On today's show, presenter Mary Moynihan is sharing news about the first-ever Kerry Arts and Human Rights Festival taking place on the 18 and 19 July 2026 in Cahersiveen and Valentia Island, county Kerry, along with details of two open calls for this year's annual International Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival taking place from the 9 to 18 October 2026. For details go to smashingtimes.ie.
The feature guest interview is with award-winning human rights defender Mary Lawlor who has dedicated her career to defending the rights of people around the world. Mary formerly served as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and is an Adjunct Professor of Business and Human Rights in the School of Business at Trinity College Dublin. She is a former Director and Chair of Amnesty International Ireland and is the founder, former Director, and former board member of Front Line Defenders, an organisation dedicated to protecting human rights defenders at risk worldwide.