Ciaran McKeown (1943–2019) was a journalist and peace activist in Northern Ireland. He played a key role in the Women’s peace movement (Peace Prople), along with Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams, who were awarded first the Norwegian People’s Peace Prize (1976) and then the Nobel Peace Prize (1977) for their work for peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. Ciaran McKeown was affiliated with PRIO as a research associate in 1977, funded by a grant from the Norwegian Ministry of Education.

‘Our greatest ambition is to try to create in this community of 1 ½ million people a non-violent democracy.’ (Ciaran McKeown, 1978, p. 1).