Laura Madden, originally from Monaghan, was one of the first women to speak on the record to New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey about the sexual predation of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The bravery of the women who told their stories triggered an avalanche of public testimonies under the hashtag #MeToo, spawning a wider global movement.
Laura Madden will be presented with the President’s Medal by Maynooth University President, Professor Philip Nolan, as part of this event to mark International Women’s Day. RTÉ broadcaster Audrey Carville will also host a panel discussion with Ms Madden, Professor Linda Connolly, Director of Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute (MUSSI) and a leading scholar on women’s experiences with trauma in Irish history, and Dr Anne O’Brien from the Department of Media Studies at Maynooth University and author of Women, Inequality and Media Work.