Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC awarded Presidential Distinguished Service Award
February 5, 2024
Coventry Irish Society is pleased to congratulate Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC on the announcement that she is one of this year's recipients of the President of Ireland's Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad.
The President's Distinguished Service Award is presented by the President each year, and it recognises the service given to Ireland or to Irish communities abroad by those who live outside Ireland.
Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC
is from Ireland and holds degrees from University College Dublin (UCD) and the Honorable Society of the King's Inns, as well as from Cambridge University. She has been practising from Doughty Street Chambers since 2005. In her 18 years at Doughty Street she has acted in many leading human rights, public law and media law cases, both in the UK and internationally. This includes acting for bereaved families of the 7/7 London Bombings and the Hillsborough Disaster, and in a series of cases which have changed the law on the rights of children in police custody. She is a world expert on accountability for crimes against journalists and journalists' safety, and has led the international legal teams in a series of key cases in this field, including for the bereaved family of Daphne Caruana Galizia, assassinated in Malta in 2017; for pro-democracy campaigner and publisher Jimmy Lai, imprisoned in Hong Kong; and (jointly with Amal Clooney) for Maria Ressa, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate from the Philippines.
Caoilfhionn has acted in a number of cases concerning the rights of the Irish in Britain and in complex cases concerning cross-border issues between Ireland and Britain. She led the legal team acting for the family of Margaret Keane, overturning a ruling preventing them from using an Irish only inscription on her gravestone. She has recently been appointed Ireland’s Special Rapporteur on Child Protection; is a Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission; and she is an Adjunct Full Professor at UCD. She was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2017 for her “outstanding commitment to enabling the Human Rights Act’s protections.”
Ag Tosnú 18ú Mean Fómhair @ 6:00 i.n. - 07:30 i.n. agus ag leanúint ar aghaidh gach Déardaoin go dtí am Nollag. Course commences on Thursday 18 September 2025. 12 x classes every Thursday evening. Classes will be classroom based, in-person (except for the occasional class on Zoom when circumstances make it difficult for the class to meet in-person, such as adverse weather) Please note that due to other events, there will not be a classroom based in-person class on Thursday 16 th and 23 rd October 2025. The teacher will discuss alternative arrangements during the course with students (which may include taking a break, changing to another evening, or proceeding on Zoom) and will take on board student preferences. Post Beginners Oiriúnacht (Suitability) Anybody who has completed a comprehensive Beginners’ Course (of around six months) or anybody with a previous knowledge (e.g. having learned Irish at school) and who is returning after a break. Fáinne Airgid The group will prepare for this, with the option to do the exam late Spring / early Summer 2026. For those students who do not wish to do the exam, they will still benefit greatly from the preparation work. We will integrate the prep work into the normal classes for everybody, with a greater emphasis on the Fáinne Airgid during the Spring course commencing in 2026. The teacher will discuss and explain this in more detail to the class in September 2025. Leabhair (Books) Must Have - Irish for Beginners (Usborne) agus Briathra na Gaeilge - Regular and Irregular Verbs (Folens) Nice to Have - Buntús Cainte Part 1. Registering for this course: Please see a member of staff in the office, or contact by email: cis@covirishsoc.org.uk or telephone 024 7625 6629 to complete registration. Registration closes 11 September 2025. Total Course Fee £80 per student for members of the Coventry Irish Society / £85 per student for non-members. The course fee is for a course consisting of 12x classes and is payable in advance to the Coventry Irish Society by 11 December 2025. Entry on to the course is only permitted once payment has been made in full. If there are any difficulties with paying the full fee in advance, then please discuss with a member of staff before registration closes on 11 September. The course fee is non-refundable.
We are delighted to announce our new Ciorcal Comhrá (conversation circle) for advanced Irish speakers. Join us on the first Wednesday of the month from 11am-12noon for a relaxed and informal conversation circle - an opportunity for conversation and craic with fellow Gaeilgeoirs. Saor in aisce | Free and drop-in. No booking required! Upcoming sessions: First Wednesday of the month 11.00 am – 12.00 noon Dé Céadaoin 3 Meán Fómhair Wednesday 3 September 2025 Dé Céadaoin 8 Deireadh Fómhair Wednesday 8 October 2025 Dé Céadaoin 5 Samhain Wednesday 5 November 2025 Dé Céadaoin 3 Nollaig Wednesday 3 December 2025 Áit - The Coventry Irish Society, 2nd Floor, Eaton House Eaton Road, Coventry CV1 2FJ Any questions, please contact: cis@covirishsoc.org.uk
Our annual ball is back for 2025! We’re thrilled to announce that our Annual Ball 2025 will be held on Saturday 27 September at Christ The King Parish Centre Join us for an unforgettable evening of celebration, music, & dancing Tickets priced at £30. To book your place, please call in to our office at Eaton House, or telephone us on 024 7625 6629
