Brief Biography:

Monica McWilliams was born in Kilrea, County Derry, and educated at Loretto College, Coleraine, before going onto Queen's University Belfast, and the University of Michigan in the United Sates of America. McWilliams then pursued a career as a university lecturer and later became Professor of Women's Studies and Social Policy at the University of Ulster. In early 1996 she helped to establish the Northern Ireland Woman's Coalition (NIWC) and in May 1996 was returned along with one of her party colleagues to the Northern Ireland Forum (1996-98). This enabled the NIWC to participate in the multi-party talks that commenced in June 1996 and which culminated in the signing of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) in April 1998. In the subsequent referendum campaign in May 1998 she actively campaigned for a 'Yes' vote. A month later in June 1998 she was elected to the new Northern Ireland Assembly as one of the representatives for the constituency of Belfast South (1998-2003). Then when the NIWC held its first party conference in November 1998 McWilliams was chosen as its leader. As such she has led the NIWC at the series of negotiations that have taken place in order to try to secure the full implementation of the GFA. At the election to the Northern Ireland Assembly in November 2003 McWilliams lost her seat.

Book References:

Elliott, Sydney. and Flackes, W.D. (1999), Northern Ireland: A Political Directory 1968-1999. Belfast: Blackstaff Press.
Fearon, Kate. (1999), Women's Work: The Story of the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition. Belfast: Blackstaff Press.

Web Sources:

http://www.ni-assembly.gov.uk/members/biogs/mmcwilliams.htm
http://www.niwc.org/reps.asp
http://www.stratagem-ni.org/

[Entry written by B.Lynn - 20 December 2002; updated 9 June 2004]