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Join us for the first event in our 'Let’s Talk Research!' series, ' There is Light at the End of the PhD Tunnel' with Mary Harney.

The “Let’s Talk Research!” series will run every Wednesday at 1:00 PM, featuring presentations from PhD and Postdoctoral researchers at the Irish Centre for Human Rights. Speakers will share insights into their research areas, methodologies, and publications, creating a space to learn more about important ongoing research at the Centre and to engage with LLM students and attendees beyond the Centre.

When: 1pm Wednesday 15 October 2025

Where: Irish Centre for Human Rights Seminar Room, University of Galway

Bio: Mary has submitted her PhD thesis in Human Rights at the ICHR and she will defend it on October 10^th. She has a BA in Human Ecology and an Honorary Master’s Degree in Philosophy from the College of the Atlantic in Maine, USA. She also has two postgraduate degrees from University of Galway: one in Irish Studies and an LLM in International Human Rights.

Mary has been involved in the Human Rights Law Clinic at the Centre, first as a student and then as a tutor to other students. Mary is a lifelong activist for various human rights causes, she has been involved in podcasts, radio interviews and she is one of the subjects in a documentary ‘Testimony’ (2025) that follows the lives of various Irish citizens who were incarcerated in Irelands notorious institutions for unmarried women and their children. The documentary has won two awards, the most prestigious being the Human Rights award from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).

Mary enrolled in the four-year human rights PhD programme at the tender age of 72. She will discuss her journey as a non-traditional student throughout those four years.