Patrick Bresnihan

My research has mostly looked at different but related concerns around water, land, and energy in Ireland and how these relate to broader questions of environmental politics and the ‘green’ transition. Current areas of research include: Ireland’s position as a ‘smart/green’ hub for large-scale energy and data infrastructures; the end of the Irish peat industry and the question of what comes next for bog ecologies and affected communities; the practice and politics of agroecology in the face of a dominant agri-food industry.  

In 2019, I completed an EPA-funded project entitled 'Learning from Group Water Schemes: Community Infrastructures for Sustainable Development' (WISDOM). The project examined the history and development of rural, community-managed water infrastructures in Ireland known as Group Water Schemes (GWSs) and how the work they undertake helps us to re-conceive the complex relationships between water, infrastructures, and people. See: http://waterschemes.ie

My research is often collaborative, including working with environmental scientists, activists and artists. I am interested in experimenting with creative methods and practices. This interest has been shaped by  my involvement in the Provisional University (provisionaluniversity.wordpress.ie) and the Authority Research Network (www.authorityresearch.net). 

I am currently supervising:
- Jamie Rohu on Just transitions in the Irish peatlands (IRC-funded).
- Laure Detymowski on urban environmental justice (IRC-funded).
- Robert Keogh on degrowth & eco-socialism (John Hume Scholarship)