Northern Ireland Research Articles

Who Wants To Share? Attitudes Towards Horizontal Redistribution Across the Globe

While recent literature has extensively addressed inequalities between households or individuals, known as “vertical inequalities,” there remains a dearth of research on socio‐economic disparities among culturally defined groups, termed “horizontal inequalities” (HIs). In diverse societies, addressing such group disparities is imperative to promote economic efficiency, political stability, and social cohesion. This thematic issue investigates the level of public support for HI‐correcting policies across nine contexts: Brazil, South Africa, Nigeria, Malaysia, Kenya, Western Balkans, India, the United States, and Northern Ireland. The articles within this issue collectively identify and analyze crucial factors at the individual, group, and national levels. In this editorial, we summarize major findings, reflecting on the salience of group identity across majority and minority contexts, the role of perceptions vs more objective measures of inequality and its causes, and the significance of shifting political climates and societal discourses.

Making Memory: Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland

This is a study of how collective memory forms out of traumatic experience. It addresses questions about the formation of collective identity out of individual trauma, and, in turn, how individual and collective trauma intertwine. This process of memory formation is illustrated through the example of an incident that took place in Northern Ireland on 30 January 1972, an event that came to be known as Bloody Sunday. A lawyer representing the families of the victims once succinctly described it as a ‘mass murder perpetrated before the world’s media [. . . which] took place over a period of ten to twelve minutes, within a geographical space not much bigger than two football pitches’. To explain how this ‘ten to twelve’ minutes became a powerful symbol of the excesses of state violence and a memory forever linked to Ireland’s history I apply the theory of cultural trauma. Previous research has identified several arenas of memory, ‘social spaces where different narratives of collective memory interact [. . .] distinct discourses that are tied to specific individuals, organizations, and institutions that advocate specific narratives through specific forms of media’. Four areas were identified, the political, the academic, the artistic, and the community. Along with the theory of cultural trauma, I apply that framework in analyzing the memory and memorialization of Bloody Sunday.

Identifying veterinary surgeons' barriers to, and potential solutions for, improving antimicrobial stewardship among sheep farmers in Northern Ireland.

In order to improve antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), including changes in antimicrobial prescribing and use, an enhanced understanding is needed of the barriers that veterinary surgeons (vets) encounter to institute such change. A qualitative approach, using grounded theory, was followed. Interviews and discussion groups, with vets and farm industry stakeholders in Northern Ireland (NI), were undertaken to identify and explore attitudes and behaviours surrounding AMS, with a particular emphasis on the barriers vets encountered and the context within which they were working. Seven inter-related themes associated with improving AMS among their sheep farming clients were identified. The first six addressed barriers were working under commercial and practical constraints, farmer behaviour, multiple medicine sources, poor prescribing practice, a perceived lack of incentive or facilitation to improve AMS and a perceived lack of action by regulators to challenge poor AMS. The seventh theme revealed suggestions vets considered that may improve AMS in NI, including greater state intervention in recording and regulating medicine sales. Improving AMS will require vets and their client farmers to change behaviour. This will involve concerted effort over an extended period of time to enact and embed change. Veterinary surgeons believe that further action by the industry and state to develop centralised antimicrobial sales recording and by the state to enforce prescribing regulations will aid their efforts. However, critical to achieving this is the development of a sustainable and funded mechanism to create more meaningful farmer-vet consultation around flock health prior to every prescription to improve AMS and sheep welfare.

Queering Materiality in Northern Ireland: A Tactile Encounter with Padraig Regan

Queering Materiality in Northern Ireland: A Tactile Encounter with Padraig Regan

Evaluating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a conservative approach to oxygen therapy for invasively ventilated adults in intensive care: Protocol for the UK-ROX trial.

In the United Kingdom, around 184,000 adults are admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) each year with over 30% receiving mechanical ventilation. Oxygen is the commonest therapeutic intervention provided to these patients but it is unclear how much oxygen should be administered for the best clinical outcomes. The UK-ROX trial will evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of conservative oxygen therapy (the minimum oxygen concentration required to maintain an oxygen saturation of 90% ± 2%) versus usual oxygen therapy in critically ill adults receiving supplemental oxygen when invasively mechanically ventilated in ICUs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The trial will recruit 16,500 patients from approximately 100 UK adult ICUs. Using a deferred consent model, enrolled participants will be randomly allocated (1:1) to conservative or usual oxygen therapy until ICU discharge or 90 days after randomisation. The primary clinical outcome is all cause mortality at 90 days following randomisation. The UK-ROX trial has received ethical approval from the South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee (Reference: 20/SC/0423) and the Confidentiality Advisory Group (Reference: 22/CAG/0154). The trial commenced in May 2021 and, at the time of publication, 95 sites had opened to recruitment.

