SPEAKERS - ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2006

Conference Chairs

Anton Savage, Lead Consultant – Carr Communications

While studying English Literature in Trinity, Anton Savage worked as a researcher for Radio Ireland's Daybreak show. Within six months he was directing the programme. From there he moved to Carr Communications' Training Department, providing consultancy and facilitation as a senior consultant. In 2002 he took over as Head of Carr Communications’ Public Relations. At this time Anton also worked as a freelance journalist and broadcaster, culminating as a columnist with The Sunday Independent. He has contributed to many of Ireland’s top radio and television programmes and is now stand-in presenter for Matt Cooper on The Last Word on Today FM.

Specialising in Media and Presenter training and Public Communications consultancy he is retained by a number of Ireland’s leading politicians, media figures and business people. Anton is also a national champion racing driver.

Rachael English

Rachael English is the presenter of "The Constituencies", a weekly politics programme on RTE Radio One. She has worked as a reporter and presenter on most of RTE radio's leading current affairs programmes including Morning Ireland and the News at One. After six years as presenter of Ireland's most popular drivetime radio programme, Five Seven Live, she decided to leave earlier this year. Over the past decade she has covered a huge range of national and international stories for RTE from the signing of the Good Friday Agreement to the 2004 Athens Olympics. She is also the co-presenter of RTE radio's election results programmes. Rachael received a PPI award (Ireland's national radio awards) for the programme's coverage of the September the eleventh attacks. During her time as presenter, Five Seven Live won all of Ireland's major journalism prizes including the National Media Award, the Justice Media Award and a special award from the National Safety Council for coverage of road safety.

Speakers

Frank Daly

Frank Daly was appointed Chairman of the Revenue Commissioners in March 2002.  He had been a Revenue Commissioner since 1996 and immediately prior to that had been Accountant General of Revenue and Head of Strategic and Business Planning. Frank entered Revenue in 1963 when he joined the Customs and Excise Service. He has wide experience of all areas of Revenue including Customs, Excise, Taxes and the International areas. He is a member of the Top Level Appointments Committee, which is the body responsible for selecting top level managers in the Civil Service. Frank was born in Abbeyside, Co. Waterford and educated at Dungarvan C.B.S., University College Dublin and Dublin Institute of Technology.  He is married to Elaine and has two sons.

Mary Davis

Mary Davis is CEO of Special Olympics Ireland. Prior to that she served as Chief Executive Officer for the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games. Recently appointed by An Taoiseach as Chair of the Taskforce on Active Citizenship, Mary serves on the Council of State and on many committees and boards including the Irish Sports Council, Campus Stadium Ireland, and is chair of the St. Patrick’s Festival. She has received Honorary Doctorates from National University of Ireland, Dublin City University and University of Limerick.  Mary is married to Julian and has 4 children.

Fiona Kennedy

Finola Kennedy is an economist.  Educated at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, UCD and the University of Cambridge, she has been a lecturer in UCD and the Institute of Public Administration.  Her principal areas of research are public expenditure and the change in family patterns in the context of economic change.  Her book, Cottage to Creche: Family Change in Ireland (2001), has been reprinted twice.  She was a member of the Review Group on the Constitution and has served on a number of State Boards, including the Housing Finance Agency, ACC Bank and the Railway Procurement Agency.

Alice Leahy

Alice Leahy is Director of TRUST, which she co-founded in 1975.  TRUST is a non-judgemental, befriending, social and health service for people who are homeless. Former Chairperson of the Sentence Review Group, Alice is also a writer, commentator, broadcaster and lecturer, promoting understanding of the needs of the outsider in our society and daily in practical ways to help combat social exclusion. She lectures widely and has directly contributed to public policy as a member of various policy bodies. Alice's most recent book, With Trust in Place - Writing from the Outside, which she edited and compiled on the theme of the outsider has also generated a considerable reaction since its publication in October 2005. In recognition of the work of TRUST Alice was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from UCD and was also named Tipperary Person of the Year for 2004. In addition Alice has also accepted a number of other awards over the years and always does so, as she emphasises, on behalf of her colleagues "as the work of TRUST is a real team effort".

