IIEA Talks

In her address to the IIEA, Lara Marlowe discusses her new book, 'How Good It Is I Have No Fear of Dying'. Her book recounts the true story of a Ukrainian female army officer, Lieutenant Yulia Mykytenko, who commands a 25-man drone attack and reconnaissance platoon on the eastern front of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Lt Mykytenko has survived artillery and aerial bombardment and human wave attacks by Russia’s Wagner militia. She won the medal for courage for leading missions into the grey zone between Ukrainian and Russian lines to retrieve dead and wounded soldiers. She has lost her husband, father and dozens of comrades-in-arms to the conflict. This is war as it is being fought on the edge of Europe in the 21st century, with high-tech weapons from muddy, rat-infested trenches reminiscent of the First World War, and where you can be obliterated by a two-tonne glide bomb or pursued and blown up by a whining drone rigged with a hand grenade. About the Speaker: Lara Marlowe is a Paris-based journalist and author. Marlowe has reported on more than a dozen wars and has won four press awards. She has completed three long reporting stints in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion of 24 February 2022 and continues to write a column for The Irish Times. She has reported for a host of broadcast and print media and was a staff foreign correspondent, based in Paris and Washington, for The Irish Times from 1996 until 2023. Marlowe makes her permanent home in Paris, where she has covered five French presidencies. She became a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 2006 for her contribution to Franco-Irish relations. Marlowe is the author of How Good It Is I Have No Fear of Dying: Lieutenant Yulia Mykytenko’s Fight for Ukraine (Head of Zeus, UK, 2024 and Melville House, US, 2025), Love in a Time of War: My Years with Robert Fisk (Head of Zeus, 2021), Painted with Words (2011) and The Things I’ve See: Nine Lives of a Foreign Correspondent (2010).

This year’s IIEA YPN Christmas Special reflects upon the 2024 ‘year of elections’. Larry Donnelly, Lecturer at NUI Galway, discusses the 2024 US Presidential election and what we can expect with a new Trump administration. Brigid Laffan, Professor Emeritus at EUI, discusses the European Parliament and what we can expect from a new EU Commission. Finally, Kevin Cunningham, Lecturer in Politics at TU Dublin and Founder of Ireland Thinks reflects upon the 2024 Irish General Election and its outcomes.  Speakers on this panel include: Larry Donnelly, Lecturer at University of Galway Brigid Laffan, Professor Emeritus at Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, EUI Kevin Cunningham, Lecturer in Politics at TU Dublin and Founder of Ireland Thinks

This podcast explores the importance of the rule of law as a fundamental value of the EU and its role in ensuring the future of the EU. In conversation with IIEA Researcher, Heather Burke, retired Supreme Court Judge, John MacMenamin discusses the internal and external issues facing Europe and its liberal democratic model. He emphasises that a healthy democracy relies on active participation in the democratic project, not only passive acceptance of the rule of law as an abstract principle. Offering insights into the role of the EU as a champion of the rule of law, Judge MacMenamin discusses how the EU must use tools such as the Article 7 procedure and the Rule of Law conditionality mechanism to their full potential. However, developing a sense of trust and ensuring subtlety when dealing with illiberal democracies must also be emphasised, lest the EU’s actions enhance the standing of populist, nationalist leaders. Judge MacMenamin considers that we must always draw a fundamental distinction between the policies of political parties and the neutrality of the institutions of the rule of law and democracy. The former may change based on the democratic will of the people, but the latter must always be protected. The ideal of the rule of law is one that is close to the human spirit, and Judge MacMenamin concludes by reflecting on its success being a matter of connecting with people, as a bottom-up, democratic process.

According to Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, wind energy is Ireland’s greatest asset in the fight against climate change and is also an enormous opportunity for Ireland to grow its economy and deliver affordable energy for homes and businesses. In his address to the IIEA, Mr Cunniffe will provide an overview of the evolution of the wind sector from the very first onshore wind farm which was installed in Co. Mayo in 1992, right the way through to the opportunities and challenges for onshore and offshore wind in the next 25 years. He will reflect on making Ireland energy independent, which is not without its challenges, but is certainly possible. About the Speaker: Noel Cunniffe is the CEO of Wind Energy Ireland which is Ireland’s largest renewable energy association and works with a wide range of stakeholders to build understanding and awareness of the benefits of wind and renewable energy. Prior to becoming CEO, Noel led Wind Energy Ireland’s Policy department in driving policy development across all aspects of the onshore and offshore renewable industry in Ireland. Previously, Noel was the Renewable Integration Lead in EirGrid, the Transmission System Operator of Ireland, and worked across several departments including electricity grid planning and operation, and the design of the electricity market of Ireland. He is a Chartered Engineer with Engineer’s Ireland.