Join us and the Centre for Global Education at this lunchtime webinar, which is part of our Shared Island project:IHRA Definition of Antisemitism and the Good Friday Agreement
Date: Wednesday, 3 September 2025
Time: 12:00–13:15 (online)
This session will examine the implications of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism for the Good Friday Agreement, with a focus on its impact on cross-border and cross-community relations in Ireland.
The discussion will explore how definitions, legal frameworks, and political discourse intersect with commitments to peace, inclusion, and human rights.
OUR PANEL
SHANE O’CURRY – Irish Network Against Racism (INAR)
Shane O’Curry has been active in human rights organisations in Ireland, North and South, since 1997. He is the Director of INAR – the Irish Network Against Racism- where he works with Network members to coordinate common network policy responses to racism. He is a co-author on a recent Policing Authority report on the policing of minorities in the Republic of Ireland.
DR. LUCY MICHAEL – Former Commissioner, Irish Human Rights & Equality Commission (IHREC)
Dr Lucy Michael is a sociologist and consultant specialising in equality and human rights. She leads a team at Lucy Michael Research, Training and Consultancy, providing research, evidence-based training, and policy advice in Ireland, the UK and Europe to strengthen equality and human rights practice across a wide range of sectors. Previously, she held academic posts in sociology and criminology for more than 16 years at Ulster University, the University of Hull, and Keele University. She has served as a Member of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and as President of the Sociological Association of Ireland. Lucy is co-editor and co-author of two books, Immigrants as Outsiders in the Two Irelands (MUP, 2019) and Unsettling Whiteness (Brill, 2019). Alongside her professional work, she currently volunteers with all-island organisations promoting migrant and LGBTQIA inclusion.
EMILY HILTON – Diaspora Alliance
MODERATOR: HELEN HENDERSON, appointed as a Commissioner with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Having spent most of her working life in the third sector, Helen has a background in global education, community development and peace building. Helen managed a peace centre based in Derry/Londonderry, St Columb’s Park House, developing programmes promoting non-violent activism, participative democracy and compassionate leadership. Helen is appointed as a Commissioner with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. Previously she coordinated the Development Education work at Children in Crossfire, collaborating with educators in global justice and changemaking. She is constantly inspired by ordinary people who make an extraordinary difference in their communities.
Cultivating a Community of Practice Series
The webinar is a part of the Cultivating a Community of Practice, a four-part series that brings together activists, practitioners, and communities to tackle pressing issues at the intersection of racism, sectarianism, and peacebuilding.
Other sessions in the series include:
- Decolonising International Development
- IHRA and the Good Friday Agreement (this webinar)
- Disinformation and Misinformation (dates to be confirmed)
This webinar is free and open to all interested in deepening understanding of peace and inclusion in the Irish context.
This series is funded by the Shared Island Civic Society Fund.