Baroness May Blood: A Celebration of an Extraordinary Woman

PANEL CONVERSATION

As part of our ongoing celebration of extraORDINARYwomen , join us at The Linen Hall for a panel discussion honouring the life and legacy of Baroness May Blood, a pivotal figure in Northern Ireland’s history. Featuring Paul Caskey, Avila Kilmurray, and Jackie Redpath, discover Baroness Blood’s remarkable life and legacy through personal reflections and reminiscence.

Important Notice: Please be aware that the event scheduled for Wednesday 6th March is at 6:00 PM and not 1:00 PM, as erroneously printed in the programme. We apologise for any confusion. 

About Paul Caskey

Paul Caskey OBE is Head of Campaign at the Integrated Education Fund. He joined the IEF in 2000.  A graduate of Queen’s University Belfast and Trinity College Dublin, where he completed a master’s degree in Peace Studies, Paul has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 30 years.  He was formerly Appeals Co-ordinator at the Evelina Children’s Hospital of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in London.  For the Integrated Education Fund, working alongside the late Baroness May Blood and the IEF Campaign Council, he is responsible for leading the fundraising development campaign to help increase the growth of integrated schools in Northern Ireland.  Paul is married with three children; all of whom attended Forge Integrated Primary School and Lagan College Belfast. He was awarded an OBE by Her Majesty The Queen in 2021 for services to education in Northern Ireland.

About Avila Kilmurray

Avila Kilmurray is the Migration and Peacebuilding Executive at The Social Change Initiative, a role which supports work with the Migrant Learning Exchange Programme and learning on peace building. She has worked in the community sector and philanthropy in Northern Ireland since 1975. Avila has particular interest in women’s issues and anti-poverty work and was a founder member of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition. Over the period 1994-2014, she was Director of the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland which prioritised support for community action and peace building. She is a member of the Foundations for Peace Network and serves on an Expert Advisory Committee for IFIT (Institute for Integrated Transitions). She is a Board member of the International Fund for Ireland (IFI), the St. Stephen’s Green Trust and is on the Northern Ireland Advisory Committee of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Avila is a Visiting Professor with the Transitional Justice Institute (Ulster University) and is author of Community Action in a Contested Society: The Story of Northern Ireland (Lang 2017).

About Dr Jackie Redpath

Dr Jackie Redpath MBE is the Chief Executive of Greater Shankill Partnership. He grew up on the Woodvale area of the upper Shankill Road and has a degree in Modern History from QUB. Since the early 70s, he has committed himself to community development work in the Shankill area of Belfast and to cross-community, cross border and international work for peace and understanding.