Speaker Biographies

Dr Philomena Mullen is an Assistant Professor at Trinity College Dublin who leads the Black Studies Module.  Philomena was born in Dublin and grew up in the Irish industrial school system. Returning to education in her 20s, she received her BA in English and Philosophy, and an MPhil in Women’s Studies from Trinity College Dublin. After an 18-year gap to raise a family, she returned to Trinity College where as Government of Ireland PhD scholar she examined the racist and racialised aspects of how Black mixed-race women, who grew up in the Irish institutional care system without families, construct their identity in a country that sees Irishness as white and everything else as Other.

Mr Conrad Bryan is a Trustee of The Association of Mixed-Race Irish (AMRI), a charity set up to advocate and campaign for mixed race people who were in Irish Institutions as children. Conrad was placed in a Mother and Baby Home as an infant child and at 4 years of age was sent to another institution until he was 18 years old. He studied Business Studies at college and emigrated from Ireland to England where he qualified as an accountant. He chaired the Health Sub-committee on the Collaborative Forum which was set up by the former Minister for Children Katherine Zappone, to identify health and wellbeing supports for mothers and children who were in Mother and Baby Homes. He is currently focusing on the Governments Action Plan for reparation on behalf of AMRI members. Conrad currently lives in London with his wife and family and has been offered a place to study a Master’s in International Human Rights Law at Galway University.

Videos of the 100th session of CERDin Geneva

In December 2019 a delegation of 5 people from AMRI attended the 100th session of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination at Office of the UN for Human Rights in Geneva. This session is for States such as Ireland to explain to the committee ( CERD)  how they deal with racism in in their country and how it complies with  Human rights laws and the Convention. Ireland is accountable to CERD on issues relating to racial discrimination and it submitted its 8th Periodic report to the committee for this session.

 http://www.mixedraceirish.ie/UN-Human-Rights.php