Richard English
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Key Information

Richard Ludlow English[1] CBE FBA MRIA FRSE FRHistS (born 1963) is a Northern Irish historian and political scientist from Northern Ireland. He was born in Belfast.

He studied as an undergraduate at Keble College, Oxford, and subsequently at Keele University, where he was awarded a PhD in History. He was first employed by the Politics Department at Queen's University Belfast in 1990 and became a professor in 1999. In 2011, he took up an appointment at the University of St Andrews but five years later returned to Queen's University Belfast as pro-vice chancellor for internationalisation and engagement.[2]

His father, Donald English (1930–1998), was a prominent Methodist preacher.

Academic research

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Most of his research has been centred on the Irish Republican movement and particularly the history of the Irish Republican Army. His first book, based on his doctoral thesis, concerned the history of post Irish Civil War Republican politics and was titled Radicals and the Republic, Socialist Republicanism in the Irish Free State (1994). His next work was a biography of 1920s IRA veteran Ernie O'Malley, entitled Ernie O'Malley: IRA Intellectual which was published in 1998.

Since then, he has written Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA (2003). This book, predominantly a history of the modern Provisional IRA, won the politics book of the year award from the Political Studies Association and was shortlisted for the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize. After this, he wrote a broader history of Irish nationalism, Irish Freedom, The History of Nationalism in Ireland (2006), which won the Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize in 2007.[3]

He has also co-edited two volumes: The State: Historical and Political Dimensions (1999, with Charles Townshend); and Rethinking British Decline (1999, with Michael Kenny).

He is a frequent media commentator on terrorism and Irish politics and history, including work for the BBC, NPR, The Times Literary Supplement, Newsweek, and the Financial Times.[4]

In 2009, he published a study of political violence, titled Terrorism: How to Respond.[5]

In 2016, he contributed to the documentary film Bobby Sands: 66 Days. In 2017, he delivered the Gifford Lectures on Nationalism, Terrorism and Religion at the University of Edinburgh.[6]

Publications

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Books

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  • English, Richard (1994). Radicals and the Republic, Socialist Republicanism in the Irish Free State.
  • English, Richard (1998). Ernie O'Malley: IRA Intellectual.
  • English, Richard (2003). Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA.
  • English, Richard (2006). Irish Freedom: The History of Nationalism in Ireland.
  • English, Richard (2009). Terrorism: How to Respond. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • English, Richard (2016). Does Terrorism Work? A History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Edited books

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  • English, Richard; Townshend, Charles, eds. (1999). The State: Historical and Political Dimensions.
  • English, Richard; Kenny, Michael, eds. (1999). Rethinking British Decline.

Honours and awards

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In 2015 English was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.[7]

References

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Richard English

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Richard English is a Northern Irish historian and political scientist known for his extensive scholarship on Irish nationalism, republicanism, political violence, and terrorism. [1] [2] He serves as Professor of Politics at Queen's University Belfast. [1] He served as Director of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice from 2021 to 2025. [1] His work has provided authoritative historical and analytical perspectives on these topics, particularly in relation to Ireland and Britain. [3] English's notable books include Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA (2003) and Irish Freedom: The History of Nationalism in Ireland (2006), both of which received significant acclaim, as well as more recent contributions such as Does Terrorism Work? A History (2016) and Does Counter-Terrorism Work? (2024). [1] [2] He has also edited major volumes including The Oxford Handbook of Terrorism (2019) and The Cambridge History of Terrorism (2021), shaping academic understanding of terrorism and counter-terrorism. [3] His research interests focus on the history of political violence, nationalism, and their intersections with modern Irish and British politics. [1] Throughout his career, English has held prominent positions including Wardlaw Professor of Politics and Director of the Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St Andrews from 2011 to 2016. [2] He is a Fellow of the British Academy (elected 2009), Member of the Royal Irish Academy, Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and recipient of a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2018 for services to the understanding of modern-day terrorism and political history, along with the Royal Irish Academy Gold Medal in the Social Sciences in 2019. [1] [2] His contributions have made him a leading authority in the fields of terrorism studies and Irish political history. [3]

Early life

Little public information is available about Richard English's early life, family background, childhood, or education in reliable sources.

Career

Richard English began his academic career at Queen's University Belfast in 1990, where he served as Lecturer, then Reader, and ultimately Professor of Politics until 2011.[2] From 2011 to 2016, he held the position of Wardlaw Professor of Politics in the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews, while also serving as Director of the Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV).[2][1] He subsequently returned to Queen's University Belfast as Professor of Politics in the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics.[1] English currently serves as Director of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen's University Belfast, in addition to his professorial role.[1][2] Richard English is alive and active as of 2025. He continues to serve as Professor of Politics at Queen's University Belfast and as Director of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice (from 2021 to 2025).[1] No information regarding his death exists because he remains living.
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