The well-being and work-related stress of senior school leaders in Wales and Northern Ireland during COVID-19 "educational leadership crisis": A cross-sectional descriptive study.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused far-reaching societal changes, including significant educational impacts affecting over 1.6 billion pupils and 100 million education practitioners globally. Senior school leaders were at the forefront and were exposed to particularly high demands during a period of "crisis leadership". This occupation were already reporting high work-related stress and large numbers leaving the profession preceding COVID-19. This cross-sectional descriptive study through the international COVID-Health Literacy network aimed to examine the well-being and work-related stress of senior school leaders (n = 323) in Wales (n = 172) and Northern Ireland (n = 151) during COVID-19 (2021-2022). Findings suggest that senior school leaders reported high workloads (54.22±11.30 hours/week), low well-being (65.2% n = 202, mean WHO-5 40.85±21.57), depressive symptoms (WHO-5 34.8% n = 108) and high work-related stress (PSS-10: 29.91±4.92). High exhaustion (BAT: high/very high 89.0% n = 285) and specific psychosomatic complaints (experiencing muscle pain 48.2% n = 151) were also reported, and females had statistically higher outcomes in these areas. School leaders were engaging in self-endangering working behaviours; 74.7% (n = 239) gave up leisure activities in favour of work and 63.4% (n = 202) sacrificed sufficient sleep, which was statistically higher for females. These findings are concerning given that the UK is currently experiencing a "crisis" in educational leadership against a backdrop of pandemic-related pressures. Senior leaders' high attrition rates further exacerbate this, proving costly to educational systems and placing additional financial and other pressures on educational settings and policy response. This has implications for senior leaders and pupil-level outcomes including health, well-being and educational attainment, requiring urgent tailored and targeted support from the education and health sectors. This is particularly pertinent for Wales and Northern Ireland as devolved nations in the UK, who are both implementing or contemplating major education system level reforms, including new statutory national curricula, requiring significant leadership, engagement and ownership from the education profession.

Republican violence in Northern Ireland: a comparative case study of County Tyrone

ABSTRACT Ireland has a long history of political violence emanating from Irish republicans’ desire to be free from British rule. The focus of this article is on the use of such political violence in one particular area, namely County Tyrone using a comparative analysis to interrogate republican violence during the Anglo-Irish War (1919–1921) and the period known as the Troubles (1969–1997). Drawing upon archival sources, interviews with ex-security force members and republicans with direct experience of the conflict in County Tyrone and the extant literature, the article examines whether successive generations of republicans drew upon or deviated from established templates of political violence. In doing so, it considers the practical and lethal effect of the exchange of memories, grievance, justifications, tactics and patterns of past episodes of violence. By comparing and analysing differences in the political violence employed by successive generations of republicans, similar strategies and tactics are identified. These include the use of guerrilla warfare, attacks on security forces, the local economy and infrastructure, the creation of security force-free zones and the fostering of sectarian and representative violence. The research has contemporary relevance to improve our understanding, challenge misinterpretations and myths of past events and legacies in County Tyrone.

The Political Economy of the Mobuoy Illegal Dump in Northern Ireland: A Green Criminology Perspective

In 2012, the discovery of the Mobuoy illegal dump in Northern Ireland came to the attention of society as a shocking scandal. This was not only because the dump (516,000 tonnes of waste) was possibly one of the largest illegal dumps in Europe, but also because it exposed how the waste-management system in Northern Ireland was vulnerable to criminality and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency incapable of crime prevention and enforcement. However, it would be too narrow to focus criticisms solely on a particular governmental agency. From a green criminology perspective, this article provides a political economic analysis of the Mobuoy illegal dump and demonstrates the country’s environmental management system, as well as political resistance against environmental governance reforms that may create favourable conditions for criminal groups to seek financial gains through environmental crime in Northern Ireland.

Broad evidence of xylazine in the UK illicit drug market beyond heroin supplies: Triangulating from toxicology, drug-testing and law enforcement.

