Belfast and the Beach
Contributor Notes
Biographical Note
I was born in Belfast in 1934. I took a bachelor's degree in geography at the Queen's University of Belfast, graduating in 1956, and then worked as a research assistant there for the following two years. In 1958 I became an exchange student at the University of Michigan, taking a master's degree in conservation, moving across campus after one year to work on a doctorate in geography. I also met my future wife in Ann Arbor. In 1961 we moved to Calgary, Alberta when I was appointed Assistant Professor (University of Alberta, Calgary—now University of Calgary). We stayed in Calgary in sight of the Rockies for two years before moving (back, in my case) to Belfast, where I taught and researched geography for the 34 years that followed—as Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader, and finally Professor. During that time I also had two sabbaticals—one at the University of Toronto and one at Carleton University, Ottawa. On retirement in 1997 I was appointed Professor Emeritus of Human Geography. During this retirement I have received a number of awards. The first was from the International Geographical Union in 1998 “in recognition of a lifetime contribution to political geography and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.” The second, in 1999, was an OBE from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II “for contributions to urban planning and regional development in Northern Ireland.” The third, in 2009, was from the Association of American Geographers as “Distinguished Scholar of Ethnic Geography.” Finally, in 2014, the journal Progress in Human Geography designated my paper “Territoriality on the Shankill-Falls Divide, Belfast” as a classic in human geography.