| Ógra Fianna Fáil | |
|---|---|
| [[File:[Ógra Fianna Fáil (logo).jpg|250x150px]] | |
| President | Nelius Cotter |
| Founded | 1975 |
| Headquarters | 65–66 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2, Ireland |
| Mother party | Fianna Fáil |
| European affiliation | European Liberal Youth |
| Website | www |
Ógra Fianna Fáil[a](Irish: [ˈoːɡɾˠə ˌfʲiən̪ˠə ˈfˠaːlʲ]; meaning "Youth of Fianna Fáil") is the youth wingofFianna Fáil.
The organisation was founded in 1975 by party leader Jack Lynch under the guidance of party general secretary, Séamus Brennan. It is active on an all-Ireland basis,[2] with branches in major third level institutes (called cumainn) and parliamentary constituencies (called Comhairle Dáil Cheantair) in the Republic of Ireland. In Northern Ireland it is organised on a Council District basis, along with third level branches at the University of Ulster and Queen's University Belfast.[3] In October 2014 Ógra became an official full member organisation of European Liberal Youth at their annual congress in Berlin.
From the inception of the organisation until 2011 Ógra was chaired by the youngest member of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party. Since 2011 Ógra have elected a president of the organisation. The first president of Ógra was Eamon Quinlan, who later became mayor of Waterford City in 2015.[4]
In 2013 Blackrock's Kate Feeney was elected as the first female leader of Ógra.[5][6] She is a daughter of former senator Geraldine Feeney and was elected to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council whilst president of Ógra in 2014.[citation needed]
Eoin Neylon won the election for president of Ógra two years in a row, in both 2014 and 2015.[7]
James Doyle of Dublin Fingal was elected to the office in November 2016, serving one term. Dún Laoghaire's Ian Woods was elected to the role in March 2018.[citation needed]
Lawrencetown native Tom Cahill was elected as Uachtarán in November 2019. He was replaced by Bryan Mallon in March 2021. On 20 December 2021 a motion to remove Mallon as president received 62% of support from members, but failed to reach the required 66.7% for it to pass, and so he was not removed from office.[8]
Ógra Fianna Fáil is organised across all the 32 counties of Ireland, maintaining a presence in most local communities and Third Level institutes. Within Ógra Fianna Fáil there four different types of units that can be formed: Ógra Comhairle Dáil Ceantair (CDC) in the Republic of Ireland, Council District Constituency (CDC) in Northern Ireland, Ógra Comhairle Ceantair (CC), Ógra Third Level Cumann, and Ógra Coiste Áitiúil. The three governing bodies of Ógra Fianna Fáil are the National Youth Conference, Ógra Central Officer Board and Ógra National Council. [9]
The Kevin Barry Cumann is the branch in University College Dublin (UCD). The cumann predates the founding of Ógra Fianna Fáil which was established in 1956. It formally dates to 1957 when led by Gerry Collins, then a student organiser in UCD and later Minister for Foreign Affairs. It is named after UCD student and Irish revolutionary Kevin Barry.
Former members include former European Commissioner Charlie McCreevy, previous ministers Dick Roche and Mary Coughlan, Donegal TD Charlie McConalogue and RTÉ presenter Ryan Tubridy. The author and former political lobbyist Frank Dunlop was also a member.
Malcolm Byrne is a former secretary of the Kevin Barry Cumann.[17]
The Cumann is the current holders of the Gobnait O'Connell award after the 2023 Cork National Youth Conference.
The Dublin City University branch is the Pádraig Pearse Cumann,[18] commonly known as The PPC. At the Fianna Fáil National Youth Conference in Roscommon in 2018,[19] it was awarded best delegation.
The Donogh O'Malley Cumann is the University College Cork branch of Ógra. Founded in 1967, its first AGM was chaired by Jack Lynch. Former members of the cumann include the current leader of the party Tánaiste Micheál Martin, Minister for Finance Michael McGrath (Irish politician), Minister for Education Norma Foley and Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee.
As of 2021, they held the joint record for the most Gobnait O'Connell Awards (awards given to the best Ógra branch[20]) won with 4 in the years 2001, 2015, 2019 and 2021.[citation needed] They also hold the joint record for most Gobnait O’Connell Awards won consecutively which is 2 in a row.[citation needed]
The Trinity College branch is named in honor of Irish revolutionary and Trinity graduate, Theobald Wolfe Tone. The Cumann was officially constituted in 1967 and was initially named after Erskine Childers. In 1998 the cumann was renamed the Wolfe Tone Cumann, to mark the bicentenary of the 1798 Rebellion. It has a long history of activism within Ógra on a national basis. Past members include; Thomas Byrne, Seán Haughey, Jack Chambers, James Lawless, Mary Harney, Mary Lou McDonald and Dara Calleary.