Xylazine is a non-opioid sedative which has spread rapidly throughout the US illicit drug supply. This study aimed to describe the spread of xylazine throughout the UK illicit drug supply. Xylazine detections in human biological samples were collated from toxicology laboratories operating in the United Kingdom with the date, location, case type, xylazine concentration and co-detected drugs (with quantifications where performed) detailed, where permitted, by the corresponding coroner. Drug-testing cases positive for xylazine were collated from the Welsh Emerging Drugs and Identification of Novel Substances (WEDINOS) drug-testing postal service with the date, location, purchase intent and co-detected drugs detailed. Drug seizures made by UK law enforcement were communicated by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities with the date and location detailed. By the end of August 2023, xylazine was detected in 35 cases from throughout toxicology, drug-testing and drug seizure sources covering England, Scotland and Wales. There were no cases reported from Northern Ireland. Xylazine was detected in biological samples from 16 people. In most cases where full toxicology results were provided, xylazine was detected with heroin and/or a strong opioid (n = nine of 11), but this polydrug use pattern was not evident in all cases (n = two of 11), suggesting a wider circulation of xylazine in the UK illicit drug market beyond heroin supplies. Evidence from WEDINOS supports this claim, as all 14 drug samples (100%) submitted from across the UK contained xylazine; however, in none of these cases was heroin the purchase intent but rather counterfeit prescription medication tablets (n = 11 of 14), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) vapes (n = two of 14) or white powder (n = one of 14). Additional evidence for the spread of illicit xylazine comes from five drug seizures made by law enforcement. Xylazine has penetrated the UK illicit drug market and is not limited to heroin supplies.

Regulatory Reviews: Revolutionary Re-imagining of Charity Law or Simply Restatements of Convenience?

AbstractThis article examines a decade of charity law review processes in six jurisdictions—Australia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales and Ireland. Using a life-cycle basis viewed through a functional comparative lens, it examines review terms of reference, stakeholder involvement in public consultations, report recommendations and governmental responses. The article compares post-review recommendation implementation across government-owned and independent review processes. In identifying areas most open to and most difficult to reform (including charity definition and advocacy) and probing the hidden state/non-profit sector tensions that underlie such reform attempts, this article provides new insights for future review processes.

Peace journalism and the value in process: Working with children in Northern Ireland

Peace journalism and the value in process: Working with children in Northern Ireland

Local government in Northern Ireland: partnerships, minimalism and marginalisation

ABSTRACT In 2015, a reformed local government system was introduced in Northern Ireland following a lengthy period of review. In the new dispensation, great emphasis is placed on the concept of partnership, vertically between the regional institutions and government departments, and horizontally between local councils and statutory organisations, through a process of community planning. Despite the importance placed on partnerships, they have received little attention in the governance of Northern Ireland. This article assesses recent changes in local government in comparison to Great Britain, Ireland or elsewhere. Through a theoretical framework on partnerships within the New Public Governance literature, the article evaluates the significance of local government reforms and possible further enhancement of powers. In illustrating the fundamental imbalance in the regional-local nexus, resulting in continued over-centralisation and a fragmented model of sub-regional governance, the article concludes that the system remains characterised by marginalised local government, with aspirations for partnership unfulfilled.

Analysis of Arch Bridge Condition Data to Identify Network-Wide Controls and Trends

This paper outlines an initial analysis of 20 years of data held on an electronic bridge management database for approximately 3500 arch bridges across Northern Ireland (NI) by the Department for Infrastructure. Arch bridges represent the largest group of bridge types, making up nearly 56% of the total bridge stock in NI. This initial analysis aims to identify trends that might help inform maintenance decisions in the future. Consideration of the Bridge Condition Indicator (BCI) average value for the overall arch bridge stock indicates the potential for regional variations in the overall condition and the potential for human bias in inspections. The paper presents the most prevalent structural elements and associated defects recorded in the inspections of arch bridges. This indicated a link to scour and undermining for the worst-conditioned arch bridges. An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) analysis identified function, number of spans, and deck width as significant factors during the various deterioration stages in a bridge’s lifecycle.

