About

Mary works with individuals, teams, organisations and communities dealing with disconnection, division and dereliction in the place making and regeneration arenas.

Participants love Mary’s energising, capacity building place-making experiences. Shedding light and lifting spirits, these are rooted in her commitment to a world that works, full of vitality and belonging.

Leaders, and their teams, take the ball she offers and run with it - achieving significant positive change.

Are you concerned about overcoming endemic dereliction, segregation and loneliness? Feeling lost, or at a loss, when it comes to generating more resilient teams and communities, flowing freely through public spaces that feel safe? Deeply committed to connecting people and places in spaces full of life and light where everyone belongs, Mary Kerrigan is the speaker, trainer and coach to unlock your blocks.

Mary graduated with first class honours in architecture, from Liverpool University, winning the Sikorski Prize. Drawn to work with Liam McCormick one of Ireland’s leading 20th century architects, took her to Derry in Northern Ireland - then a deeply divided city, still embroiled in the ‘Troubles’.

There, she found a place where her gifts, skills and talents found their purpose - connecting people and places. For over 30 years, she led on engaging people of all ages and backgrounds, building a community committed to co-creating a city that works better for everyone.

Before the 1998 Belfast Agreement was a line on a page, Mary proposed connecting 4 major heritage assets: Derry’s ancient walled city; the majestic River Foyle, an under-used public park; and a barricaded military barracks, then occupied by the British Army.

Over years Mary led on enlisting 100s of stakeholders in this possibility - at all levels - shifting the context from divided city to connected city.

One element was a footbridge across the River Foyle.

Derry’s transformative Millennium Peace Bridge* opened in 2011. By its 3rd birthday, 3 million people had crossed in both directions the bridge the many said would never happen. Today it is held to be the most successful peace building infrastructure project in Western Europe.

A Northern Bridge Consortium PhD Researcher at Ulster University, Northern Ireland, Mary’s focus is Innovating Interface Architecture: Investigating the adaptive reuse of abandoned buildings dividing Belfast’s communities.

In 2024 Mary successfully won and led ‘Hometown Architect - Reimagine Moville’ with community partners. Irish Architecture Foundation funded.

In 2015, Mary designed and lead Heritage Streets Alive ©. This successful engagement, empowerment and co-envisioning process effectively expands participants’ capacity to co-create a new future.  A decade on, tangible transformative change has been realised by all three grass roots communities.

A Sustainable Communities Millennium Fellowship 2000 took her to 14 European cities, where she set up and met key actors delivering successful sustainable urban regeneration.

Mary was awarded a Getty Scholarship, Los Angeles 2018.

In 1993 Mary completed a Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings Scholarship [London], becoming the first SPAB Scholar to practice on the island of Ireland. 

A chartered architect since 1987, Mary practiced architecture across Ireland for 20 years - including co-founding and leading her own partnership for 10 years.

She is the first Education Officer appointed to a Townscape Heritage Initiative in Northern Ireland.

An advisor to government in Northern Ireland for 10 years Mary has held diverse roles in stakeholder engagement; in education at 1st, 2nd and 3rd levels, and is a published author of adopted rural and conservation area design guidance.

A Mastery Foundation School for Leadership graduate, and a certified coach in transformational leadership, Mary holds a 1st class Honours B.Arch; and B.A. (Architectural Studies) Honours degree (both from Liverpool University). The former includes a one year exchange programme to the University of Oregon, School of Architecture and Allied Arts, USA.

* The Derry Peace Bridge was designed by

Wilkinson Eyre, Architects, London