Prof. Maher and Jamie Smith on Ireland's 50 years in the EU

12 May 2022
Prof Imelda Maher and Jamie Smith sitting in armchairs on stage in front of an EU50 backdrop.

In a wide-ranging conversation and audience Q&A on May 10th, Jamie Smyth of the Financial Times and Prof. Imelda Maher of UCD’s Sutherland School of Law discussed Ireland’s winding path to EU membership, what recent global events reveal about the nature of the European Union and how the EU can garner hope as it looks to the future.

The event marked the 50th anniversary of Ireland’s referendum on joining the European Community, which passed with 83% of votes in favour.

Attendees of the event standing around event tables listening to the speakers.

It was organised by the Consulate General of Ireland in New York, as part of a New York EU50 programme of events and took the form of a networking breakfast attended by approximately 100 New York-based young professionals.

Prof. Maher is Senior Emile Noel Global Fellow at the Jean Monnet Center for International and Regional Economic Law and Justice at New York University’s School of Law from Jan-Jun. 2022. Jamie Smyth is a former Brussels correspondent for the Irish Times and the Financial Times and is currently US Pharmaceuticals Correspondent for the FT.