• An earnest endeavour for peace? Ulster Unionism and the Craig/Collins Peace Pact of 30th March 1922

      Norton, Christopher (Villeneuve d'Ascq, France: Presses Unversitaires, 2007)
      Article in English, abstract in French. "Cet article considère la tentative, ratée, de réconcilier unionisme et nationalisme en Irlande du Nord en mars 1922. Les forces en présence au sein du camp unioniste sont réévaluées, entre opposants et partisans du pacte Craig-Collins de mars 1922, et il est suggéré que la position belligérante et obstructionniste finalement adoptée n'était au départ ni automatique ni inévitable. Les éléments qui indiquent une plus grande diversité de réactions (bienveillantes ou malveillantes) vis-à-vis du Pacte sont également présentés. La signification et l'influence variables des différents points de vue sont considérées au vu du contexte de violence et d'instabilité politique, et au vu de la stratégie politique de Michael Collins." (Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS))
    • Britain, Ireland and Northern Ireland Since 1980: The Totality of Relationships

      O'Kane, Eammon (London: Routledge (Taylor & Francis), 2006)
      This new study reveals how British and Irish governments not only had different reasons for co-operating, but also had different prescriptions for ending the conflict in Northern Ireland. Eamonn O'Kane shows how and why the two states were subject to demands and expectations from their 'client' communities in the North had conflicting historical explanations for the problem and different domestic considerations to take into account. He argues that all of these factors must be examined in context and in doing so makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the Northern Ireland conflict and offers a new explanation for the emergence and development of the peace process. Based on extensive new interview data, this volume is an invaluable resource for students and researchers of British politics, Irish studies and conflict studies.
    • British Government Policy in Northern Ireland, 1969-2000

      Cunningham, Mike (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2001)
      This completely revised and updated second edition provides a comprehensive introduction to British government policy in Northern Ireland. It is a detailed study and looks at policy in four related areas - constitutional, security, economic and social - offering an overview of the questions of continuity and bipartisanship in British policy. For ease of reference, the book deals with these four policy areas chronologically by administration. The text is completely revised to cover the Major administration and the Labour administration up to 2000, including recent periods of intense legislative activity, such as the Good Friday Agreement, the reform of the Ulster Defence Regiment, and the reform of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. It will prove invaluable as an undergraduate textbook for modules on Northern Ireland, and as a reference source on government policy for students of British politics at undergraduate and postgraduate level. (Manchester University Press)
    • Creating Jobs, Manufacturing Unity: Ulster Unionism and Mass Unemployment 1922-34

      Norton, Christopher (London: Routledge, 2001)
      The inter-war recession and resultant mass unemployment presented a serious problem for the new Northern Ireland government. Having weathered republican attempts to destabilise the state, the Unionist government found its credibility questioned by a core element of its own support: the Protestant working class. In its efforts to galvanise support and ensure Unionist unity the government resorted to a series of strategies to alleviate the unemployment problem. The pursuit of these strategies created tension and division within the Unionist cabinet. What became apparent was that Unionist unity could be secure not by the appeal of sectarianism but only by the appearance of competence. (Informaworld)
    • Paramilitaries, Ordinary Decent Criminals and the Development of Organised Crime following the Belfast Agreement

      Moran, Jonathan (Elsevier, 2004)
      This paper analyses the changing nature of organised and serious crime following the peace process in Northern Ireland which officially commenced in 1998. The paper examines those social and situational factors which have led to a rise in crimes perpetrated by both paramilitary Republican and Loyalist organisations, and by the so-called ‘ordinary decent criminals’ (ODCs) unrelated to paramilitary groups. These social and situational factors include political, security and economic variables. As such, Northern Ireland is an important case study of the political context of crime. Whilst the peace process is a positive development, the political transition has had associated unintended effects. The fact that rising crime has resulted from political change should not be taken as an argument against the peace process. Serious crime is defined as indictable offences which by their nature attracts substantial terms of imprisonment. Organised crime is defined in accordance with the National Criminal Intelligence Service as three or more individuals engaging in long-term profit-driven criminal activity (NCIS, 2001). Thus organised crime may include serious offences and other offences (forgery, theft) if they occur as part of organised criminality. The problems surrounding this definition will also be addressed later in the paper.
    • Physical activity, walking and leanness: an analysis of the Northern Ireland Sport and Physical Activity Survey (SAPAS).

      Murphy, M H; Donnelly, P; Shibli, S; Foster, C; Nevill, Alan M. (Elsevier, 2012-02)
      To report on the contribution walking makes to total weekly physical activity and the relationship between the volume and intensity of walking and leanness in a representative sample of the Northern Ireland population.
    • Preoperative mitomycin, ifosfamide, and cisplatin followed by esophagectomy in squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus: pathologic complete response induced by chemotherapy leads to long-term survival.

