In 2019, as the United Kingdom edged towards its formal withdrawal from the European Union, Dr Éamon Phoenix joined senior Irish politician Éamon Ó Cuív TD on The Brexit Club: North and South, a podcast produced by The Detail.
The Brexit referendum of June 2016 had exposed deep political and constitutional tensions across these islands. For Northern Ireland in particular, the implications were complex – raising questions about the border, identity, power-sharing and the architecture of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
During the discussion, Dr Phoenix reflected on earlier moments in Irish history when failures of negotiation had hardened division.
He warned that Brexit risked unsettling arrangements that had underpinned peace for a generation, from cross-border co-operation to the everyday normality of a seamless frontier.
He described the moment as a “watershed”, suggesting that the assumptions which had shaped British–Irish relations since the 1990s could no longer be taken for granted .
Now, several years on – after withdrawal, the Northern Ireland Protocol, political deadlock at Stormont and continuing debate about the constitutional future – this archive offers an opportunity to revisit Éamon’s analysis.
How well did his historical perspective stand the test of time?
The podcast remains a thoughtful and accessible reminder of Éamon’s distinctive approach – placing present crises within a longer historical frame, and urging careful dialogue over binary thinking.
Listen to the 2019 discussion and judge for yourself: The Brexit Club Podcast: Episode 4
Brexit Club Podcast
From left: Éamon Ó Cuív TD, host Ruth Sanderson and Éamon Phoenix