Tip O'Neill Chair
News & Events

9 October 2009: A celebration dinner took place in the Great Hall, Magee campus, to honour Nobel Laureate John Hume for a unique peace role that has given the University's Magee campus an unrivalled international profile.  Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Barnett also announced that the University has appointed John Hume to an Honorary Chair in Peace Studies.  Professor Barnett  paid tribute to the Ireland Funds for their sponsorship of the Tip O'Neill Chair.

2 February2009: Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu, President of the Basque Country, delivered a lecture entitled: ‘Peace and Dialogue in the Land of the Basques’.  A leading member of Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), he has been President of Spain's Basque Country autonomous community since 1999.

5 January 2009: Robert Fisk, the acclaimed journalist and Middle East analyst, delivered a lecture entitled: ‘Occupation and False Hope: the Twin Enemies of Peace in the Middle East’.  Fisk’s reportage and trenchant commentary from warzones have established him as one of the outstanding foreign correspondents of his generation.

4 February 2008.  Professor Kader Asmal, Member of the National Assembly, Parliament of South Africa, delivered a speech on the theme of 'Peace, Multiculturalism and Development'.  Speaking to the invited audience of academics, politicians and influencers at the University of Ulster's Magee campus, he backed calls for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland, and called for the creation of what he called a 'cosmopolitan multiculturalism'.

4 June 2007.  Senator Maurice Hayes delivered a lecture entitled 'Moving out of Conflict'. According to Senator Hayes, the development of peace and reconciliation could be frustrated by picking at the sores of the past. He looked to Europe and European integration as a solvent of the national tensions that have affected Northern Ireland.

3 April 2007.  Dermot Ahern, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, delivered a lecture entitled 'From Peace to Reconciliation: "The next move is always the test"' at the Magee campus.  Building peace and reconciliation were the central themes of the speech which was delivered to a large audience composed of academics, politicians and public figures from the north west.

4 December 2006.  President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, delivered a lecture entitled 'All Peace is Local' at the Magee campus.  President McAleese gave a powerful and inspiring address - the latest in the Tip O'Neill series of lectures.

23 June 2006.  Professor Hume presented the Lady Chryss O'Reilly award, on behalf of The Ireland Fund de France, to two Magee students, Clare McMenamin and Conor Gray.  The presentation ceremony was hosted by Professor Tom Fraser, Provost, Magee, and attended by various family members and Faculty of Arts staff.

21 May 2006.  Ambassador Mitchell Reiss, Special Envoy of the President of the United States and Secretary of State for the Northern Ireland Peace Process, delivered a lecture entitled 'Between Facts and Fantasies: Variants of Anti-Americanism'.

5 March 2006.  Senator John Kerry delivered a lecture on the theme of 'Security in the 21st Century' at the Magee campus.  Addressing a VIP audience of academics and opinion formers, Senator Kerry - a senior member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee - detailed what he saw as the core themes and issues facing the USA and its allies in confronting world terrorism and spreading democracy to the oppressed nations of the globe:

18 February 2006.  Professor Hume welcomed the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the UK, Mr Sabihuddin Ahmed to the UNESCO International Mother Language Day.  This event took place at the Magee campus.  The day was designated to give people around the world an opportunity to display the uniqueness and diversity of their culture and language. Events were held globally to promote understanding, tolerance and dialogue between different nations.

15 December 2005.  Dr Garret FitzGerald, former Taoiseach, delivered a lecture on the theme of 'Europe's Role in World Peace'.

18 November 2005.  Professor Hume attended and spoke at the 36th Anual Psychological Society of Ireland conference in the City hotel.

8 September 2005.  Professor Hume was guest speaker at the Mental Health Conference dinner in City Hotel.  The Mental Health Conference was organised by the University's Faculty of Social Sciences.

18 August 2005.  Professor Hume attended the Step-Up Graduation and Dinner at the Magee campus

13 June 2005.  Professor Hume spoke with the INCORE Summer school participants on the topic of 'Northern Ireland as a model for peace internationally?'

13 June 2005.  Professor Hume spoke at the first day of the UKCOSA conference (The Council for International Education) in Coleraine campus.  The majority of participants were those working directly with international students either in International Offices, in Student Services or allied support groups such as Welfare, Careers Advice, Students' Union etc.

27 May 2005.  Professor Hume met with staff and students from Bucknell University, and spoke to them on his contribution to the peace process.

26 April 2005.  Professor Hume presented the Lady Chryss O'Reilly Scholarship on behalf of the Ireland Fund de France to Miss Jane Laverty, a first year Language, Business and Computing student at Magee.  The presentation ceremony was hosted by Professor Tom Fraser, Provost, Magee and attended by family members, and academics from Faculty of Arts.

19 April 2005.  Professor Hume spoke at the NICEC Conference on Culture and Conflict which took place in the Radisson hotel, Limavady, from 19-20 April.

3 March 2005.  Professor Hume met with a group of students from German Ruhr University and spoke with them about his contribution to the peace process.

25-27 November 2004.  Professor Hume was keynote speaker at 'When Words Collide' international colloquium at the Magee campus.