Cumann De Barra is the branch in the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). Meetings were held off campus for many years before it was officially recognised by university authorities and allowed to host itself as an official society of the university in 1954. Like its sister Cumann in University College Dublin (UCD), it is also named after Kevin Barry, a medical student at UCD who fought and was executed during the Irish War of Independence. To avoid confusion however, it officially changed its name to the Irish language version to reflect NUIG's reputation as the Irish language university.[citation needed]
Notable former members include former Fianna Fáil TD Michael P. Kitt, the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins (before he joined the Labour Party), Senator Terry Leyden, Senator Lisa Chambers and former MEP Seán Ó Neachtain.[citation needed]
There are other branches of Ógra Fianna Fáil in third level institutions throughout the country, including:
Atlantic Technological University Sligo Cumann[21]
Atlantic Technological University Galway-Mayo – Sean Mulvoy Cumann[22]
Dundalk Institute of Technology Cumann[23]
Maynooth University – Seán Lemass Cumann[24]
Munster Technological University Cork – Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa Cumann
South East Technological University Carlow – James Fintan Lalor Cumann
South East Technological University Waterford – Thomas Francis Meagher Cumann[25]
St Patrick's, Carlow College Cumann
Technological University Dublin – Kathleen Clarke Cumann
University of Limerick – Con Colbert Cumann[26]
Ulster University – Watty Graham Cumann[27]
Queen's University Belfast – William Drennan Cumann[28]
Each year at the National Youth Conference, the organisation gives out 4 awards:
The Gobnait O'Connell memorial award was first announced at the National Youth Conference 2000 in Westport, Co. Mayo. The award is named after Gobnait O’Connell, Youth and Membership Development Officer of Fianna Fáil from 1997 to 2000 who was killed in a car accident in September 2000. During her time working for Fianna Fáil her passion and support for Ógra was widely recognised among members. The prize will be awarded to the Best Ógra of each year and a perpetual trophy and a cash prize will be presented at each Youth Conference.
2023 - Kevin Barry Cumann, UCD
2022 - Con Colbert Cumann, UL
2021 - Donogh O’Malley Cumann, UCC
2019 - Donogh O'Malley Cumann, UCC
2018 - Laois Ógra CDC
2016 - Cumann de Barra, NUIG
2015 - Donogh O'Malley Cumann, UCC
2014 - Wolfe Tone Cumann, TCD
2013 - Cumann de Barra, NUIG
2012 - Con Colbert Cumann, UL
2009 - Tipperary North CDC
2008 - Limerick West CDC
2007 - Cumann de Barra, NUIG
2006 - Cumann de Barra, NUIG
2005 - Tipperary North CDC
2002 - Clare CDC
2001 - Donogh O' Malley Cumann, UCC
The Darragh Frain award is presented to the best non-third level unit in Ógra at the National Youth Conference. The award is named after former Ógra member Darragh Frain from Galway, who died in 2016.
2023 - Kildare North CDC
2022 - Offaly CDC
2021 - Kildare North CDC
2020 - Kildare North CDC
2019 - Tipperary CDC
2018 - Roscommon CDC
2016 - Laois CDC
To recognise the best speaker during the National Youth Conference.
2023 - Charlie Kinsella
2022 - Ruairí Ryan
2021 - Niall Gaffney
2019 - Rory Hogan
2018 - Ryan O'Meara
2016 - Ammar Ali
2014 - Susan Whelan
2011 - Gábháin Ó Comhraí
To recognise the unit with the largest number of delegates at the National Youth Conference.
2023 - Wolfe Tone Cumann, TCD
2022 - Kevin Barry Cumann, UCD
2021 - Not Awarded
2019 - William Drennan Cumann, QUB
2018 - Pádraig Pearse Cumann, DCU
2023 - Awarded by Niall Gaffney - Rob Kellaghan, Leanne Mallen & Brian O'Connor
2022 - Awarded by Bryan Mallon - Briege MacOscar, Ian Woods & Shane Curley
2021 - Awarded by Tom Cahill - Kate Feeney, Eoin Neylon & Peter Caulfield
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Political youth organisations in Ireland
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Political youth organisations of Northern Ireland
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