Mairead Corrigan Maguire

Mairead Maguire is a renowned Northern Irish peace activist. Co-founding Women for Peace, which later evolved into the Community for Peace People, Maguire aimed to resolve the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Her dedication towards promoting peace was recognized in 1976 when she, along with Betty Williams, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Apart from her work in Northern Ireland, Maguire has been involved with various international peace initiatives. Her activism includes advocacy for Mordechai Vanunu, Palestinian activism, and addressing the Rohingya issue. She has also been a consistent critic of several global leaders and policies, confronting issues related to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Throughout her life, Maguire has maintained her involvement with the Peace People organization, serving as its honorary president since 1980. She also co-founded the Committee on the Administration of Justice in 1981, a nonsectarian organization dedicated to defending human rights. A member of the anti-abortion group Consistent Life Ethic, Maguire has campaigned for political prisoners worldwide, including efforts to protest the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar and to secure the release of Liu Xiaobo in China. In 2003, she was selected to serve on the honorary board of the International Coalition for the Decade, promoting a UN vision for a culture of peace and non-violence. Furthermore, she was a founder of the Nobel Women's Initiative in 2006, aiming to strengthen women's rights globally.

Apart from her activism, Maguire has earned a degree from the Irish School of Ecumenics at Trinity College Dublin and has worked with various interchurch and interfaith organizations. Her personal philosophy and vision are detailed in her work "The Vision of Peace: Faith and Hope in Northern Ireland". She has received several accolades such as the Norwegian People's Peace Prize and the Carl von Ossietzky Medal, both in 1976, and the Pacem in Terris Award in 1990. Despite facing questioning upon entry into the U.S. due to her activism, Maguire remains critical of U.S. and British policies in the Middle East. In 2015, she participated in a Democracy Now interview titled "No to Violence, Yes to Dialogue" where she discussed the need to end militarism and promote peace and human rights.