Janet Murray

Janet Murray is a Director of the Tivoli Institute which is an agency specializing in the provision of training in the field of psychotherapy in Ireland.  The Institute also provides an extensive community psychotherapy service at its centres in Dublin, Galway and Mayo and at various centres throughout Ireland in partnership with other organisations. Janet trained in psychoanalytic psychotherapy at Trinity College, Dublin and in London.  She is a member of the Irish Forum for Child Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy.  She has many years of experience working with psychological and emotional issues in clinical and community settings.

David Quinn

David Quinn is a religious and social affairs commentator. He has been editor of The Irish Catholic, a columnist with The Sunday Times, and for two and a half years was religious affairs correspondent with The Irish Independent. He continues to write weekly columns for The Irish Independent and The Irish Catholic. David is also a regular contributor to radio and TV current affairs programmes.  He is a graduate of Dublin City University. He lived and worked in Australia for six years.

John Quinn

John Quinn was a senior producer with RTE Radio l, from 1977 to 2002.  His programmes won numerous distinctions, including three Jacobs Awards, and International Awards, in Japan and New York.  He specialised in educational series and in documentaries.  His weekly educational magazine The Open Mind ran for thirteen years.  Born in Ballivor, Co. Meath, he was educated at Patrician College, Ballyfin, Co. Laois and St. Patrick’s College of Education, Dublin.  A former teacher at both primary and post-primary levels, he also spent five years as an editor in educational publishing. He has written 6 novels, five for children, one of which won a Bisto Children’s Book of the Year Award and has edited three best selling editions of his radio programmes A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl, My Education and The Open Mind Guest Lectures 1989 – 1999.  Other works include All Changed ~ a review of how Ireland has changed over the past 50 years; and Sea of Love, Sea of Loss ~ a personal memoir. In February 2003, he was awarded an honorary D. Litt. by the University of Limerick.

Paul Reynolds

Paul Reynolds is a broadcaster and writer and is the Crime Correspondent for RTE. He reports on the activities of major criminals, the criminal justice system, the work of voluntary, local, political and government organisations as well as public policy in this area. He works for all RTE outlets - Aertel, RTE Online as well as all Radio and Television News and Current Affairs programmes. He was the first person to be appointed to the position in 1996 following the murders of Detective Garda Jerry Mc Cabe and the journalist Veronica Guerin. He is also the author of two books on drugs and prostitution in Ireland;  King Scum - the Life and Times of Tony Felloni is about the heroin trade in Ireland and the devastation it has and continues to cause and Sex in the City is about the prostitution rackets in this country and who's behind them.

Telling my Story

Facilitator: Cian O’Siochain

Cian O Siochain is a Clareman who came to the world of journalism through a series of story breaking exercises with the Limerick Leader.  He continued to freelance in the Limerick area feature writing and on the Evening Echo news desk. Cian went on to work with Radio Kerry before a sojourn in Australia. Upon his return to Ireland he furthered his career in media with Newstalk 106 in Dublin before taking the opportunity to return to his native county as a presenter with Clare FM in 2004.

Cian facilitated the first Telling My Story session at last years’ Céifin conference ‘filling the vacuum?’.

Katherine Chan Mullen

Katherine Chan Mullen graduated as a medical practitioner in UK in 1976 and came to Ireland in 1978, working as a G. P. in Dublin since 1981. She has been involved in volunteer work for the Chinese Community since the 1980's. She served as President of Irish - Chinese Cultural Society for 6 years in the 1990's. Since 1996 Katherine has been involved with International Orphan Aid, Ireland. Apart from being a volunteer Chinese advisor she has helped raise money to build a new rehabilitation Centre for the handicapped orphans in Hunan, China and to organize transfer of 14 orphans to Ireland for medical treatment. Finally she closed her practice, donated her time and visited China /Ireland several times at her own expense. She became aware of the rapid expansion of the numbers of Chinese people and students arriving in Ireland, and the problems they were encountering with communication and access to services. She formed a Charity Centre to provide free services and information for the Chinese Community, including a 'hot-line information desk' with a bi-lingual Chinese staff. In 2002, the Irish Chinese Information Centre was formally established to continue that work. The Chinese Information Centre is also active in establishing and promoting Irish/Chinese cultural exchanges and events such as the Dublin Chinatown Festival.

