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Working towards Irish Unity

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Niall Murphy1

Niall Murphy: United Irelander

Niall Murphy Biography (Partner KRW Law LLP, Secretary Ireland’s Future)  – 13th September 2025

A biography of Ireland’s Future  Chairperson Niall Murphy who joins our panel on Tuesday evening in Westminster, 7pm to discuss – How Do We Achieve A Unity Ref And Win It?

“The premier human rights lawyer in the north, a person worth watching and supporting as he leads the  charge for unity” 

Professor John Feerick, Former Dean at the School of Law, Fordham University.  Niall is a partner at KRW Law LLP, a leading human rights practice, based in Belfast.  

The practice is instructed by a significant number of clients engaged in legacy litigation relating to  conflict related deaths and injuries, appearing for those bereaved as a result of atrocities such as  Loughinisland, Claudy, Clonoe, Kingsmill, the Dublin-Monaghan and McGurks Bar Bombings,  the Glenanne Gang series of killings, Ormeau Road Bookmakers, the 1974 Birmingham and  Guildford Pub Bombings, amongst others. Niall is also instructed on behalf of several families to  act in inquests which were closed on 1 May 2024 by the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and  Reconciliation) Bill. These inquests include the families of Bellaghy GAA chairman Sean Brown,  the Springhill Massacre and the New Lodge 6. Niall is also instructed by the mother of Noah  Donohoe at the pending inquest into Noah’s death. 

Niall has a long and respected track record in criminal defence work, as part of the KRW Law  criminal department. Niall is a qualified Advanced Advocate since 2005. Niall has conducted  cases from the full range of criminal offences and has acted on behalf of defendants acquitted of  the Northern Bank Robbery in 2004, the murders of two British soldiers at Massereene in 2009, the  murder of Robert McCartney in 2005. 

Niall also recently represented journalist Trevor Birney, who was arrested for a breach of the  Official Secrets Act, following his landmark award winning documentary No Stone Unturned  which exposed the depth and extent of state collusion in the atrocity at Loughinisland. Birney  would later receive damages in excess of £ ¾ million, for his wrongful arrest and detention  following a landmark judgment by the Lord Chief Justice, a judgement which has become an  important legal authority upholding the rights of independent journalists and indeed the  importance of investigative journalism and the freedom of speech in a modern democracy.  Revelations at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal at the RCJ in London, have exposed an industrial  scale surveillance operation by police against investigative journalists and lawyers which have led  to calls for a Public Inquiry into the unlawful practice.  

Niall has made representations at the European Parliament in Brussels, to the EU Human Rights  Commissioner in Strasbourg and also to the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva as well as  having presented lectures to Universities in Washington, Pittsburgh, Jersey City, Fordham  University New York and Harvard, Massachusetts.  

Niall is the secretary and co-founder of Ireland’s Future an organisation which facilitates  discussion and research towards the reunification of Ireland, in line with principles and processes  as set out in the Good Friday Agreement. In April 2025, Niall conducted a series of meetings on  Capitol Hill with Congressmen Richie Neal, Tim Kennedy, Brendan Boyle and Chris Smith, before  heading to Philadelphia to introduce former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as Guest Speaker to an  audience of 300 Irish American leaders at the Philadelphia Union League on the anniversary of  the Good Friday Agreement on 10th April 2025. In recent months Niall also has also addressed  Irish communities in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Columbus and Cleveland Ohio. 

Niall is also a Director of Belfast based NGO, Relatives for Justice and is a director of Brassneck  Theatre Company, a Panel Member of the Human Rights Fund, an Honorary Chair of the Belfast  International Homecoming and also sits on the Antrim GAA Human Resources Board. Niall is  vice chairman of St Enda’s GAC, Chairman of Club Aontroma and a founder and Governor of  Gaelscoil Éanna, an Irish medium primary school in his home community of Glengormley. 

Niall Murphy Biography (Partner KRW Law LLP, Secretary Ireland’s Future)  44th Annual Great Irish Fair of New York – 13th September 2025 

Ireland’s Future briefing to Capitol Hill, 8th April 2025, from left Brian McCabe, Congressman Tim  Kennedy, Gerry Carlile (CEO IF), Niall Murphy (IF), Congressman Richie Neal, Reverend Karen  Sethuraman (IF), former Congressman Joe Crowley and Sophie Colgan (IF). 

With Senator George Mitchell and investigative journalist and film maker, Trevor Birney 

Niall Murphy Biography (Partner KRW Law LLP, Secretary Ireland’s Future)  44th Annual Great Irish Fair of New York – 13th September 2025 

Introducing former Taoiseach as Guest Speaker at the Gala Dinner held in honour of Ireland’s  Future at the Philadelphia Union League, on the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement,  Thursday 10th April 2025. 

Niall Murphy Biography (Partner KRW Law LLP, Secretary Ireland’s Future)  44th Annual Great Irish Fair of New York – 13th September 2025

Niall Murphy Biography (Partner KRW Law LLP, Secretary Ireland’s Future)  44th Annual Great Irish Fair of New York – 13th September 2025 

With Tom di Napoli New York State Comptroller celebrating the 21st Anniversary of the Good Friday  Agreement, at Roosevelt House, Manhattan. 

Irish Unity Summit. The Great Hall at Cooper Union, New York 1st March 2024, with Christian Bolden  African American Irish Diaspora Network, Mary Lou Macdonald Úachtarán Sinn Féin, Professor  Brendan O’Leary University of Pennsylvania and author of Making Sense of a United Ireland. 

Niall Murphy Biography (Partner KRW Law LLP, Secretary Ireland’s Future)  44th Annual Great Irish Fair of New York – 13th September 2025 

Outside the Royal Courts of Justice with the family of murdered GAA club Chairman, Seán  Brown, following the closure of his inquest on 4th March 2024. The family were supported by  First Minister Michelle O’Neill and GAA President Jarlath Burns.

Niall Murphy Biography (Partner KRW Law LLP, Secretary Ireland’s Future)  44th Annual Great Irish Fair of New York – 13th September 2025 

Leaving the terrorist custody suite at Musgrave PSNI on Friday 31st August 2018, with  solicitor John Finucane and the makers of No Stone Unturned Trevor Birney and Barry  McCaffrey, who were arrested by PSNI for offences of theft and an alleged breach of the  Official Secrets Act.  

Outside the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast, Friday 31st May 2019, following the successful  application for judicial review, which quashed the lawfulness of the warrants which led to the  arrest of Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey.

Niall Murphy Biography (Partner KRW Law LLP, Secretary Ireland’s Future)  44th Annual Great Irish Fair of New York – 13th September 2025 

17th May 2016. Speaking at the Westminster launch of a co-authored report – Repeal of the  Human Rights Act: Implications for Northern Ireland, which examines the proposal to repeal the  Human Rights Act 1998 and the possible effect of this on the Good Friday Agreement 1998  and the continued out-workings for Dealing with the Legacy of the Conflict in the north in  addition to the commitment to human rights incorporated within the 1998 Agreement. 

Niall Murphy shared a platform chaired by Sir Keir Starmer QC MP (former DPP for England  and Wales and Human Rights Advisor to the Northern Ireland Policing Board) together with  former Attorney General for England and Wales Dominic Grieve QC MP, Lynn Boylan MEP  Irish Member of the European Parliament for Dublin, Sinn Fein, Les Allamby, Chief  Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, and barristers from  Doughty Street Chambers.