PRESIDENT Catherine Connolly has made seven nominations to the Council of State.
Among them is the Belfast-based Irish language activist Linda Ervine, who founded Turas, one of the city’s largest Irish language centres.
The list also includes fellow Irish-language speaker Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, who was born in Dublin and grew up in the Connemara Gaeltacht.
Professor Ní Aoláin is an international law and human rights expert, who is currently Professor of Law at the Queens University Belfast (QUB).
Fellow QUB Professor Colin Harvey has also been appointed to the Council.
Linda Ervine has been appointed to the President’s Council of State (Pic: Brian Thompson / Presseye.com)A Professor of Human Rights Law in the School of Law at Queens, he is also a Commissioner on the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and a member of the Scientific Committee of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency.
Sociologist Kathleen Lynch, who is a Professor of Equality Studies (Emerita) at University College Dublin, and Donncha O’Connell, a Professor of Law at the University of Galway, are also among the President’s nominees.
Professor Conor O’Mahony, who is the Dean of the School of Law at University College Cork, and Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, a former President of Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway, round off the list announced this week.
Confirming her appointees, President Connolly said: “May I thank each of the nominees who have agreed to serve as a member of the Council of State.
“These seven members bring a unique expertise and range of experience to the Council of State which will be of immense value in considering the matters which may arise over the course of my term of office.
“I look forward to receiving their advice and support over the next seven years.”
In addition to the President’s nominees, the Council of State also consists of the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Chief Justice, the President of the Court of Appeal, the President of the High Court, the Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann, the Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann, and the Attorney General.
Every person who has previously held the office of President, Taoiseach or Chief Justice is also eligible to sit on the Council.
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