By Alice Phoenix
Image © PA Images/Alamy
Dr Éamon Phoenix is the People’s Historian. He was a teacher, historian, author, broadcaster and a go-to commentator for Royal visits.
To all these roles he brought an encyclopedic knowledge of the cultural and political life of Ireland and especially the north-east corner. He was a very skilled communicator and with his infectious and passionate sharing of history through classes, broadcasts, lectures, and publications he brought history to life and gave all generations a greater understanding of the past. He was renowned for his impartial and fair-minded interpretations of often contentious events. In so doing he made Irish History accessible to all.
Early life
Éamon was born on the 17th May 1953 to Jim and Peggy Phoenix. Jim was from Tullylish where his family ran Bally lough school aka Phoenix’s school to 1917. His father William joined the Ulster Volunteers and was killed at Thiepval. Peggy’s father Hugh joined the Royal Irish Fusiliers and his injuries at the Dardanelles left him with injuries that resulted in him being hospitalized at the age of thirty for the rest of his life. Éamon used his family background to demonstrate how both sides of the communities in Northern Ireland fought in the first world war.
His parents started married life in a bedsit in 43 Cromwell Road and then moved to forty-eight Cromwell Road where his mother let rooms to Queens University students. Here Éamon’s brother and sisters, Irene, Noel and Roisin where born. His father Jim was a barber. His mother instilled in her family the importance of education and said that education was always carried lightly. He often returned to forty-three to his Auntie Molly’s house where he enjoyed sitting at the fire listening to people telling stories. It was here he learnt the art of storytelling.
Even at an early age he loved exploring historical sites and with his friends would climb the walls of Friar’s Bush graveyard. In later life he wrote the book Friars Bush Graveyard; Two acres of Irish History.
Education
He was educated at the Christian Brothers Oxford Street and St Mary’s Christian Brothers Grammar school on the Glen Road Belfast. Being taught by Christian brothers from all over Ireland for fourteen years gave him his soft, well-rounded voice. Later in life, in 2009, he was one of the founders of the Edmund Rice Trust in Northern Ireland.
Éamon went to QUB where he gained an Hons. Degree in Irish History followed by a Ph D in 1983 on Irish Nationalism. This subsequently was released as the book Northern Nationalism (1890-1940).
While at Queens he met his wife Alice, a secondary school teacher. In an interview with the Belfast Telegraph he said the best moment of his life was meeting his wife Alice at a dance in the Catholic Chaplaincy QUB just before Christmas 1978. Two years later they were married in June 1980. Their daughter Mary-Alice was born in 1983 and their granddaughter Nicole in 2005. He was a devoted father and grandfather.

Éamon’s career
In 1984 he became a Junior Fellow at the Institute of Irish Studies at Queens and then he taught in St Michael’s College Enniskillen, St Mary’s Christian Brothers and St Malachy’s Grammar schools in Belfast
While in St Michael’s he took a joint team of St Michael’s and Portora boys to make a radio program on the drawing up of the Border during Partition. This was the overall winner in the Hansard UK competition.
In St Malachy’s he not only taught History but was the first Archivist and laid the foundations of a very extensive collection of books and artefacts. He was such a popular teacher who made History an exciting and gripping subject that boys who had mitched off school actually came back for his classes. During his time there he was the chief A level examiner for Irish History.
On leaving St Malachy’s he lectured for a short time in History in St Mary’ s University College Belfast and then moved to Stranmillis University College Belfast where he also lectured in History and then became the Head of Life Long Learning. Not only did he organize the Department but was very active in taking classes and Historical tours. With his great knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject, he built up an incredible following, with people returning again and again to participate in his classes. With his colleague George Beale he co-authored the book Stranmillis College (1922-1998).
Other interests
He also had a life long association with the Irish News and since the late 1980’s he researched and edited the popular daily column On This Day. This column was based on reproduced archival news reports stretching back to the early years of the Irish News in 1891 and also its predecessor, The Belfast Morning News which was founded in 1855.
Éamon also reported on declassified state papers released by the Northern Ireland Public Record Office for the Irish News and other outlets including the BBC and Irish Times. He was the author of the book A Century of Northern Life – The Irish News and a hundred years of Ulster History.
Éamon was a member of the National Famine Committee, the Nomadic Project Board and a trustee of the UHF.
He was a member of the Taoiseach’s Expert Advisory Group established by the Irish government to advise on matters related to the decade of Centenaries. He represented the view from Northern Ireland as a member from 2010 until his death and helped to develop a cross border approach.
He worked with a wide range of groups on the Decade of Centenaries; the Community Relations Council, the Good Relations Department of Councils throughout Northern Ireland, community groups, the Tara Centre Omagh and historical societies. During Covid he provided a series of online lectures that gave people something to engage with and enjoy. Because of his reputation for integrity and ability to communicate, he helped people to become free from myths, misunderstandings and misinformation.
He played a significant role in a number of high profile events that the Stormont Assembly launched in recognition of the divided history and the legacy of the past. A series of lectures and seminars to the members that were well received He played a very important role in establishing the Assembly’s permanent exhibition, launched March 2022 marking the parliamentary activity over the last hundred years.
In 2022 he was awarded the Good Relations Award by the Community Relations Council for all his work.
The People’s Historian
He brought History to all the people and in turn listened and noted the History that they brought to him. He respected all individuals and all communities recognizing that everyone has a small piece of the historical jigsaw. For this reason he gained the title People’s Historian.
Éamon died on the 13th November 2022.