ARINS: Analysing and Researching Ireland North and South

The ARINS Project was established in 2021 to explore the most fundamental issues affecting the future of the island of Ireland, north and south. This nonpartisan academic project is a joint initiative of the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies in the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs and the Royal Irish Academy, an all-island learned society founded by charter in 1785 and one of Ireland’s leading cultural institutions.

ARINS commissions evidence-based research from across the spectrum of disciplines, perspectives, and demographics. More than 140 authors have written peer-reviewed research published by ARINS and other partners to inform academics, practitioners, and policymakers. The project has also provided briefings to most major political parties on the island of Ireland, to the British and Irish governments, and to the British and Irish parliaments.

In addition, ARINS has succeeded in bringing people of diverse perspectives together for dialogue about the island’s future. The project has convened more than 100 events and public conversations with elected officials and cultural leaders in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Brussels, and the United States.

ARINS has two primary lines of inquiry:

1. Exploring how to make the island work better for citizens across two jurisdictions

This first topic seeks to enhance the social, economic, and cultural lives of citizens across the island of Ireland and to encourage all-island understanding and cooperation. Researchers have looked at, for example, options for economic, environmental, education, health, security, and social policy, as well as cross-border cooperation in the arts and the appropriate accommodation of diverse cultures, identities, and symbols. Other projects have focused on comparative research of social, legal, and administrative arrangements.

2. Examining constitutional options for and against a united Ireland

This second topic seeks to articulate the constitutional issues at stake so that members of the public can make informed decisions about their future. While it is far from certain that a referendum will be called on Irish unification, what is widely agreed upon is that doing so in the absence of deep and credible research and informed debate on the options and their consequences is not desirable.

As a research project, ARINS takes a neutral stance on the direction and destination of any changes and remains open to what may emerge. The project’s aim is to foster informed debate and to model evidence-based discussion.

Visit the ARINS website: arinsproject.comFollow ARINS on social media

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  Research

  Articles commissioned by ARINS are published in Irish Studies in International Affairs, the leading Irish-based academic journal in the discipline. Each article is peer reviewed, and all of the research is freely available online.

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  Polling

  ARINS has partnered with the Irish Times to gather extensive survey data on attitudes toward the possibility of a united Ireland and related issues. The data, questionnaires, and methodology are all publicly available online.

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  Podcasts

  ARINS produces two podcasts that delve deeper into the project’s research and views related to identity on the island of Ireland. The ARINS Podcast is hosted by former Irish diplomat Rory Montgomery, while My Identity is hosted by Professor Colin Graham of Maynooth University.

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  ‘For and Against a United Ireland’

  This book commissioned by ARINS has become an important contribution to the ongoing conversation about Irish unification. The authors are two of the island’s most distinguished journalists: Fintan O’Toole of the Irish Times and Sam McBride of the Belfast Telegraph.