CCBS 25th Annual Conference

Celebrating a shared journey and the path ahead

Our 25th Annual Conference will take place on Thursday 19 September 2024 in Ballymascanlon Hotel and Golf Resort, Dundalk.

It is the highlight of our events calendar and there will be noteworthy keynote addresses, panel discussions, and informal networking. The conference will bring together a range of decision and policy-makers, leading academics, civil society representatives and commentators. The work of the Centre for Cross Border Studies has been significant in supporting cooperation and relations within and across these islands. We will be celebrating key achievements, partnerships, events and staff over the past 25 years.

Volume 19 of the Journal of Cross Border Studies in Ireland will also be presented at the conference. Comprising a range of articles by well-known contributors from the academic and policy world, it is a great read.

We’ll be adding details of the conference programme, confirmed sponsors, and sponsorship opportunities to this page.

Programme

The conference starts with a networking breakfast from 8-9.30am, kindly supported by Bon Secours Hospital Dublin and the Centre for Effective Services..

Welcome – Peter Osborne (Chair of the Centre for Cross Border Studies)

Panel 1: The Directors’ Panel

• Andy Pollak (founding Director of CCBS)
• Ruth Taillon (former Director of CCBS), and
• Dr Anthony Soares (current Director of CCBS)

This panel has been kindly supported by Waterways Ireland and will be chaired by by Caitriona Mullan (Senior Research Associate at the CCBS)

Keynote Speaker: Patrick O’Donovan TD (Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science)

Coffee

Panel 2: Starting the adventure

• Martin Fraser (Irish Ambassador to the UK)
• Tom Hanney (former Joint Secretary [South] of the North South Ministerial Council)
• Mary Bunting (former Joint Secretary [North] of the North South Ministerial Council), and
• Michael D’Arcy (CCBS Senior Research Associate and Advisor to the IBEC-CBI NI Joint Business Council)

This panel has been kindly supported by the Institute of Public Health and will be chaired by Maureen O’Reilly (Senior Research Associate at the CCBS)

Lunch

Panel 3: Choosing the right path

• Dr Helen Johnston (Senior Policy Analyst at the National Economic and Social Council and former Chair of CCBS)
• Anne Thevenet (Assistant Director of Euro-Institut)
• Pamela Arthurs (Chief Executive of East Border Region Ltd), and
• Prof Duncan Morrow (Professor in Politics and Director of Community Engagement at Ulster University)

This panel will be chaired by will be chaired by Dr Orla Flynn (President of Atlantic Technological University – representing the North West Tertiary Education Cluster) and has been kindly supported by the North West Tertiary Education Cluster

Keynote Speaker: To be announced

Coffee

Panel 4: Where to next?

• Gina McIntyre (Chief Executive of the Special EU Programmes Body)
• Martín Guillermo-Ramírez (Secretary General of the Association of European Border Regions)
• Paul Johnston (British Ambassador to Ireland), and
• Danny McCoy (CEO of IBEC)

This panel will be chaired by Tara Farrell (Chief Executive Officer of Longford Women’s Link) and has been kindly supported by the Irish Business and Employers’ Confederation (Ibec) 

Closing Remarks – Dr Anthony Soares

Reception & Dinner – The Irish Association and Tierney Tax Consultancy are supporting the Reception and the Conference Dinner has been kindly sponsored by Dublin City University and Queen’s University Belfast.  The special speaker will be introduced by Philip McDonagh, a Board Member at the Centre for Cross Border Studies.

‘Early bird’ Delegate rates

Conference Rate – £45 (until 31 July 2024), £65 (from 1 August 2024)

Conference Rate, Reception & Dinner – £85 (until 31 July 2024), £110 (from 1 August 2024)

Accommodation rate (delegates should arrange their own accommodation booking with the hotel, using code ‘CCBS September 19th’ – single €130, double €145)

Sponsorship

We have developed conference sponsorship packages. If your organisation is interested in sponsoring part of the conference, please email conference@crossborder.ie

Register