Does identity change matter? Everyday agency, moral authority and generational cascades in the transformation of groupness after conflict

AbstractEveryday identity change is common after conflict, as people attempt to move away from oppositional group relations and closed group boundaries. This article asks how it scales up and out to impact these group relations and boundaries, and what stops this? Theoretically, the article focusses on complex oppositional configurations of groupness, where relationality and feedback mechanisms (rather than more easily measured variables) are crucial to change and continuity, and in which moral authority is a key node of reproduction. It uses the normatively weighted concept of transformation to augment existing research on boundary and identity change, while elaborating it to recognise the role of everyday agency in furthering change and moral inertia in impeding it. Substantively, the article compares the processes of everyday transformation of groupness in three cases that are very similar in historical depth, social embeddedness, symbolic opposition and everyday change, but very different in time-scale and with contrasting outcomes: successful transformation of reformation religious groupness; partial transformation of national groupness; and failed transformation of complexly-configured ethnic groupness in Northern Ireland. This allows tracing of the patterns and mechanisms at work. To anticipate, the article argues that everyday identity change can erode the moral authority of groupness. Its impact is generational and dependent on institutional linkages. The article highlights the importance of moral mechanisms as drivers of and obstacles to change; and it suggests ways that the obstacles could be overcome by radical policy interventions.

Public Service Media in Northern Ireland: Prominence and Vulnerability in a Small Media System

Public Service Media remains at the centre of the public sphere in Northern Ireland. Public Service Media organisations such as the BBC broadcast in a society that remains politically and culturally divided. This has been the case for decades, even if the worst of the violence in Northern Ireland has now dissipated. The Northern Ireland media system includes local media provision, along with provision from the rest of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. This article identifies Northern Ireland’s media system as sharing characteristics with what Puppis (2009) defines as a small media system, under slightly different conditions. This article takes a Critical Political Economy approach to Public Service Media organisations operating in Northern Ireland, in order to argue that while there is prominence in the place of PSM in the media system, there is also vulnerability inherent.

Interpreting the Northern Ireland protocol: the politics of distrust

ABSTRACT This article explores some of the impacts of Brexit on governance in Northern Ireland. A devolved region administered by a fragile and often fractious consociational system, Brexit, and, in particular, the fundamental legislative mechanism through which Brexit is implemented, the December 2020 Northern Ireland Protocol, have worked to increase division across several levels - the inter-governmental, that of regional party politics, and that of grassroots, inter and intra-communal relations. To complicate matters further, that distrust has also markedly manifested itself in the growth of non-aligned political dynamics. Drawing on the work of Pierre Rosanvallon, I suggest that these developments can be conceptualized with reference to ideas about counter-politics and distrust.

Hanging in There: The Extraordinary Development of Paper Curtains and the Conservation Treatment of a Rare Survivor

ABSTRACT In 1872 the most lauded invention promoted at the International Exhibition in London, was felted paper. The firm, tough material, remaining ‘soft enough to fall readily into graceful folds’ was invented by Pavy, Pretto and Co. as a cheap alternative to cretonnes or chintz fabrics for curtains, roller-blinds and bed-hangings. One hundred and fifty years later a rare example of a paper curtain ensemble was examined at Mount Stewart, a National Trust property in Northern Ireland, and prioritized for conservation treatment. Research unearthed samples of felted paper in the UK and US, and increased our understanding of their manufacture, distribution, and consumption. The multi-disciplinary project involving textile and paper conservators in decision making and carrying out complex treatments is described, including discoveries made about the curtains’ construction, and previous use. Innovative textile printing onto new fabric was used to support the fragile paper, replicating the reverse pattern of the original paper curtains.

Uncovering the landscape of cross-national UK education research: an exploratory review

ABSTRACT Background Internationally, research comparing education systems across countries and jurisdictions is valuable and can elicit nuanced insights into how particular systems operate. This paper’s interest lies in considering the scope and content of research comparing education systems across the four UK nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales). Purpose This study sought to determine the coverage of UK cross-national comparative education research (‘home international’ research) between 2000 and 2022. We chose this time period as 1999 marks the devolution of education policy to each UK nation. We aimed to investigate what educational issues had been discussed in the literature and identify any gaps in the content covered by the research. Method An exploratory, high-level review of ‘home international’ education research was conducted, based on the review of abstracts. We searched several research databases using a variety of keyword combinations to identify relevant literature published since 2000. Our search identified 53 studies that met our selection criteria. Using a meta-synthesis approach, we coded the content of each abstract to build a picture of the range and thematic coverage of research involving comparisons between at least two of the four UK nations. Findings The analysis of abstracts identified that, over the last two decades, UK ‘home international’ research has tended to include comparisons of all four nations, coverage of multiple educational phases and a focus on national education policy reviews. Furthermore, we pinpointed a number of gaps in coverage that might not have been anticipated (e.g. relatively little cross-national research focusing on assessment). Conclusion This high-level review uncovers the landscape of recent ‘home international’ research, allowing us to view issues that are driving the cross-national research agenda in the UK and recognise implications relevant to education systems that may resonate with jurisdictions beyond these four UK nations.

