معرفی
James McConnel is a Professor in the Department of Humanities within the Faculty of Arts, Design and Social Sciences at Northumbria University, where he has been a faculty member since 2008. He previously held academic positions at the University of Hertfordshire and the University of Ulster. His research centers on modern Irish history, particularly the political and parliamentary history of Ireland under the Union (c. 1880–1922), with strong interests in Irish nationalism, unionism, military history, and cultural memory.
McConnel earned his BA (Hons) in History in 1996, MA in History in 1998, and PhD in Irish History in 2002. His scholarship has focused extensively on the Irish Parliamentary Party, especially during the Third Home Rule crisis and the years leading up to and during World War I. He is currently leading a Leverhulme-funded project titled The Patriotic Soldier in the Irish Nationalist Imagination: From Young Ireland to the Great War.
His recent publications span a range of topics including political conspiracies around Parnell’s death, the legacy of nationalist leaders, monuments in transatlantic contexts, and the commemoration of historical events like the Gunpowder Plot. These works reflect a broader engagement with themes of memory, identity, and political symbolism in both Irish and British history.
McConnel has been actively involved in public history initiatives, notably through the Northumbria World War One Commemoration Project, which includes the Dominion Geordies, Geordie Doughboys, and Tynemouth POW projects, funded by QUB, the US Embassy, and the Heritage Lottery Fund. He supervises postgraduate researchers, including Daniel Riddell, whose work explores 19th-century merchant entrepreneurs in Newcastle.
- Leverhulme Fellowship (2019–2020)
His research is supported by external funding and collaboration with institutions across the UK and internationally. He contributes to academic discourse through editorial roles and public engagement, reinforcing his position as a leading historian of modern Ireland.
