Our sincere congratulations to Dr Mary Harney on graduating on 11 June 2026 with her PhD in Human Rights from the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway. Read more in the Irish Examiner here.
Dr Harney is an inspiration to all who teach, study and practise human rights lawyering and advocacy. The Clann Project applauds Dr Harney’s expert, collaborative and persistent work for justice—including her advocacy for access to information and records, and her teaching of Ireland’s history of institutional and family separation abuses to younger generations.
Dr Maeve O’Rourke said: “It is an exceptional honour to have supervised Mary’s research with Professor Anna Arstein-Kerslake and to have watched her stimulate, educate and befriend every student and staff member in our Centre since joining as a Master’s student in 2019. Mary is a world-class researcher and advocate, and her ‘boots on the ground’ message is constant.”
Professor Siobhán Mullally, Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, said: “Mary completed a brilliant PhD thesis on human rights movement lawyering, following on from a first class honours LLM degree in International Human Rights Law. Her remarkable story, and her combination of scholarship and activism, reflects the very best of what human rights education is about in today’s troubled world.”
Comhghairdeas ó chroí!
Dr Mary Harney, a 77-year-old human rights defender and campaigner who was born in Bessboro Mother and Baby Home in Cork, has graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway. Pictured with Dr Maeve O'Rourke of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, University of Galway. Dr Harney is the oldest graduate to earn a PhD from the Centre after dedicating her life to the advancement of social justice and human rights. Her advocacy spans numerous rights causes, including workplace gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, and efforts to secure justice for the women and children who were incarcerated in Ireland’s Mother and Baby Institutions. Mary’s inspirational life story is also featured in the award-winning Testimony (2025), which follows the lives of Irish citizens who were incarcerated in Ireland’s notorious institutions for unmarried women and their children.
Photograph by Aengus McMahon
Dr Mary Harney, a 77-year-old human rights defender and campaigner who was born in Bessboro Mother and Baby Home in Cork, has graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway. Dr Harney is the oldest graduate to earn a PhD from the Centre after dedicating her life to the advancement of social justice and human rights. Her advocacy spans numerous rights causes, including workplace gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, and efforts to secure justice for the women and children who were incarcerated in Ireland’s Mother and Baby Institutions. Mary’s inspirational life story is also featured in the award-winning Testimony (2025), which follows the lives of Irish citizens who were incarcerated in Ireland’s notorious institutions for unmarried women and their children.
Photograph by Aengus McMahon
Dr Mary Harney, a 77-year-old human rights defender and campaigner who was born in Bessboro Mother and Baby Home in Cork, has graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway. Dr Harney is the oldest graduate to earn a PhD from the Centre after dedicating her life to the advancement of social justice and human rights. Her advocacy spans numerous rights causes, including workplace gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, and efforts to secure justice for the women and children who were incarcerated in Ireland’s Mother and Baby Institutions. Mary’s inspirational life story is also featured in the award-winning Testimony (2025), which follows the lives of Irish citizens who were incarcerated in Ireland’s notorious institutions for unmarried women and their children.
Photograph by Aengus McMahon
Dr Mary Harney, a 77-year-old human rights defender and campaigner who was born in Bessboro Mother and Baby Home in Cork, has graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway. Dr Harney is the oldest graduate to earn a PhD from the Centre after dedicating her life to the advancement of social justice and human rights. Her advocacy spans numerous rights causes, including workplace gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, and efforts to secure justice for the women and children who were incarcerated in Ireland’s Mother and Baby Institutions. Mary’s inspirational life story is also featured in the award-winning Testimony (2025), which follows the lives of Irish citizens who were incarcerated in Ireland’s notorious institutions for unmarried women and their children.
Photograph by Aengus McMahon
Dr Mary Harney, a 77-year-old human rights defender and campaigner who was born in Bessboro Mother and Baby Home in Cork, has graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway. Dr Harney is the oldest graduate to earn a PhD from the Centre after dedicating her life to the advancement of social justice and human rights. Her advocacy spans numerous rights causes, including workplace gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, and efforts to secure justice for the women and children who were incarcerated in Ireland’s Mother and Baby Institutions. Mary’s inspirational life story is also featured in the award-winning Testimony (2025), which follows the lives of Irish citizens who were incarcerated in Ireland’s notorious institutions for unmarried women and their children.
Photograph by Aengus McMahon