Earlier in the week we met Helen Rochford Brennan. Moira is Helen’s respondent and will present her ideas for reform based on Helen’s experiences at our event, The Freedom to Choose: Contracts, Capacity & the Law on the 18th of November in NUI Galway. You can register for that event now on Eventbrite.

My name is Moira Jenkins.

I am from Ireland but I have lived in Melbourne, Australia and Brixton, England.

I have experience of being a mum, a barrister, a performer, an arts administrator, a law lecturer, a gardener, a protestor, a singer, a cook, an independent advocate and a lover.

My 7 word autobiography is human being, adventurer, lawyer, student, mother, citizen and teacher.

I joined the VOICES project because injustice offends and diminishes me and I believe that listening to stories and the telling of stories is how we learn. I like that the project starts with people’s stories, whilst recognising that a story without any audience or response is incomplete. My background is as a constitutional and criminal defence lawyer and I now teach law to social care students. I have worked as an advocate in many settings and have published on the place of independent advocacy in the integration of health and social care and on the rights of older citizens. I am studying for a PhD sourcing older advocacy allies’ perspectives on independent advocacy. I also have a masters in theatre studies and my thesis was on developing oral storytelling traditions into theatre performance. Initially I joined the project because of a curiosity about anything Eilionóir Flynn, Clíona de Bhailís and Liz Brosnan were up to together. Now I am a bit daunted at the illustrious, dynamic company I have found myself in. I am privileged to be respondent to someone I, and many other people, find to be an inspirational storyteller and human rights activist, Helen Rochford Brennan.

What was your favourite part of the first workshop?

The first workshop provided a connection with a group of people whose shared compassion, commitment to social justice and sense of fun made for an exhilarating couple of days.

What are you hoping to learn from the project?

I am hoping to learn how we can transform the legal cement of our society in ways that will fulfill the right of all to contribute and revalue that contribution for all of us.