Monica McWilliams in Conversation with Anne Flaherty

Monica McWilliams has been one of the most influential women in Northern Irish public life during the past 3 decades. For many years she was a lecturer and then Professor of Women’s Studies and Social Policy at the University of Ulster.  In 1996 she co-founded the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition, a women-led cross-community political party.  She played a pivotal role in the peace talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement and she subsequently served as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly between 1998 and 2003.

From 2005 to 2011 she was Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission from 2005 to 2011.  Monica was then appointed the Oversight Commissioner for prison reform in Northern Ireland from 2011 to 2015. She is currently a commissioner on the Independent Reporting Commission monitoring progress on tackling paramilitary activity, while continuing her academic research into domestic violence and working with women peace-builders in conflict regions all over the world.  

Monica is the recipient of numerous awards including the J. F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 1998 for her role as a joint signatory to the Good Friday Agreement, the Frank Cousins Peace Award in 1999 and A Special Lifetime Achievement Award from Women in Business.  She has also received several honorary doctorates.

Monica will discuss her recent memoir Stand Up, Speak Out (2021) with journalist Anne Flaherty.

Anne Flaherty: a journalist born in London and growing up in County Clare, Anne has worked for The Irish Press in Dublin and The Irish Times in Belfast as well as reporting from Africa and Asia. She is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, and holds an MA in Anglo-Irish Writing from Queen’s University Belfast and an MA in Children’s Literature from the University of Surrey.