Peter Cassells
Peter Cassells is Executive Director of the Edward M Kennedy Institute for Conflict intervention at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

He is also a member of the Governing Body of NUI Maynooth and sits on the Board of the Industrial Development Authority (IDA).

Peter is a former General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and was a lead negotiator on five National Partnership Programmes in the 1990s.

He stepped down as General Secretary of Congress in 2001 and for 10 years worked on the promotion of organisational change in the public and private sectors as Executive Chair of the National Centre for Partnership and Performance.

He is chair of the Holocaust Education Trust and of Action Aid Ireland which focuses on projects in Africa (Kenya, Malawi, Uganda) and in South East Asia (Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia)

Senator Katherine Zappone

Dr. Katherine Zappone is Director of The Centre for Progressive Change. She is an educator, public policy and human rights expert. An Taoiseach appointed Katherine as a Senator to Seanad Eireann in 2011. She was a Commissioner with the Irish Human Rights Commission for two terms.

Katherine and her spouse, Dr Ann Louise Gilligan are Co-founders of An Cosán in Tallaght, one of the largest community education and enterprise centres in Ireland.

Katherine has been involved in the public policy arena since her time as Chief Executive of the National Women’s Council of Ireland. She has also taught ethics, practical theology and education in Trinity College Dublin. She has published research in national equality frameworks, effective children’s services, equal opportunity in education, theology and spirituality, and human rights.

She holds a PhD from Boston College and an MBA from the Smurfit Business School at UCD. Earlier this year Senator Zappone co-published a legislative proposal to radically reform Seanad Eireann and has lead calls for retention and reform of the Seanad.

George Hook

 

George was born in Cork and was educated in Presentation Brothers College, Cork and Rathmines College of Commerce, Dublin. He has had broad experience in his working life including his own catering business, where he specialised in location catering for the film industry for over 20 years. He coached rugby in St. Mary’s RFC in Dublin followed by stints at London Irish, Connacht and The USA Eagles, leading the latter in the 1987 Rugby World Cup.

In 1997, he became a fixture on RTE’s television rugby panel and quickly established himself as a fearless but knowledgeable critic of the game.

In 2002, George joined Newstalk at its start-up as a Dublin radio station. The Right Hook quickly proved to be a hit with George’s unique mix of news, comment, opinion and trademark references to ‘the lovely Ingrid’ providing an alternative type of drivetime show. An avid lover of America, George regularly broadcasts The Right Hook from the United States, most notably throughout the 2008 and 2012 Presidential Elections and most recently, for the Emigrant Flame Ceremony in Arlington.

In 2005, he published his autobiography, “Time Added On”.

 

Margaret E. Ward

Margaret is an entrepreneur, financial journalist and roadcaster. In 2005, she set up Clear Ink, now a global brand tone-of-voice consultancy. Clear Ink’s client list includes Accenture, Danske Bank, Kellogg’s, GE Money and many other blue-chip companies.

Mags has been a business presenter on Newstalk and regular contributor to RTÉ, TV3, BBC and National Public Radio (USA). Over 25 years as a print journalist, she mainly worked for The Irish Times as a business and personal finance columnist and investigative reporter, and as The Sunday Times’ first Money editor in Ireland.

She was awarded the Law Society of Ireland’s Justice Media Award for social and campaigning journalism for an 18-month investigative report and a Science and Technology Journalism award, both while working for The Irish Times.

Mags is also a popular MC and host at events in Ireland and abroad (see Personallyspeaking.ie). She is founder of Women on Air, a writing skills trainer, a voiceover artist, a financial journalism lecturer, and the author of three books and thousands of articles.

Along with her passion for business and clear communication, Mags also loves wild swimming, surfing, travel, dark chocolate and skiing. In 2013 she is taking up Nordic skating. Her daughter, son and husband are very embarrassed by Mags’ latest adrenalin sport and refuse to be seen with her on Dollymount strand.

Margaret E. Ward is or was a regular slot holder on Tubridy 2fm

Confirmed Speakers/Paper Titles/Schedule

Confirmed Speakers/Paper Titles/Schedule.

Michael Graham
Michael Graham has to be the only person on Earth to open for Bill Maher, Chris Rock and Sarah Palin. Radio talk host Michael Graham has spent nearly his entire life in front of a mic. He started in college as a tand-up comic, spending six years on the national circuit performing with stars like Jerry Seinfeld, Jeff Foxworthy and the aforementioned Chris Rock.

Then Michael’s career took an unexpected turn toward politics, working as a GOP political consultant on campaigns from Chicago to the Carolinas. As a result, he’s became a frequent guest on FOX/CNN/MSNBC, including several appearances on Bill Maher’s “Politically Incorrect” and “Real Time” TV shows.

Today, Michael hosts “The Natural Truth” from noon-3pm weekdays on the New England Talk Network.