      Darnton, S.J.; Archer, V.R.; Stocken, D.D.; Mulholland, P.J.; Casson, A.G.; Ferry, David R. (American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2003)
      PURPOSE: Squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus remains an aggressive disease with a poor prognosis, even after curative-intent surgery. This article analyzes the impact of preoperative chemotherapy with mitomycin, ifosfamide, and cisplatin (MIC) on a cohort of 68 patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1988 to 1994, 68 patients with potentially operable squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus were entered onto two phase II trials of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with mitomycin 6 mg/m2, ifosfamide 3 g/m2, and cisplatin 50 mg/m2 and received between two and four cycles of treatment at 3-weekly intervals. Two patients were removed from the analysis when they were found to have malignancy other than squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. RESULTS: Forty (61%) of 66 patients had a radiologic response to chemotherapy (18 complete responses and 22 partial responses), and 52 (79%) of 66 patients went on to have the primary tumor resected. There were nine pathologic complete responders, seven of whom remain fit and well after at least 60 months of follow-up. The overall median survival was 12.4 months (95% confidence interval, 9.6 to 18.8 months). The complete response and node-negative patients survived significantly longer than those in other categories (log-rank chi2 = 18.8; P <.001): on average 13 months longer than the node-positive or nonresected category (22.0 v 9.4 months). The toxicity of the regimen was low. CONCLUSION: MIC is an easily administered, well-tolerated, and efficacious regimen as neoadjuvant therapy for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. These results warrant further investigation.
    • A study protocol for a clustered randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a peer-led school-based walking intervention on adolescent girls' physical activity: The Walking in ScHools (WISH) study

      O'Kane, SM; Carlin, A; Gallagher, AM; Lahart, Ian; Jago, R; Faulkner, M; Murphy, MH; Centre for Exercise Medicine, Physical Activity and Health, Sports and Exercise Sciences Research Institute, University of Ulster, Jordanstown Campus, Newtownabbey, BT37 0QB, UK. m.okane@ulster.ac.uk. (Springer, 2020-04-21)
      Background: Adolescent girls in the UK and Ireland are failing to meet current physical activity guidelines. Physical activity behaviours track from childhood to adulthood and it is important that adolescent girls are provided with opportunities to be physically active. Walking has been a central focus for physical activity promotion in adults and may effectively increase physical activity levels among younger people. Following on from a pilot feasibility trial, the purpose of this cluster randomised controlled trial (c-RCT) is to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel, low-cost, peer-led school-based walking intervention delivered across the school year at increasing physical activity levels of adolescent girls. Methods: The Walking In ScHools (WISH) Study is a school-based c-RCT conducted with girls aged 12-14 years from eighteen schools across the Border Region of Ireland / Northern Ireland. Following baseline data collection, schools will be randomly allocated to intervention or control group. In intervention schools, female pupils aged 15-18 years will be invited to train as walk leaders and will lead younger pupils in 10-15 min walks before school, at break and lunch recess. All walks will take place in school grounds and pupils will be encouraged to participate in as many walks as possible each week. The intervention will be delivered for the whole school year (minimum 20-22 weeks). The primary outcome measure is accelerometer-measured total physical activity (counts per minute) (end of intervention). Secondary outcomes will include time spent in sedentary behaviour, light, moderate and vigorous intensity physical activity, anthropometry measures, social media usage and sleep. A mixed-methods process evaluation will also be undertaken. Discussion: The WISH Study will examine the effectiveness of a low-cost, school-based, peer-led walking intervention in increasing physical activity in adolescent girls when delivered across the school year. If the intervention increases physical activity, it would benefit adolescent girls in the defined target area with potential for wider adoption by schools across the UK and Ireland. Trial registration: ISRCTN; ISRCTN12847782; Registered 2nd July 2019.
    • The internment of Cahir Healy MP, Brixton Prison 1941-42

      Norton, Christopher (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007)
      The arrest and internment in Brixton prison of the leading Northern Ireland nationalist politician and Stormont MP, Cahir Healy, in 1941 has long remained something of an historical enigma. Contemporaneous accounts that his arrest amounted to little more than an unwarranted act of anti-nationalist persecution or was the result of his alleged involvement in ‘acts prejudicial’ during time of war both benefited from the blanket of secrecy that surrounded the case. This article casts light on this affair. It offers an insight into the strategic considerations of Northern nationalist politicians at a time when British victory in the war was uncertain. It argues that some senior nationalist activists, including Healy, did envisage a situation in which British defeat and German victory could bring closer the prospect of Irish unity, did contemplate a policy of cooperation with Germany and did take steps to make this known to the German Legation in Dublin. The article also examines Healy's relationship with fellow internees in Brixton prison and his continued post-war association with figures on the British far-right, particularly Sir Oswald Mosley. (Oxford University Press)
    • When Can Conflicts Be Resolved? A Critique of Ripeness

      O'Kane, Eammon (London: Routledge, 2006-12-22)
      The idea that conflicts cannot be resolved until they are 'ripe' has been influential in conflict resolution literature in recent years. This article critiques the theoretical underpinnings of ripeness using the Northern Ireland peace process as a case study. It highlights the problems that results from the subjectiveness of both the theory itself and the information needed to apply it. By critically examining William Zartman's six 'propositions' of ripeness, the inadequacy of the approach is highlighted and claims that the theory can help predict when conflicts are ripe for resolution are shown to be unsustainable. It advocates a more dynamic approach to conflict resolution than ripeness suggests that parties and mediators adopt. (Informaworld)