Salome Mbugua

Salome Mbugua is a native of Kenya and has been living in Ireland for 12 years. She is the founder and national director of AkiDwA (the African Women’s Network Ireland). Her background is in social work and gender equality. She has 17 years experience of working with marginalised groups in Kenya, Uganda and Ireland.

Adam Rogalinski

Adam Rogalinski was born in the town of Poznan in western Poland in 1979. He commenced his hotel studies at the Academy of Hotel Management in Poznan and later qualified with a Degree in Hotel Management in Germany, after which he worked in hotels throughout Europe.  In 2001 Adam became aware that CERT was looking for Polish people to come to Ireland to be trained and work in the Hotel Industry.  He was successful in getting into the CERT bar program and, over the following 5 years, has worked in Clare, Kerry and Galway.  Adam is now Deputy Manager of Catering in GMIT, Galway. Adam lives in Galway with Kasia, his Polish girlfriend of seven years.  His parents and brother live in Poland. Adam has travelled extensively and enjoys football.

Nilton Vieira de Souza

Jose Nilton Vieira de Souza was born in the town of Londrina in Brazil.  He arrived in Ireland in 2001 without any English and settled in Gort.  He initially worked for 3 and half years in a local hotel.  In 2005 Nilton completed the NUIG Diploma in Community Development Practice in Gort and intends to continue to a Degree in Community Development (NUIG). He is very active in several local community development projects in a voluntary capacity and has a particular interest in promoting the successful integration of Brazilians into Irish Society. Nilton is President of the recently established Brazilian Association for Gort.  This association was formed to support the local Brazilian community with the everyday difficulties they encounter. Nilton lives with his wife and daughter in Gort where he is self-employed in aspects of construction and interpreting services.

A Student Perspective

Damien Corridan

Damien Corridan is a graduate of Electronic Engineering in NUI, Galway and is currently a postgraduate student in the Dept. of Information Technology in NUI, Galway. Damien is from Listowel in Co. Kerry. Damien has a keen interest in promoting community engagement, particularly within third level education. He has many years of involvement with University societies and the Students' Union movement, including serving two terms as Societies' Chairperson on NUI, Galway Students' Union and one term as the Secretary of the Board of Irish College Societies. He is the current President of NUI, Galway Students' Union. Damien is one of the two student hosts of the Céifin National Students Conference.

Kieran O’Malley

Kieran O Malley is a native of Ballina in Co. Mayo. He is the USI Western Area Officer, this role involves supporting the Full Time Student Union Officers in the region. He was elected to the Students Union in GMIT acting as Vice President and President in successive years. Kieran is one of the two student hosts of the Céifin National Students Conference.

Sally Ann Flanagan

Sally Ann Flanagan was elected to Tuam Town Council as a candidate for Fine Gael in 2004 at the age of 20. She was elected as Mayor of Tuam in 2006. Sally Ann works as an administrator in GMIT.

Daráine Mulvihill

In 1999 Daráine Mulvihill was struck with a deadly strain of Meningitis and Septicaemia. Doctors were not hopeful that she would survive and she was given the last rites.  Fighting for her life, the doctors were forced to amputate both of her legs below the knee and all of her fingers.  Despite these difficulties, Daráine managed to return to her education graduating from DCU in 2005 with a degree in Communication Studies. In 2006 she completed a postgraduate course in NUI Galway. In 2001, aged 18, Daráine received an Irish Person of the year award. In 2004 Daráine was appointed by President Mary McAleese to be the young person representative on the Irish Council of State.

Colm Hamrogue, President of the Union of Students of Ireland.

Colm Hamrogue is 25 years old from Bundoran, Co. Donegal. In 2006 Colm entered the Students Union in IT Sligo on a full time basis when elected President. Colm was successfully re-elected President of the Students Union with an overwhelming mandate. In May of this year Colm was elected President of the Union of Students of Ireland.