The author of four books, including the first major publisher book on the Tea Party movement–”THAT’S NO ANGRY MOB, THAT’S MY MOM!” (Regnery, 2010)–Michael is also a columnist for the Boston Herald.

As a former stand-up comedian who worked as a political consultant, Michael receives many requests as a public speaker. He’s addressed groups as diverse as the Cato Institute, the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents, the Washington State Bankers Association, the Texas A&M College Republicans and–in an odd twist of fate–a debate with Cuba’s ambassador to Ireland at Trinity College in Dublin.

One of the earliest Tea Party organizers, Michael also introduced Sarah Palin at a rally of 10,000 people on Boston Common in 2010.

 In Ireland he is known for this

Larry Donnelly

Larry Donnelly is a Boston native who holds both American and Irish passports and serves as Legal Counsel to Democrats Abroad Ireland. He is Lecturer & Director of Clinical Legal Education in the School of Law at the National University of Ireland, Galway. He is an attorney with substantial experience of practice before the state and federal bars of Massachusetts.

From a Boston Irish political family, Larry was active in politics and government in Massachusetts and now contributes regularly to various media outlets on politics and current affairs in the United States and in Ireland.

For the past two years, Larry was on leave of absence from NUI Galway and worked as Manager of the Public Interest Law Alliance, a Dublin-based project of the Free Legal Advice Centres Ltd., which seeks to expand the use of law in the public interest and for the benefit of marginalised and disadvantaged people in Ireland.

He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA and of Suffolk University Law School in Boston.

Larry Donnelly is Lecturer & Director of Clinical Legal Education in the School of Law at the NUI Galway. He lectures in Legal Skills NUI Galway

Leo Enright

Starting as a schoolboy space commentator in the 1960s, Leo Enright has broadcast live commentaries on every major space event since the first Moon landing and as a foreign correspondent with RTE and the BBC was accredited to the White House under every administration from Gerald Ford to George W. Bush.

His history of the Apollo Programme was published in The Encyclopaedia of Space Travel and Astronomy(co-authored with Prof. Carl Sagan, Sir Bernard Lovell and others), and in 1978 he was elected Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society.

He is a former Chairman of the Irish Government’s science awareness programme, Discover Science and Engineering, and a member of the Board of Governors of the School of Cosmic Physics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

Leo is one of a handful of journalists in the world who has covered the Space Shuttle programme since it began. When the Shuttle project was first announced in 1972, Leo was at Mission Control in Houston. He was also present in Cape Canaveral in 1981 when the first shuttle Columbia launched and was standing in the desert when the shuttle landed back in California. When NASA launched Atlantis, the final shuttle launch, Leo was there for that too. He is a recognised expert on the exploration of the planet Mars.

Leo Enright is a former Head of Radio News with the Irish national broadcaster, RTÉ. He was the network’s Middle East Correspondent, before taking up posts as North America correspondent and later London Correspondent.

Most recently, he has been the BBC’s correspondent in Ireland for more than a decade, before resigning to concentrate on personal projects in the area of public understanding of science. He continues to broadcast regularly on BBC radio and television and on RTÉ, and regularly contributes articles to national newspapers in Britain and Ireland.

Blogger Profile: Ex-Expat Author Jack Scott

The panels for the AG projects

ARTS 
CHRIS O’DOWD
Originally from Roscommon, Chris O’Dowd studied politics at UCD before training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Well known for his starring role in the hit movies Bridesmaids, Gulliver’s Travels and The Boat That Rocked, he has enjoyed an equally stellar TV career, with roles in The IT Crowd, Girls, The Clinic and Moon Boy, (a TV series based on his childhood which he wrote and produced). His work has been recognised by BAFTA Scotland, IFTA and AACTA, and as a cast member of Bridesmaids he has been nominated by the Screen Actors Guild, the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Phoenix Awards.

Angela Scanlon
ANGELA SCANLON
Angela Scanlon is a TV presenter, fashion writer and stylist. Named “one to watch” for 2013 by Vogue, she is one of the freshest faces in fashion and entertainment presenting. She appears regularly on Xposé, Off the Rails and Two Tube, and is a contributing editor for Grazia Daily, Tatler, and The Sunday Times.

Ben Readman
BEN READMAN
Ben Readman is the Artistic and Marketing Director of BLOCK T, a multi-award winning creative organisation based in Dublin, and is a Visual Artist and Artistic Director. He has completed artist residencies in Ireland, France, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and China, and has exhibited in many countries worldwide.

Róise Goan
RÓISE GOAN
Róise Goan is the Director of the Dublin Fringe Festival, where she will present her fifth and final festival this September. Her career to date has included producing theatre for Randolf SD, working for The Project Arts Center, The Ark, and writing for television (including the award-winning series Aifric for TG4).

mUSIC

THE SCRIPT
One of Ireland’s most successful bands, The Script have enjoyed unprecedented success on both sides of the Atlantic. To date they have sold over four million albums and a staggering ten million singles. The band was formed in 2001. Their 2008 eponymous debut album reached number 1 in the Irish and UK music charts, featuring the hit songs “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” and “Breakeven”. Their second album “Science & Faith” (featuring hit songs “For the First Time” and “Nothing”) was released in 2010 and went on to chart at number 3 in the US Billboard 200. Their latest album “#3” has built on their success spawning the hit single “Hall of fame” which has gone on to be their best-selling single to date.

