Ed Shevlin
Pat Finucane Centre
Belfast, Ireland
In less than a month, I will be on my way to Ireland to serve my fellowship with the good people of the Pat Finucane Centre in Belfast. I have been thoroughly trained to meet the challenges of my assignment.
Firstly, I benefited greatly from the required class taught by Professor Vasuki Nesiah during the spring semester. We were assigned a fascinating book by Andrew Clapham: Human Rights: A Very Short Introduction. In this book, Clapham takes a critical look at the application of the human rights framework in the modern world. Clapham also explains how ideas can be used to bolster arguments against accepting the indignities that are sometimes forced upon those who occupy some of the lower rungs of society. Our discussions in class pertaining to this book were both illuminating and enjoyable. In addition to our classes, we fellows benefited from field trips to the United Nations and to New York City-based human rights organizations.
Additional training for my service in Ireland came in the form of an independent study with my mentor, Professor John Waters. We met periodically and discussed the on-the-ground situation in the north of Ireland. I was regularly challenged to view the situation from both sides of the conflict and to understand how the human rights framework applies to all concerned parties. Professor Waters assigned me a rather extensive reading list:
- Explaining Northern Ireland by John McGarry and Brendan O’Leary
- The Making and Remaking of the Good Friday Agreement by Paul Bew
- The Failure of the Northern Ireland Peace Process by G.K. Peatling
- Divided Society: Ethnic Minorities and Racism in Northern Ireland by Paul Hainsworth
- Language, Resistance and Revival: Republican Prisoners and the Irish Language in the North of Ireland by Feargal Mac Ionnrachtaigh
- The Stalker Affair by John Stalker
My formal training has been thorough, giving me the confidence needed to perform my work in an efficient and unbiased manner. Of course, there are many things that I have yet to learn, and I welcome the opportunity to become enlightened.
This will be my twentieth visit to Ireland. In the past, I have visited as a rugby player, motorcyclist, student, holy communicant, pilgrim, and tourist. This time will be as unique as any of the others, if not more so, since I will be working and conducting research as a Human Rights Fellow.
I have secured an apartment and have had extensive communication with my host organization, and I will get a jump on my work here in New York City before I leave. I feel as though I have been working towards this event all of my life and I am ready to hit the ground running.