Since its creation the IHA has championed humanities research and scholarship in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Humanities disciplines in both jurisdictions enjoy an excellent international reputation, and the IHA was formed to address the central place of the humanities in the context of a higher education policy landscape that is increasingly shaped by economic imperatives. The IHA provides a platform for all-island humanities collaboration and consultation. This has enabled the diverse range of humanities disciplines across the island to speak with a single voice. In the context of Brexit, the IHA remains committed to championing the social, cultural and economic value of humanities education and research in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The IHA works closely with the Irish Research Council (IRC), the main funding body for the humanities in Ireland, and engages widely with other stakeholders within the Irish research eco-system. At an EU level the IHA is an active member of the European Alliance for the Social Sciences and the Humanities (EASSH), and has been a member organisation of the Governing Board of this body since its inception in 2015.The IHA works with National Experts, National Delegates and National Contact Points in Ireland and Northern Ireland to bring an effective, co-ordinated humanities response to bear on draft EU work programmes in Horizon 2020 and its successor programme Horizon Europe.