Brian Spollen
BRIAN SPOLLEN
Brian is a 20-year veteran of the music industry who has been involved in almost every aspect of the industry from managing bands (The Frames, Mic Christopher), promoting some of Ireland’s most iconic music events (Witness, Creamfields and Arthur’s Day) and running and owning some of the country’s best venues (Spirit and The Spy Bar).

John Kelly
JOHN KELLY
SONY Award-winning broadcaster John Kelly has presented many of Ireland’s best-loved music programmes and arts shows, including the legendary Eclectic Ballroom on Today FM, Mystery Train on RTÉ1, his BBC shows and The View and The Works on RTE TV. He currently presents The John Kelly Ensemble on RTÉ Lyric FM and Radio Clash on 2XM.

Stuart Clark
STUART CLARK
Deputy Editor of Hot Press, Stuart was originally a pirate radio DJ for Radio Caroline. He went legit in the early ’90s with Radio Limerick 95FM, and is regular contributor on Today FM, RTÉ, TV3 and Setanta Sports. He moderates the Hot Press MIX course and has lectured for Pulse Recording College and the Hot Press Diploma in Music Journalism.

 SPORT 

JIM MCGUINNESS
The first GAA manager to have been offered a role at a professional sports team abroad (as performance consultant to Glasgow Celtic), legendary Donegal Football Manager Jim McGuinness has been breaking records since he was a teenager helping Donegal claim their first ever All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 1992. Whether winning multiple Sigerson Cups as a star of Third-Level College Football, winning two Railway Cup Medals with Donegal, representing Ireland (and winning) against Australia in the 1998 Compromise Rules Series, or guiding his native county to two consecutive Ulster Championship titles and an All-Ireland Championship Final (Donegal’s second ever All-Ireland Senior Championship win in more than 120 years), his name has always been synonymous with success.

Sarah O’Connor
SARAH O’CONNOR
Sarah is the CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport. The representative body for Ireland’s National Sporting Organisations and Local Sports Partnerships, the Federation’s membership is currently made up of 100 different sporting organisations. As part of her role Sarah co-ordinates the Why Irish Sport Matters campaign, which highlights sport’s important contribution to Irish life.

Matt Cooper
MATT COOPER
An award winning broadcaster, journalist and author, Matt presents Today FM’s Drivetime radio programme, The Last Word on Sport as well as TV3’s live GAA coverage. (He previously hosted TV3’s Rugby World Cup and UEFA Champions League coverage). A former Gaelic football and rugby player, he is now a regular cyclist and 10km runner.

Rob Hartnett
ROB HARTNETT
Rob Hartnett is the CEO of Sport for Business, a subscription based publishing and networking service for those involved with or interested in the commercial side of Irish sport. A former managing director of BETDAQ UK, since 2006 he has acted as a marketing consultant in the sporting, gaming, technology, education, industrial relations and community sectors.

 FOOD

DYLAN MCGRATH
Well known as a MasterChef Ireland judge, and from the RTE Documentary Pressure Cooker, Dylan McGrath is one of Ireland’s most exciting chefs. He began his career in Jurys Inn, Belfast, before honing his skills in Roscoffs (Northern Ireland’s only Michelin starred restaurant), The Commons Restaurant, Peacock Alley, John Burton Race and Tom Aikens, before returning to Dublin to earn his own Michelin star as Head Chef of Mint Restaurant. In 2010 he opened Rustic Stone with the idea of fusing a less formal, casual dining experience with the flavours he is so passionate about. Fade Street Social followed shortly after, bringing together two exciting concepts under one roof.

Colin Harmon
COLIN HARMON
Four time Irish Barista Champion, Colin recently finished 4th in the World Barista Championships. As founder of specialty coffee shop 3FE, he writes about coffee for various national and international publications, as well and supplying coffee and training baristas for many of Dublin’s leading cafes. 3FE is currently building a bespoke coffee roastery.

Michelle Darmody
MICHELLE DARMODY
Michelle Darmody is proprietor of The Cake Cafe, food writer with the Irish Examiner and author of best-selling The Cake Cafe Bake Book. Known for her innovative use of PR and Social Media, Michelle’s fine art background is evident in the design aesthetic of the café and cookbook, created in collaborations with Pony Design.

BARRY BRODERICK
Together with his brother Bernard, Barry has grown the business established by his mother to become an established brand stocked in many of the world’s finest food emporiums including Dean & Deluca, Selfridges and Galleries Lafayette. The business now encompasses three brands – Inas Handmade, Brodericks and the Irish Flapjack & Muffin co.