54 A population-based review of early-onset lung cancer patients in Northern Ireland

54 A population-based review of early-onset lung cancer patients in Northern Ireland

Automated closed-loop insulin delivery for the management of type 1 diabetes during pregnancy: the AiDAPT RCT

Background There are over 2000 pregnancies annually in women with type 1 diabetes in the UK. Despite recent improvements in diabetes technology, most women cannot achieve and maintain the recommended pregnancy glucose targets. Thus, one in two babies experience complications requiring neonatal care unit admission. Recent studies demonstrate that hybrid closed-loop therapy, in which algorithms adjust insulin delivery according to continuous glucose measurements, is effective for managing type 1 diabetes outside of pregnancy, but efficacy during pregnancy is unclear. Objective To examine the clinical efficacy of hybrid closed-loop compared to standard insulin therapy in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes. Design A multicentre, parallel-group, open-label, randomised, controlled trial in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes. Setting Nine antenatal diabetes clinics in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Participants Pregnant women with type 1 diabetes and above-target glucose levels, defined as glycated haemoglobin A1c of ≥ 48 mmol/mol (6.5%) in early pregnancy. Interventions A hybrid closed-loop system compared to standard insulin delivery (via insulin pump or multiple daily injections) with continuous glucose monitoring. Outcome measures The primary outcome is the difference between the intervention and control groups in percentage time spent in the pregnancy glucose target range (3.5–7.8 mmol/l) as measured by continuous glucose monitoring from 16 weeks’ gestation until delivery. Secondary outcomes include overnight time in range, time above range (> 7.8 mmol/l), glycated haemoglobin A1c, safety outcomes (diabetic ketoacidosis, severe hypoglycaemia, adverse device events), psychosocial functioning obstetric and neonatal outcomes. Results The percentage of time that maternal glucose levels were within target range was higher with closed-loop than standard insulin therapy: 68.2 ± 10.5 in closed-loop and 55.6 ± 12.5 in the control group (mean‑adjusted difference 10.5 percentage points, 95% confidence interval 7.0 to 14.0; p < 0.001). Results were consistent in secondary outcomes, with less time above range (−10.2%, 95% confidence interval −13.8 to −6.6%; p < 0.001), higher overnight time in range (12.3%, 95% confidence interval 8.3 to 16.2%; p < 0.001) and lower glycated haemoglobin A1c (−0.31%, 95% confidence interval −0.50 to −0.12%; p < 0.002) all favouring closed-loop. The treatment effect was apparent from early pregnancy and consistent across clinical sites, maternal glycated haemoglobin A1c categories and previous insulin regimen. Maternal glucose improvements were achieved with 3.7 kg less gestational weight gain and without additional hypoglycaemia or total daily insulin dose. There were no unanticipated safety problems (six vs. five severe hypoglycaemia cases, one diabetic ketoacidosis per group) and seven device-related adverse events associated with closed-loop. There were no between-group differences in patient-reported outcomes. There was one shoulder dystocia in the closed-loop group and four serious birth injuries, including one neonatal death in the standard care group. Limitations Our results cannot be extrapolated to closed-loop systems with higher glucose targets, and our sample size did not provide definitive data on maternal and neonatal outcomes. Conclusions Hybrid closed-loop therapy significantly improved maternal glycaemia during type 1 diabetes pregnancy. Our results support National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline recommendations that hybrid closed-loop therapy should be offered to all pregnant women with type 1 diabetes. Future work Future trials should examine the effectiveness of hybrid closed-loop started before pregnancy, or as soon as possible after pregnancy confirmation. Trial registration This trial is registered as ISRCTN56898625. Funding This award was funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) programme (NIHR award ref: 16/35/01) and is published in full in Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation; Vol. 11, No. 7. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information. Dexcom supplied the continuous glucose monitoring systems used by AiDAPT intervention- and control-arm participants at reduced cost.