4 November 2004.  Professor Hume was guest speaker at a dinner hosted by the University  to mark 25 years of Co-operation Ireland.

3 November 2004.  Professor Hume met with a delegation from Castilla-La Mancha, headed by the President of the Provincial Government of Toledo.  This was organised by NICEC, the University’s Magee-based specialist unit on European cooperation.

18 October 2004, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, delivered a speech on 'Learning the Lessons of Peacebuilding', followed by a Q&A session.

13 October 2004:  Professor Hume was keynote speaker at an event in Magee organised by Derry Visitor Convention Bureau and the University’s Conference office.  This was to promote the Ambassador Programme, an initiative being led by Derry Visitor & Convention Bureau who are responsible for the promotion of Derry as a destination for conferences, meetings and corporate hospitality. 

1 September 2004,  Professor Hume was a keynote speaker at the opening of the Conflict Resolution Research Society conference at the Magee campus.  The conference brings together a host of conflict researchers from the Netherlands, the US, Norway and the Philippines as well as from the University of Ulster.

26 August 2004, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered the Tip O'Neill Lecture at the University of Ulster's Magee campus on 26 August.  Senator Rodham Clinton's address was on the theme of Peace and Reconciliation in the Modern World.  Senator Clinton was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during her visit to the University's Magee campus.

5 August 2004, Monsieur Pierre Joannon of the Ireland Fund de France and Professor John Hume presented the Lady Chryss O'Reilly award to two Magee students.  Professor Tom Fraser, Provost, Magee, Madame Joannon and Mrs Pat Hume were also present.  The presentation was on behalf of the Ireland Fund de France to encourage and reward students for their success with the French language.

21 May 2004, Professor Hume spoke with staff and students from Bucknell University on the topic of his contribution to the peace process.

18 May 2004, Professor Hume attended a lecture by Dr Jim Lyons, President Bill Clinton’s former Special Advisor on Northern Ireland affairs, at the Magee campus.  The topic for Dr Lyons speech was 'Peace Meets the Streets: The Role of Economic Initiatives in the NI Peace Process”.

26 April 2004, The President of the European Parliament, President Pat Cox, gave a lecture on the theme of 'Europe as a Force for Creative Reconciliation'.

24 April 2004, Professor Hume was guest speaker at a reunion for alumni of Magee who graduated in 1984 and 1994.

1 April 2004, The President of the European Commission, Professor Romano Prodi, delivered a lecture on the topic of 'Europe and Peace'.

4 March 2004, The Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, Mr Bertie Ahern T.D, current President of the European Council, gave a lecture on the theme of 'The European Union: A Force for Peace in the World'.

18 February 2004, Professor Hume met with a group of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) scholars who were undertaking a 3-month Peace and Conflict Resolution programme at INCORE. The programme is funded by the British Council under the Chevening Programme.

19 January 2004, Professor Hume spoke to a group of Nepalese politicians on the theme of the 'road to peace'. 

16 November 2003, Professor Hume attended a function to mark the commencement of the NIMEC (Northern Ireland/Middle East connection) conference.

8 September 2003, Professor Hume attended the International Fire and Explosive Hazards Conference in City Hotel, Derry, organised by the University of Ulster.

28 August 2003, Professor Hume presented, along with Professor Tom Fraser, the Lady Chryss O'Reilly award to two Magee students, on behalf of the Ireland Fund of France to encourage and reward students for their success with the French language.

6 July 2003, President Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States, launched Professor Hume's tenure of the Tip O'Neill Chair at an auspicious occasion at Magee.  President Clinton gave a lecture entitled 'Peacemaking' to an audience which included University senior staff, representatives from The Ireland Funds, representatives from US Consul General, various political party leaders, local councillors etc. 

17-19 June 2003, A fact-finding study visit to Brussels took place, comprising 12 members of UU staff and 12 UU students. The visit was proposed by John Hume and included a trip to the European Parliament, and a visit to NI Executive Office in Brussels. 

16 June 2003, John Hume met a group of US Academics on UNESCO School of Education Annual Study Tour and gave a brief overview of his career.

13 June 2003, John Hume met with a group of Boston University Students to discuss his personal reflections of the last 35 years and to discuss the Northern Ireland Peace process.  The Students were at Magee as part of a Summer School focusing on Media and Democracy, organised jointly between the School of Communication and Boston University.

6 June 2003, John Hume met with the staff and students from Bucknell University, Pennsylvania, who were completing their second 4 week Summer School, organised by Cultural Development Office. 

19 May 2003, John Hume was guest speaker at the launch of CAIN Political Biographies website, a comprehensive collection detailing life histories of leading figures in NI conflict.

17 May 2003, John Hume met with George Michell Scholars.

9 May 2003, Michel Rocard, former French Prime Minister, gave a lecture/video presentation on 'Conflict Resloution in New Caledonia'

November 2002, Three year funding from The Ireland Funds commences.

October 2002, Tip O'Neill Chair Project Board Established.

March 2002, Public launch in US of John Hume's appointment to Tip O'Neill Chair.

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