Prime Minister of Ireland in Cambridge to announce first Childers Professor of Irish History

The Taoiseach announced that Professor Alvin Jackson would be the first person to hold the new post. The news was shared during a special event at Trinity College’s Wren Library, with many guests present.

The new Professorship was created thanks to a major gift of £3.6 million made by the Irish Government on the basis of establishing the Childers Professorship. It is named after Robert Erskine Childers and his son, Erskine Hamilton Childers. Both attended Trinity College, Cambridge, and played important roles in modern Irish history.

The Taoiseach’s visit showed Ireland’s strong commitment to supporting Irish history at Cambridge and building closer academic ties between Ireland and the UK. Speaking about this new academic post, the Taoiseach said: “I am delighted to be in Cambridge today to mark the establishment of the Childers Chair of Irish History in Trinity College. This is a time when we need to protect and strengthen bonds between our countries. It is a time when we need to assert the importance of diverse, rigorous and independent historical scholarship. It is a time when we should do more to honour figures who can challenge us to see the richness and complexity of our past. 

"This Professorship is a small but important demonstration of the commitment of the Irish government to addressing these challenges. It will deepen and enrich scholarship and build a greater understanding of the complex and interlinked political, economic and social histories of Ireland and Britain, and how these histories entwined to shape our two countries and the evolving relationship between us."

Professor Prentice said: “We are delighted to welcome the Taoiseach to Cambridge. This visit provides an opportunity to demonstrate our strong commitment to academic collaboration between the United Kingdom and Ireland. We are proud to highlight the University’s extensive work on Irish history, which has long attracted distinguished scholars. We are equally delighted to welcome Professor Alvin Jackson as the inaugural Childers Professor of Irish History.”

Professor Alvin Jackson joins Cambridge from Edinburgh University, where he has served as the Richard Lodge Professor of History since 2005. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, an Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Academy and a Member of the Academia Europaea. He is internationally recognised for his scholarship on modern Irish history.

Professor Alvin Jackson said: “Cambridge has had a long tradition of researching and teaching Irish history, and of addressing the complexities of the British-Irish relationship. I'm honoured both by the opportunity to contribute to this tradition – and by the invitation to join the current, distinguished community of historians at Cambridge. The generosity of the Irish government in funding the Childers professorship guarantees that Irish history will be lastingly rooted in the University and indeed more widely; and it's a huge privilege to be inaugurating the work of the new chair.” 

Professor Lucy Delap, Chair of the Faculty of History, and Professor in Modern British and Gender History at the University of Cambridge, welcomed Professor Jackson to the Faculty. Professor Delap said: “This significant gift to the History Faculty will place Irish history at the forefront of our work. The Childers Professor will offer historical perspectives on pressing issues today in British/Irish relations and Ireland’s wider global relationships. It’s an honour, and testament to the importance of this post, that the Taoiseach is here in person to celebrate the establishment of the Professorship.”

Professor Jackson is expected to begin in the post in October 2026.

The Taoiseach's announcement of the first Childers Professor of Irish History can be viewed in full here.