Michael Holmes

Michael Holmes serves as a Lecturer in political science and co-Director of international mobility at the School of Political Science and International Relations, Catholic University of Lille.

His research interests include:

• Political parties and European integration
• Left-wing parties and European integration
• Ireland and the European Union
• Irish foreign policy
• Sport and politics

Over the past five years, Holmes has published extensively on Irish politics and European integration, with particular focus on left-wing parties' relationship with the EU and the intersection of sport with nationalism. His work examines Brexit's impact on Ireland, Euroscepticism in Irish political parties, and rugby's role in shaping Irish national identity. Key publications analyze Sinn Féin's EU accommodation, post-Brexit EU-Ireland relations, and sport as a vehicle for political expression.

He is actively affiliated with ESPOL-Lab, the research laboratory driving scholarly work in political science and international relations at his institution.