Dr Harney was born in Bessborough Mother and Baby Home in Cork. Dr Harney has previously stated that the horrible treatment that both her and her mother faced in this institution, plays a major role in Dr Harney's fight for human rights.
Reflecting on her journey Dr Harney said that education was the driving force in her life.
Education "is the most important thing in the world,"
Having started her BA at 42 and now receiving her doctorate at 77.
As one of the University's oldest graduates, Harney stated “Now for me, I'd like to say the circle has been complete, but I think there is more. I am hungry for more, but I do not know what that more is yet.”
Professor Becky Whay, Interim Deputy President and Registrar of the University of Galway, officiated at the conferring ceremony during the University's 2026 Summer Conferring, where more than 400 students received degrees, diplomas and certificates, including 105 new PhD graduates.
“It is a privilege to share a stage and, on behalf of the University of Galway, to bestow a doctorate on Mary Harney,” Professor Whay said. “She is an inspiration to all of us in the university and a remarkable symbol of the value of education.”
At the Irish Centre for Human Rights Harney was dubbed the "resister in chief," and an "inspiration to human rights defenders globally."
The Director of the ICHR, Siobhán Mullally said “Her remarkable story, and her combination of scholarship and activism, reflects the very best of what human rights education is about in today's troubled world.”
Dr Harney's journey from survivor to scholar and advocate stands as a powerful example of resilience, determination and the transformative power of education.
