The Post-Brexit Security Field on the Island of Ireland: The Role of Civil Society in Everyday Security

Security through policing and civil institutions were critical dimensions of the peace settlement in Northern Ireland. The political settlement was underpinned by trust and the development of a robust civil society, which, despite the political instability generated by Brexit and the subsequent Northern Ireland Protocol, was largely maintained. This period was marked by a fractious and contested atmosphere post the UK's departure from the EU. Community support for formal institutions of policing and security on all sides of the border was also crucial.

This research explored the role of actors in various layers of security production, both formal and informal. It addressed three main questions:

- What were the impacts on civil security of the social, economic, and political scenarios generated by Brexit in north-south dimensions?

- What and who were the key social, cultural, and economic institutions, both formal and informal, and how were they critical to the maintenance of peace and security?

- What security futures faced a shared Island?

The project utilized a mixed-methods approach, including embedded ethnography in areas with concentrated security challenges and a field-analytic approach to understanding the positions, resources, and strategies of key actors and agencies. It produced new knowledge on the scale and depth of feelings of insecurity, civil society resilience, and the role of these institutions in maintaining peace and security. The outputs were made accessible to civil, policy, and political actors to inform debate and development in the post-Brexit field of security on the Island.