Career
Dr Conor Kelly joined the Constitution Unit in November 2019 as the Research Assistant and Project Manager of the Unification Referendums on the Island of Ireland project, working with Alan Renwick. In July 2021 he began working on a new project examining perspectives on the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland. In July 2024, he began working on a new project which is looking at proposals to reform Northern Ireland's governance structures.
Since December 2022, Conor has been a Senior Postgraduate Teaching Assistant on UCL’s undergraduate 'British Politics' and 'Politics of the European Union' modules.
Conor holds a PhD from Birkbeck College, University of London. His doctoral research focused on Northern Ireland's political parties and their attitudes towards European integration.
Before Birkbeck and UCL, Conor worked on a variety of political and not-for-profit fundraising campaigns in New York and London. He has a BA from the University of Galway (National University of Ireland), an MA from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and an MRes from Birkbeck College, University of London.
Publications
- Renwick, A. and Kelly, C.J. (2023). Perspectives on the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement: Examining Diverse Views, 1998–2023. The Constitution Unit.
- Kelly, C.J. & Tannam, E. (2023). The UK government’s Northern Ireland policy after Brexit: a retreat to unilateralism and muscular unionism, Journal of European Public Policy, DOI: 10.1080/13501763.2023.2210186
- Renwick, A., Dobrianska, N., Kelly, C.J., Kincaid, C. (2022). Public Attitudes to Referendums on Irish Unification in Northern Ireland: Evidence From an Online Consultation. Irish Political Studies, December 2022. DOI: 10.1080/07907184.2022.2152797
- Renwick, A. & Kelly, C.J. (2022). Written evidence to the ‘Inquiry into the Effectiveness of the Institutions of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement’. Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, House of Commons, December 2022.
- Kelly, C.J. & Tannam, E. (2022). The Future of Northern Ireland: The Role of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement Institutions. The Political Quarterly. doi: 10.1111/1467-923X.13172
- Tannam E. & Kelly, C.J. (2022). Brexit and the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement’s Three Strands. The Journal of Cross Border Studies in Ireland. Volume 17, pp. 90-101.
- Kelly C.J. (2021). Teaching and Learning in Brussels: Sinn Féin’s Strategic ‘Venue Shopping’ Approach in the European Parliament. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations. doi:10.1177/13691481211062930
- Renwick, A. & Kelly, C.J. (2021). What Form Would Referendums on Irish Unification Take? The Political Quarterly. Vol 92 (4). doi:10.1111/1467-923X.13071
- Kelly, C.J. (2020). Review of 'Breaking peace: Brexit and Northern Ireland' by Feargal Cochrane. Irish Political Studies. doi:10.1080/07907184.2020.1857511