of crises, the long and

demanding journey of building peace and the interplay between domestic and European change, while emphasising both

Ireland's vulnerabilities and its agency as it navigates an uncertain European and global order.

1 | Introduction

‘There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks

where decades happen’. This oft‐cited aphorism aptly captures

the accelerated pace of change in Ireland's relationship with the

European Union (EU) in recent years. For much of the post‐

accession period, Ireland's position within Europe appeared

relatively stable: membership delivered economic benefits,

supported North–South and East–West socio‐spatial reconcili-

ation and coexisted comfortably with strong transatlantic ties

(Hayward 2009; Tonra 2009; Ó Beacháin 2014; Simpson 2019).

As late as 2015, Ireland seemed to enjoy a reasonably balanced

triangular position: EU membership facilitated a greatly im-

proved relationship with Britain, while leaving intact Ireland's

vital economic links with the United States.

The decade from 2015 to 2025, however, unsettled this equili-

brium. The United Kingdom's (UK) decision to leave the EU in

2016, and its subsequent withdrawal in 2020, generated pro-

found challenges for Irish trade, the Northern Ireland peace

process and freedom of movement between Britain and Ireland

(Murphy 2023). Brexit disrupted political, economic and social

relations in ways that continue to reverberate. At the same time,

the Russian invasion of Ukraine reoriented EU security and

energy priorities (European Commission Office 2023), while

shifting dynamics in US foreign and trade policy—reinforced by

Donald Trump's return to the presidency in 2025—have

unsettled long‐standing assumptions about Ireland's external

environment (Von Der Leyen 2024; Coveney 2025).

These overlapping crises reveal how Ireland's European role is no

longer peripheral but deeply enmeshed in continental and global

transformations. They also underscore the differentiated conse-

quences for the two polities on the island. The Republic of Ire-

land,

1

as a small state turned influential EU member, has been

propelled into a more assertive European role (Murphy 2019).

Northern Ireland, by contrast, remains caught between EU and

UK frameworks, its singular position once again a central fault

line in British–Irish and impacting on European politics

(Lagana 2021).

© 2026 The Author(s). Contemporary European Politics published by University Association for Contemporary European Studies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

1 of 6 Contemporary European Politics, 2026; 4:e70030

https://doi.org/10.1002/cep4.70030