Youngest ever Appointment to the Council of State was inspired from a deep Donegal connection
A former Ballyshannon resident with strong Bundoran family connections and founder of SpunOut.ie has been appointed to the Council of State by President Michael D. Higgins. But he has admitted that it was the inspiration he got while in Donegal that resulted in him receiving a call from the President earlier this month.
One of the youngest ever members of the Council, 34-year-old Ruairí McKiernan said he was deeply honoured to have been appointed by President Michael D Higgins to the Council of State. SpunOut.ie was Donegal inspired and I have to thank many people for both their input and inspiration.
Ruairí is the son of Bundoran woman Ann Keenaghan and grandson of Dan and Mary. He founded SpunOut.ie from William Allingham House initially based in the Mall, Ballyshannon alongside friends Keith Corcoran from Laghey and Anna Lally from Rossnowlagh.
He added that a weekly column through the Donegal Democrat also gave a huge impetus for the growing organisation, and local supporters including Jimmy Keogh, Principal of Colaiste Cholmcille; Anne Sheridan, Janet Gaynor and Larry Masterson from the HSE and Susan McLaughlin from Foróige.
“After travelling in Spain and returning to south Donegal and staying with family in Rathmore, my head was full of ideas and projects. It was the inspiration that resulted in the creation of the youth organisation. We eventually moved to Galway and more recently Dublin.”
Ruairí will take his place alongside the President’s six other nominees in addition to ‘ex-officio’ members Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, former Taoisigh Albert Reynolds, Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen, and former Presidents Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese. The Council of State is a body established by the constitution to advise the President in the exercise of his or her discretionary powers.
For the past 13 years he has been working and campaigning on youth, community and global issues and has received numerous awards for his work. He studied business in Scotland before living and working in the U.S, Australia and Canada. Following his passion for community issues, he later joined the North Western Health Board in Letterkenny as a Youth Health Promotion Worker.
In 2004 he started the pioneering SpunOut.ie national youth organisation, which now reaches 100,000s of young people each year and last year he was a founder and organiser of the Possibilities 2011 Social Summit, which brought the Dalai Lama to Ireland. More recently Ruairí stepped down from his role at SpunOut.ie to develop new projects.
“I felt ot was time to move on and let some fresh blood into the organisation. I will now be concentrating on consultancy work for youth other youth and community organisations.”
He is now looking forward to contributing further to the transformation of Ireland in the years to come. “Ireland is obviously in a very difficult place at the moment. However if each of us can have the courage to take risks, get organised, question the status quo and propose and demand alternatives, then we can really transform our country in the coming years.
The old mindsets and systems have failed us so it’s time for something different to address the root causes of issues like abuse, racism, corruption, unemployment, mental illness and environmental neglect. I don’t think politicians have all the answers and it is up to all of us to create a new Ireland that brings innovation, jobs, hope and happiness. It is a tough time for many people but often challenges like these can give us the push we need to take the bold steps needed to change things about ourselves and our country.”
A former Ballyshannon resident with strong Bundoran family connections and founder of SpunOut.ie has been appointed to the Council of State by President Michael D. Higgins. But he has admitted that it was the inspiration he got while in Donegal that resulted in him receiving a call from the President earlier this month.
One of the youngest ever members of the Council, 34-year-old Ruairí McKiernan said he was deeply honoured to have been appointed by President Michael D Higgins to the Council of State. SpunOut.ie was Donegal inspired and I have to thank many people for both their input and inspiration.
Ruairí is the son of Bundoran woman Ann Keenaghan and grandson of Dan and Mary. He founded SpunOut.ie from William Allingham House initially based in the Mall, Ballyshannon alongside friends Keith Corcoran from Laghey and Anna Lally from Rossnowlagh.
He added that a weekly column through the Donegal Democrat also gave a huge impetus for the growing organisation, and local supporters including Jimmy Keogh, Principal of Colaiste Cholmcille; Anne Sheridan, Janet Gaynor and Larry Masterson from the HSE and Susan McLaughlin from Foróige.
“After travelling in Spain and returning to south Donegal and staying with family in Rathmore, my head was full of ideas and projects. It was the inspiration that resulted in the creation of the youth organisation. We eventually moved to Galway and more recently Dublin.”
Ruairí will take his place alongside the President’s six other nominees in addition to ‘ex-officio’ members Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, former Taoisigh Albert Reynolds, Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen, and former Presidents Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese. The Council of State is a body established by the constitution to advise the President in the exercise of his or her discretionary powers.
For the past 13 years he has been working and campaigning on youth, community and global issues and has received numerous awards for his work. He studied business in Scotland before living and working in the U.S, Australia and Canada. Following his passion for community issues, he later joined the North Western Health Board in Letterkenny as a Youth Health Promotion Worker.
In 2004 he started the pioneering SpunOut.ie national youth organisation, which now reaches 100,000s of young people each year and last year he was a founder and organiser of the Possibilities 2011 Social Summit, which brought the Dalai Lama to Ireland. More recently Ruairí stepped down from his role at SpunOut.ie to develop new projects.
“I felt ot was time to move on and let some fresh blood into the organisation. I will now be concentrating on consultancy work for youth other youth and community organisations.”
