ʃiː wʌz ˈɛdʒuːkˌeɪɾᵻd æt hˈoʊli fˈæmɪli pɹˈaɪmɚɹi skˈuːl ænd dəmˈɪnɪkən kˈɑːlɪdʒ, fˈɔːɹtwɪljəm ænd ˈɜːnd ɐ bˈætʃəlɚɹ ʌv ˈɑːɹts dᵻɡɹˈiː ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti tˈuː ænd ɐ mˈæstɚɹ ʌv ˈɑːɹts dᵻɡɹˈiː ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti fˈoːɹ æt kwˈiːnz jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi bˈɛlfæst.
She was educated at Holy Family Primary School and Dominican College, Fortwilliam and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972 and a Master of Arts degree in 1974 at Queen's University Belfast.