Éamon Gerard Phoenix (17 May 1953 – 13 November 2022) was one of Northern Ireland’s leading social and political historians specialising in the history of the North-East part of the island. He was a regular broadcaster with

BBC Northern Ireland BBC Northern Ireland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcasting, public broadcaster in Northern Ireland. It is widely available across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. BBC Northern Ireland is one of the four BB ...

and a prolific contributor to

Irish News Irish commonly refers to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the island and the sovereign state *** Erse (disambiguati ...

Biography

Éamon Phoenix attended

St Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School, Belfast St Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School (St Mary's CBGS) is a Roman Catholic boys' grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. History The origins of the school can be traced to St Mary's School which was established in Divis Street by ...

and subsequently Queen’s University Belfast. He was awarded a B.A. (Hons) in History followed by a Ph.D. in 1983. The topic of his PhD thesis was Irish nationalism. He taught history at

St Michael's College, Enniskillen St Michael's College (Irish: ''Coláiste Mhíchíl'') is a Roman Catholic boys' grammar school located in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. Named for St Michael the Archangel, the school educates boys in County Fermanagh and the surrounding area ...

and then at

St Malachy's College St Malachy's College, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is the oldest Catholic diocesan college in Ulster. The college's alumni and students are known as Malachians. History The college, founded by William Crolly, Bishop William Crolly, opened on th ...

, Belfast. He also worked as a Fellow at the Institute of Irish Studies at

Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

before taking up a permanent appointment at

Stranmillis University College Stranmillis University College is a university college of Queen's University Belfast. The institution is located on the Stranmillis Road in Belfast. It had students in . The school offers the BEd, PGCE and TESOL, as well as other courses. ...

. He published extensively on aspects of Irish history and regularly gave public lectures on the subject. He wrote articles on aspects of Irish history for newspapers and for online publications including the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

and also contributed to programmes on

BBC Radio Ulster BBC Radio Ulster is a Northern Ireland, Northern Irish national radio station owned and operated by BBC Northern Ireland, a division of the BBC. It was established on New Year's Day 1975, replacing what had been an opt-out of BBC Radio 4. Acc ...

Public Life

Phoenix held a variety of positions. He was Chairperson of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust Northern Ireland. He was a member of the Expert Advisory Group established by the Irish government to advise it on matters related to the Decade of Centenaries. He also organised a lecture series for the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council. He was a member of the National Famine Committee and the Nomadic Project Board. He was a Trustee of the Ulster Historical Foundation.

Awards

* 2022 - Good Relations Award from the Community Relations Council

Legacy

In 2023 Stranmillis University College established the ''Dr Éamon Phoenix Memorial Lecture'' dedicated to honouring his legacy. The lecture is designed to attract educators, researchers, students and professionals to engage in discussions on contemporary educational themes.

Bibliography

Books

* Phoenix, E.G., McAuley, E., & McSparran, N. (2021). Feis na nGleann: A Century of Gaelic Culture in the Antrim Glens. Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation. * Phoenix, E.G. (2000). Two Acres of Irish History: Study Through Time of Friar's Bush and Belfast, 1570–1918. Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation. * Phoenix, E.G. (1995). A Century of Northern Life: Irish News and 100 Years of Ulster History, 1890s-1990s. Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation. * Phoenix, E.G. (1994). Northern Nationalism: Nationalist Politics, Partition and the Catholic Minority in Northern Ireland, 1890–1940. Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation.

Articles

* McMinn, R., & Phoenix, E. (2005). The Chilver Report: unity and diversity. Irish Educational Studies, 24 (1), 5-19. * McMinn, R., Phoenix, E., & Beggs, J. (2016). Jeremiah Jordan M.P. (1830–1911): Protestant home ruler or ‘Protestant renegade’?, Irish Historical Studies, 36, 143, 349-367.

References

1953 births 2022 deaths People educated at St. Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School, Belfast Alumni of Queen's University Belfast 20th-century Irish historians 21st-century Irish historians Scholars and academics from Belfast {{Ireland-historian-stub