Speakers

Speakers Biographies

- Ellen Gunning

- Jonathan Irwin

- James Wynne

- Falkirk FC Presenters

Ellen Gunning, Conference MC

Ellen Gunning MA, MIAPR, FPRII, NUJ, is a director of the Irish Academy of Public Relations. She conducts training for senior executives in Ireland and Eastern Europe, and lectures on public relations, event management and journalism courses in colleges throughout Ireland. Her PR clients have included The Kerrygold Dublin Horse Show, National Energy Awareness Week and a Presidential campaign.

Ellen is also a broadcast media journalist. She presents a weekly programme – Mediascope – each Tuesday on 103.2 Dublin City fm. She has presented and produced two specialist series: one on influential women (broadcast in summer 2009) and the other about the EU (currently being broadcast). Ellen is author of two books: Public Relations - A practical Approach (Gill and Macmillan 2003,2007) and Capital Women of Influence (Liffey Press, 2009).

Ellen has served as a Government appointed director of the National Concert Hall and the Irish Red Cross. She holds an honours MA in Communications and Cultural Studies from Dublin City University.

In January 2007, the Public Relations Institute of Ireland conferred her with a Fellowship.

She has just completed her second term as National Chairperson for Ireland of the International Public Relations Association.

Jonathan Irwin

Jonathan Irwin is Founder & CEO of the Jack & Jill Foundation. From an Anglo Irish background of actors and academics - his grandfather was headmaster of Wesley College - Jonathan Irwin had a BIG career in the bloodstock industry before 1997.

The 67 year old Eton educated Irishman, who dropped out of Trinity College, has learnt many skills in his numerous roles - as bloodstock agent, auctioneer, announcer, stud owner, publisher and racetrack executive - at the British Bloodstock Agency Ireland, Goffs, the Phoenix Park Racecourse, Dublin International Sports Council and the Special Olympics. However, none was more challenging or rewarding than his current job. Not even the Cartier Million, Europe's richest race and the first £1 million sports event in Europe, in the Phoenix Park.

In 1997 Jonathan and his wife MaryAnn O'Brien - MD of Lily O'Brien's - set up the Jack & Jill Foundation, based on their own personal experience with their son Jack who died that year aged 22 months. Sadly grief is no stranger to Jonathan. Before losing Jack, Jonathan and MaryAnn had had a still born baby boy and after Jack in the summer of 1998 Jonathan lost his 18 year old son Sam - from his previous marriage - in a tragic accident in Portugal.

The Jack & Jill Foundation has helped over 1,200 children since 1997. The service includes financing of practical home nursing care, home visits by one of its liaison nurses, practical advice on caring for the child, listening to the family and making representations on their behalf.

No wonder he was the winner of the Rehab People of the Year award in 2004.

James Wynne

James Wynne is Director of Sport at Slattery Communications in Dublin.

Sport is James’ passion and although his playing days might be numbered he represents some of the biggest brands and organisations in Irish sport including the Irish Rugby Football Union, Allianz, Diageo, Toyota, Manchester United, Hennessy, Ladbrokes to name a few.

James specialises in sponsorship consultancy, event management, sports marketing and media relations and has over a decade of experience in the sector.

Falkirk FC Presenters

Falkirk FC opened their new stadium "The Falkirk Stadium" in June 2005 following a successful partnership with the local Authority "Falkirk Council".

A key principle of the new facility was that it had to serve the wider community not just the football club. Our talk will centre on how the football club has approached that challenge.

On the pitch we were promoted to the SPL in our first year in the stadium and stayed there for 5 seasons the longest period in recent times. We had two 7th place finishes, reached three national semi finals and the Scottish Cup final in May 2009 losing narrowly to Rangers. We also qualified for European competition for the first time in our history.

We have developed one of the top Academy structures in Scotland with 65% of our current 1st team squad having "Graduated" from our Academy. We have produced 26 youth international over the past 4 years and our then club captain and Academy graduate Darren Barr became the first Falkirk FC player to receive a full Scotland cap in 49 years when he played V N Ireland in 2009.

