2026 Climate Justice Conference

Filmmaker and content creator whose work has helped raise public awareness of the Lough Neagh crisis.  

Director at P.A. Duffy & Co, with extensive experience in public law and environmental litigation, including cases relating to Lough Neagh. 

Director of the Environmental Justice Network Ireland, specialising in environmental governance and access to justice. 

Freshwater Lead at NI Environment Link, working on policy and advocacy to help improve the freshwater environment in NI. Bróna has a background in law and policy, having previously worked as a lecturer in the School of Law at Queen’s University Belfast. She also chairs the board of the Environmental Justice Network Ireland (EJNI).

Professor of Green Political Economy at Queen’s University Belfast and Co-Chair of the Belfast Climate Commission, John’s work explores climate breakdown, just transitions and how societies can respond to ecological crisis in fair and transformative ways.

Reader in Energy Transition Law at the University of Aberdeen, Thomas specialises in climate law and policy, with a focus on how legal frameworks can support effective and meaningful climate action.

Bernadette McAliskey is a renowned civil rights leader, community activist and former Member of Parliament. Rising to international prominence in 1969 as the youngest woman ever elected to Westminster, she emerged from the Northern Ireland civil rights movement and has since remained a powerful and consistent voice for social justice and equality.

In recent years, Bernadette has been actively engaged in environmental advocacy, particularly in relation to the ecological crisis at Lough Neagh and its impact on local communities. Through her work with grassroots organisations, including the South Tyrone Empowerment Programme, she has highlighted the lived realities of environmental decline, and the need for accountability and community-led solutions.

Drawing on decades of activism and lived experience, she brings a compelling and deeply personal perspective on the intersection of environmental harm, social justice and community resilience.

Dr Gary Curran is Director of Engineering & Sustainability at Northern Ireland Water, where he leads the delivery of sustainable water and wastewater infrastructure across Northern Ireland. With more than 30 years’ experience in the water sector, his work spans environmental regulation, climate strategy, and infrastructure investment.

Kate Barry is Director of Public Interest Litigation Support (PILS) and a former solicitor who qualified as a property litigator in England and Wales in 2004 before returning to Ireland in 2015. She has extensive experience in pro bono and public interest law, having coordinated a range of legal advice and research projects in Belfast.

Dr. Donnacha Doody is Head of Analysis at the Office for Environmental Protection, responsible for the science and evidence that guide the OEP’s work in Northern Ireland.

He leads the OEP Nutrient Programme and is currently overseeing an evaluation of the Lough Neagh Action Plan.

Laura Neal is a solicitor with Friends of the Earth, where she works on environmental justice and public interest issues. Her work focuses on strengthening legal and policy responses to environmental harm, alongside supporting community-led advocacy and climate action initiatives.

Timothy Sharkey is a barrister at the Bar of Northern Ireland and stand-up comedian who hosts Behind the Irony Curtain. With a background in green political theory and a strong interest in sustainability, he brings insight and a lightness of touch as MC for the conference.