Siobhan Keegan, the Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, discussed her path to the High Court during a public conversation about her life and legal career on Sept. 19 at the University of Notre Dame.
The Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies and its Clingen Center for the Study of Modern Ireland hosted Keegan as part of the Women in Leadership series, which brings to Notre Dame women from across the island of Ireland who are leaders in politics, civic society, business, and other fields.
University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., introduced Keegan to the audience on Sept. 19 in the McKenna Hall Auditorium. G. Marcus Cole, the Joseph A. Matson Dean and Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School, led the wide-ranging conversation in which Keegan talked about growing up in Newry, where she worked in her parents’ grocery store, as well as her education, finding her vocation in the law, and her role as a judge.
Northern Ireland is the smallest jurisdiction in the United Kingdom, but Keegan noted that many of its cases have resonance beyond the island. “Even though we are a small jurisdiction, we generate quite a lot of law that goes to the higher levels,” she said. “A lot of that is human rights-based law, social policy issues.”
A few questions at the event were about laws related to The Troubles. While noting that she isn’t a politician or a policymaker, she said it’s positive overall that people are trying to find solutions and deal with the past.
“We have had a troubled past, but we’re in a very good place now. We’ve had peace for 27 years since the Good Friday Agreement,” she said.
“But we still have issues to deal with in our past. People want to know what happened to their loved ones from a very long time ago. ... It’s very hard to get everybody to agree. In fact, I would suggest it’s almost impossible,” she continued. “But what is a strength — and something we shouldn't take for granted — is that people are trying to find solutions. The courts are a place where people can come and we will do our best.”
On her position as a woman in a prominent legal role, Keegan said she hopes her success can inspire other women to pursue their ambitions in a traditionally patriarchal field like the law.
“There is an element of ‘you cannot be what you cannot see,’” she said. “And that’s why I hope my appointment will lead to further women coming into senior positions.”
Keegan also met with faculty and students at Notre Dame Law School, the Law School’s Applied Mediation Clinic, and the Keough School of Global Affairs during her time on campus.
Watch the full conversation from Sept. 19 on the Keough-Naughton Institute’s YouTube channel.