The State’s Direct Provision service will be examined and scrutinised in a public talk entitled The Right to Have Rights, which will be given by Dr Bryan McMahon, which will be given in NUI Galway next week.
The lecture is this year’s Field Day’s Annual Seamus Deane Lecture and will be held on Saturday October 14 at 7pm at the Aula Maxima, NUI Galway. Dr McMahon is the lead author of the McMahon Report on Direct Provision.
He was professor and head of the department of law in UCC, a part-time chair of law at NUIG, and a senior partner with the Houlihan and McMahon law firm. He is also a founding member of the Irish Association of Law Teachers, he has authored several legal textbooks and also been chair of the governing body of UCC. He was a judge of the Circuit Court in 1999 was promoted to the High Court in 2007. In 2012 he was made an honorary Doctor of Laws by UCD.
The lecture will be introduced by actor and Field Day co-founder Stephen Rea. It will also feature the poet Seamus Deane, reflecting on the concept of “the right to have rights”, which is a quote from the political philosopher and author Hannah Arendt. There will also be contributions from Jessica Traynor and Blessings Siphathisiwe Moyo, with music by Paddy Glackin.
The talk is presented in association with the Galway International Arts Festival First Thought Talks and NUI Galway. Tickets are €10/8 via www.giaf.ie
