Thomas D'Arcy McGee Summer School in north Louth to focus on human rights

The 13th  Thomas D'Arcy McGee Summer School this year will focus on the critical challenges facing human rights today. The event will gather well known scholars and activists to address the importance of safeguarding human rights achievements against a global backdrop of rising authoritarianism and xenophobia.

The summer school aims to highlight the significance of human rights, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. It will explore how these frameworks can hold states and institutions accountable for abuses at local, national and international levels. This year’s theme comes at a crucial time, organisers say, when confidence in the commitment of governments and institutions to uphold fundamental freedoms is waning.

Reflecting the spirit of Eleanor Roosevelt’s profound words on the origins of human rights, the Thomas D'Arcy McGee Summer School emphasises that the fight for human rights begins in small places like Carlingford and in communities across the country, across Europe and the world. 

“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighbourhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”

The summer school organisers say that the notions that we take for granted in our modern world – of rights, equality, rule of law, inclusion, freedom of movement, freedom from discrimination, democracy – are under increasing assault from authoritarian leaders and the populist far-right across the world today.

You may ask, they add, what small community based organisations from both sides of Carlingford Lough – Carlingford, Rostrevor and Newry – can do to defend and safeguard such ideas. They say they would answer that it is in ‘these small places close to home ... that human rights begin’. And we would go on to argue, they further add, still in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, that ‘without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the wider world’. Let’s talk! 

TDMSS '24 Running Order

• Day One 13th August
  • 9.00   to   9.30         Registration   Tea / Coffee and Biscuits
  • 9.30   to   9.40          Welcome:  Séamus Murphy
  • 9.40   to 10.00         Keynote Speaker - TBC
  • 10.00 - 10.10        Canadian Ambassador - Nancy Smyth  

First session - Human Rights – definition and history

• Chairperson TBC
• Colin Harvey – origins of HR as currently defined (UDHR and ECHR)
• Monica McWilliams – Rights-based governance – importance of a Bill of Rights in Northern Ireland, on Shared Island.

Coffee Break - Tea and Scones

Second Session   No Title Yet

•  Chairperson TBC
• Alyson Kilpatrick – Holding states to account – Putting the ECHR into effect - HR and the GFA. Making sure that legislators can be held to account.
• Niall Muldoon – Ombudsman for Children
• Another Speaker TBC.  

 Evening Programme - Reception/Award –  Carlingford Heritage Centre

• Carlingford Pipe Band
• The Play and Newpoint –The Trial of John Mitchell – @19.30 - Tuesday 13th August - the Heritage Centre 

Day Two 14th August

Session Three    

• Coffee on Arrival
• Gideon Levy – A voice for HR – in the face of war (on-line)
• Coffee Break
• Bulelani Mfaco – Human Rights, Immigration and Asylum Seekers
• Turlough O’Donnell – Human Rights, Justice and Keeping Hope

The Trial of John Mitchel (and his statue) before the Court of History by Anthony Russell, performed by the Newpoint Players, resurrects John Mitchel to face charges of crimes against humanity, with historical figures like Padraic Pearse and Sir Charles Gavin Duffy as his defence and prosecution. The audience serves as the jury in this thought-provoking drama that reexamines Mitchel's legacy and his statue's place in Newry.

Additionally, Canadian Ambassador Nancy Smyth, appointed in March 2021, will be honoured with an award from the school for her outstanding work in representing Canadian interests, advancing bilateral relations, and managing programs and services for Canadian citizens and businesses in Ireland.

Speakers include:

• Colin Harvey: Professor of Human Rights Law at Queen’s University Belfast, member of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, and Scientific Committee of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency.
• Monica McWilliams: Founding member of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition, delegate to the Good Friday Agreement, and Emeritus Professor at Ulster University.
• Alyson Kilpatrick: Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, with extensive experience in human rights advocacy and legal advising.
• Niall Muldoon: Ireland’s Ombudsman for Children, dedicated to ensuring the rights of vulnerable children and young people are respected.
• Colin Harvey: Professor of Human Rights Law at Queen’s University Belfast, member of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, and Scientific Committee of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency.
• Gideon Levy: Award-winning Israeli journalist known for his work on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
• Bulelani Mfaco: South African activist advocating for asylum seekers' rights in Ireland and campaigning for systemic changes in the treatment of asylum seekers.
• Turlough O’Donnell: Senior Counsel specialising in mediation, conflict resolution, and restorative justice.
• David Wilson: Historian and biographer of Thomas D'Arcy McGee, providing valuable historical context to the discussions.

These eminent speakers and more will engage participants in critical discussions, offering insights and strategies to reinforce human rights at every level of society. The event promises to be an inspiring and thought-provoking gathering, fostering a deeper understanding of how local actions can drive global change.