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.”
Coventry Irish Society is pleased to announce the publication of 2 new promotional films about the Charity’s work with the aim of securing a permanent Irish Heritage Centre.
Join us for a powerful and moving evening with Stephen Travers , bassist with the Miami Showband , as he shares his personal journey of survival, loss, and campaign for truth following the 1975 Miami Showband massacre – one of the darkest chapters of The Troubles. This unique event, hosted by Coventry Irish Society and supported by the Irish Government's Department of Foreign Affairs' Reconciliation Fund , explores themes of peacebuilding, resilience, and fight for truth and justice. More information on Stephen and his new book can be found here. Don't miss this opportunity to hear firsthand from a voice of history and courage. Admission is free, but places are limited – booking is required. To reserve your ticket, please book an advanced ticket through Eventbrite below. Wednesday 15 October 2025. Doors open: 6.00 PM | Event: 6.30–8.00 PM 📍 Coventry Irish Society, 2nd Floor, Eaton House, Eaton Road, Coventry CV1 2FJ
Beginners’ Irish Language Autumn Course 2025 with Dr Ian Malcolm Professional Irish language teacher and acclaimed Journalist, Dr Ian Malcolm, will deliver a bespoke online course in Beginners’ Irish. This course will consist of 5x classes and will take place entirely over Zoom on Saturday mornings, with Dr Ian Malcolm. Course details: Saturday 4 October 2025 - Saturday 1 November 2025 with 5x classes on Saturday mornings, delivered via Zoom from 10.30 am – 12.30 pm (including a 20 minute break). The fee for this course is £70. Course materials: The class will use the textbook, Irish For Beginners (which is in the link below). This book costs in the region of £7.00 - £10.00 and it is strongly recommended that students purchase their own copies in advance of the course. You can find details of the course textbook here. Please contact us at cis@covirishsoc.org.uk or telephone 024 7625 6629 to obtain a booking form. Registration closes 30 September 2025 (or when course capacity is reached). Early booking is strongly recommended.