We have also developed a diverse and inclusive community programme for local boys and girls of all ages and abilities. We are the only professional club to receive the SFA Quality Mark "development award" and have won the award for "Best Business in the Community" in the Forth Valley Area in two of the past three years.

Part of our Community work centers on our learning centre which provides a number of courses and programmes to help get the long term unemployed back into work. We work Closely with the local authorities and job centre plus.

George Craig

George Craig is the Managing Director of Falkirk FC. He has lived all his life in the Falkirk area and supported the local team.

In 2002 he was invited to join the board as a director following his involvement with the fans groups who helped raise money for the club when it entered provisional liquidation in 1998.

He was the first fans rep on the board and they have had fans representation on the board ever since. His remit was to develop the community work of the club and also restructure their youth development work.

In June 2005 he was appointed Managing Director and has been responsible for the day to day running of the club over the past 5 years. He has enjoyed many highs and unfortunately the recent low of relegation and down sizing.

Previously he ran his on Marquee Hire business and his great passion in life was the Boys Brigade of which he is a former Captain.

Tom Elliot

Tom Elliot is the Coaching Manager at Falkirk FC. Tom joined the club in 2003 as part of the revamp of their Community work. He played professionally in Scotland with a number of clubs including Partick Thistle.

At the end of his playing career he went into youth coaching and spent some time in the USA. He returned to Scotland and took up the position of Head of Community Coaching at Stenhousemuir FC a small professional club only 4 miles from Falkirk.

He joined Falkirk and has set about developing arguably the best community programme of any professional club in Scotland.

Falkirk FC coach on average 1500 local children each week and engage annually with thousands more through holiday programmes and school visits. He manages a full time staff of 4 and has around 50 part time coaches and volunteers to assist in the running of the programme.

Nicky Reid

Nicky Reid is manager of the Learning Centre at Falkirk FC. She has worked at the club for over 4 years initially joining the sales office. She moved into the new learning centre and has recently been appointed manager.

This is a fresh challenge for her as she looks to continue the good work we have carried out in this area over the past few years.

The learning centre has 4 full time staff and is currently managing a Government backed programme that is providing 6 month work placements for 50 local young people at the club.

Cailin Keaney

Cailin Keaney is the Sales & Marketing Manager at Aviva Stadium. Cailín is a graduate of DIT and holds a Degree in Tourism Marketing as well as a Diploma in Events Management specialising in Public Relations.

Cailin joined Aviva Stadium in October 2008 from an International Director of Sales role in Asia with one of the world’s largest corporate travel management agencies.

Cailín currently manages the sales and events team at Aviva Stadium concentrating on fully developing the venue and establishing its position within the meetings and events industry, nationally and internationally.

Jim Walsh,

Jim Walsh, FPRII (Life), DIP.CAM.PR, is Managing Director of Walsh Public Relations. Jim has written the foreward and contributed case studies to ‘Crisis Communication - practical PR strategies for reputation management and company survival‘, published by Kogan Page, London 2008.

He has over 30 years’ experience of the Irish public relations and communications industry. During that time he has been involved in crisis/ issues management, media relations, communications training, event management and communications strategy with a wide variety of organisations; commercial, Government Departments, representative groups and NGOs.

An active participant in the public relations industry he is a Life Fellow and former President of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII), a former Worldwide President of IPREX, an international network of over 70 independent public relations companies and a founding member and former Chairman of the Public Relations Consultants Association Ireland.

He is a member of the National Union of Journalists and the Guild of Agricultural Journalists.

Jackie Maguire

County Manager, Leitrim County Council since June 2006, she commenced her Local Government career with Meath County Council in 1981 promoted through the ranks to Head of Finance in 2000 and Director of Service in 2003. When Meath County Council acted as one of the National Pilot sites for the introduction of FMS, she project managed the implementation of Agresso and introduction of Balance Sheet Accounting in Local Government.

She has an IPA/CIPFA Diploma in Financial Management and a Masters in Project Finance and Venture Management with NUI Maynooth.

__________________

This project has been funded by the PEACE III Programme through the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by Leitrim County Council on behalf of County Leitrim Peace III Partnership.