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Eibhlin
Byrne |
The Right Honorable Eibhlin Byrne
The
Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ireland
Public Address:
"Moving
the Celtic Tiger: Civic Leadership in 21st Century Dublin"
Wednesday,
September 17, 2008
8 p.m., Shaw Hall, Younts Conference Center
Furman University
The Honorable
Councillor Eibhlin Byrne was elected the 339th Lord Mayor of Dublin,
Ireland, in June 2008. A member of the Fianna Fáil (Republican)
party, she is the sixth woman to hold this title. As Lord Mayor,
she sees her position as “about more than just politics.”
Her goal is to unify the various interests in Dublin: the city’s
objectives of being a knowledge city and an innovative and creative
city, the city’s desire to promote enterprise that can compete
in the global economy, and the citizens’ need for their voices
to be heard, particularly those who are homeless, abused, or neglected.
As City Councillor,
Byrne has served as a member of both the Housing Strategic Policy
Group and the Dublin Regional Authority. Through her efforts on
these committees, she has worked to address housing and social issues
as well as transportation concerns in the Dublin area. She also
served as a member of the Dublin Bay Taskforce, working to preserve
the amenity area of Dublin Bay. Moreover, she has demonstrated her
commitment to diverse members of her community as chairperson of
the National Council on Older People and chairperson of the Visiting
Committee for Dochas Prison.
Besides her
official work on the Dublin City Council, the Lord Mayor has held
appointments to several community organizations. She has served
as an advocate for the homeless as a part of the Depaul Trust Senior
Management Team and has been a volunteer for the Rape Crisis Centre.
A Senior Manager for Daughters of Charity Child and Family Services,
she has also reached out to numerous families, and in particular,
as a board member of Console, she has helped bereaved families of
suicide victims.
Before serving
in public office, the Lord Mayor was a secondary school teacher.
She speaks fluent French and has worked to coordinate language programs
between students in Ireland and other European countries. Her educational
qualifications include a B.A. in French, Economics, and History,
H. Dips in Education and TEFL, and a Masters in Equality Studies.
She is married to Ken, and they have three daughters, Clare, Lisa,
and Aisling.
If you would
like to read more about Councillor Eibhlin Byrne and the Dublin
City Council, click
here. To
view an article written about the Lord Mayor by Jill Fuson, the
Riley Institute Events Coordinator, that appeared in the Greenville
Magazine, click
here, and an article written by The Paladin at Furman,
click here.
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A reception was held for the Lord Mayor with students and
faculty
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Dr. Don Aiesi, Professor of Political Science at Furman introduced
our guest, The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ireland
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Eibhlin Byrne enjoying Dr. Aiesi's remarks |
The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ireland, Eibhlin Bryne |
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A full house -- students, faculty and community members
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Eibhlin Byrne |
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Eibhlin Byrne during Q & A |
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Following the address, The Lord Mayor mingled with the crowd
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