Padraig O'Malley
The 2009 Greeley Scholar was the acclaimed international peace activist Padraig O鈥橫alley. Prof. O鈥橫alley is the John Joseph Moakley Distinguished Professor for Peace and Reconciliation at the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He
was given the Peacemaker Award in 2010 by the Association for Conflict Resolution. Prof. O鈥橫alley is also the recipient of the Peace Award of the International Association of University Presidents, the Eire Society Gold Medal Award and the Freedom International Award.聽
He is the author of the award-winning 鈥淯n-Civil Wars: Ireland Today,鈥� 鈥淪hades of Difference: Mac Maharaj and the Struggle for South Africa鈥� and the forthcoming 鈥淭he Greater Middle East: Different Starting Points, Different Histories.鈥� He is also the founder and editor of the 鈥淣ew England Journal of Public Policy.鈥� In 2008, O鈥橫alley was awarded the Liberal International鈥檚 Freedom Prize in recognition of his achievement of the conflict resolution work in Northern Ireland and South Africa.聽
In April 2009, O鈥橫alley organized an international conference, 鈥淭he Forum for Cities in Transition,鈥� which was held at the University of Massachusetts Boston. This event brought together 35 leaders, including mayors, city council members and police officials from divided cities, with the aim of learning how cities torn apart by hatred can heal their divisions. 鈥淧eople from divided cities are in the best position to help people in other divided cities,鈥� says O鈥橫alley. A major result of the conference was that the group of leaders agreed to form a permanent council of cities in transition. In 2010 the city of Mitrovica hosted the conference and in 2011 the city of Derry/Londonderry in Ireland hosted it.
(Gavriel Salomon (Left) and Padraig O鈥橫alley (Right) speak about the Progress聽
of Peace in Israel and Northern Ireland at the residence of the Israel Consul General to New England, Nadav Tamir. Dr. Paula Rayman (center) moderated the discussion, 2010.)