Baroness May Blood dedicated her life to advancing social justice, workers’ rights, and integrated education in Northern Ireland. Growing up in Belfast’s working-class Shankill Road, she spent 38 years in the textile industry, where she became a trade unionist fighting for fair wages and better conditions. Her activism extended into politics, playing a crucial role in the founding of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition, which helped shape the Good Friday Agreement, advocating for victims’ rights, women’s equality, and social cohesion.

A tireless campaigner for integrated education, Baroness Blood raised over £15 million as Campaign Chair for the Integrated Education Fund, helping to unite children across cultural divides and foster lasting peace. In 1999, she became the first Northern Irish woman to receive a life peerage, using her position in the House of Lords to push for social and economic reform.

May’s passing in 2022 left a legacy of empowerment, reconciliation, and community-driven change which continues to shape a more inclusive Northern Ireland.