Micheál Smith was born in Dublin and studied Psychology at UCD to postgraduate level before embarking on a varied career as a diplomat with Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Micheál relocated permanently to Belfast where he retrained then worked as a mental health and disability advocate. Eventually he came to work with the Pat Finucane Centre as an advocate, where he works with victims, survivors, and families bereaved as a result of the conflict on the island of Ireland. He is author, for the Pat Finucane Centre, of The Impact of the Parachute Regiment in Belfast 1970-73.