He is now looking forward to contributing further to the transformation of Ireland in the years to come. “Ireland is obviously in a very difficult place at the moment. However if each of us can have the courage to take risks, get organised, question the status quo and propose and demand alternatives, then we can really transform our country in the coming years.
The old mindsets and systems have failed us so it’s time for something different to address the root causes of issues like abuse, racism, corruption, unemployment, mental illness and environmental neglect. I don’t think politicians have all the answers and it is up to all of us to create a new Ireland that brings innovation, jobs, hope and happiness. It is a tough time for many people but often challenges like these can give us the push we need to take the bold steps needed to change things about ourselves and our country.”
A MATHEMATICAL project wins the 2012 BT Young Scientist of the year
The Country is in good and safe hands
The winning students Mark Kelly and Eric Doyle from Synge Street CBS, andEoin Farrell of St Eunan’s College, Letterkenny in 2009 winner of the top individual award.
A MATHEMATICAL project that potentially could be of value to Nasa and space agencies around the world has won the 2012 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. Mark Kelly and Eric Doyle from Synge Street CBS, Dublin, claimed the top award with impressive research that included a way to help keep satellites more closely on their expected path.
The top individual award went to Eoin Farrell of St Eunan’s College, Letterkenny. His project to produce a more accurate way to estimate the weight of children taken to hospital in an emergency wins a cheque for €2,400.
The two last night expressed delight on their win, adding that they were surprised by it. “We knew we had the capability,” Mark said.
They share the top prize of €5,000, but also receive tickets to the Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place this year in London. They will also represent Ireland in the EU’s Contest for Young Scientists this autumn in Bratislava.
The runner-up group project went to Deirdre Harford and Colleen Kelly of Loreto Secondary School, Balbriggan, Co Dublin for their genetic analysis of the potato genome. The individual runner-up was Aoife Gregg of Loreto College, St Stephen’s Green, Dublin, for her research into letter frequencies within the Irish language, with the group and individual runners-up prizes worth €1,200 each.
The Minister for Education and Skills Ruirí Quinn attended the awards ceremony. He praised the hard work and enthusiasm of the students and described the exhibition as an “incredible event”. When Ireland “got out of receivership”, the brainpower and abilities visible at the exhibition would help the economy, he said.
The judges praised Mark and Eric’s research, which looked at a famous mathematical problem dating back to 1760, the Euler Two Fixed Centre problem which related to planetary motion. This remained unsolved until finally dealt with by Irish mathematician Diarmuid Ó Mathúna in 2008, but they decided to expand on his work. They were trying to compare the accuracy of mathematical models that predict where a satellite is at any moment and hoping to improve on the precision of these models, Mark explained. They programmed Ó Mathúna’s formulas and then ran simulations on existing algorithms, blocks of software for determining a satellite’s location in space. “We devised our own algorithm for doing this,” Eric said.
They then began comparing their algorithm against existing ones used to control satellites. “If you send a probe into space you need to approximate where it is going to be,” Eric said. Their algorithm did this to a higher degree of accuracy. Higher accuracy is something that helps reduce the need to burn fuel to reposition the satellite, they said. Their algorithm is also smaller and faster than existing ones, and so would run more efficiently on board a satellite. It took them about eight months to complete their research.
Both students expect to study science subjects in university. Mark plans to do theoretical physics and Eric wants to do chemistry, specialising in molecular modelling.
The best individual award went to Eoin Farrell (15), a transition year student based in Donegal. His mother is a doctor and explained the importance of accurate weight estimation in children brought to hospital given that drug dosages are calculated based on weight. Yet it was often difficult or impossible to use scales if the child is very ill.
Current estimating methods are often based on age, but this had a low level of accuracy, Eoin said. Height-based estimates were more accurate but also had flaws. He conducted an analysis of the age, weight and height of more than 730 primary school students in his area and then developed his own approach. “I came up with my own age weight table that provides good estimates for children aged between four and 12.” He also devised a simple tape that could be used to measure a prone child and estimate weight.
Deirdre Harford (17) and Colleen Kelly (16), two fifth years from Balbriggan, analysed the recently published genome of the potato, looking in particular for genes that helped confer drought resistance. They first searched published databases of various plant species, such as the pea and the pepper, looking for known drought-resistance genes. They then used computers to reveal matches between these genes and genes within the potato genome.
They found hundreds of potential matches but many were false positive, occurring in parts of the potato’s genetic blueprint that did not function at all. Eventually they identified just three potato genes that are good matches for those in other species known to confer drought resistance. Their discovery could be used immediately by plant breeders to improve drought resistance.
Aoife Gregg (16), a transition year student, conducted a detailed analysis of the Irish language and devised a method to estimate the ages of various old Irish texts.
Taoiseach sends out transaction tax warning from Dublin Castle
THE GOVERNMENT is opposed to a financial transaction tax that would apply in Dublin but not in London, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said.
The measure would only be acceptable on a global basis, he added. The Taoiseach was speaking at a news conference in Dublin Castle following the British-Irish Council summit meeting and was asked about the proposal, which is strongly advocated for the euro zone by French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
“You could not have a situation where a financial transaction tax resulted in a difference between what happens in London and what happens here in Dublin,” Mr Kenny said. “Obviously the International Financial Services Centre here is of critical importance to our economy, as indeed the City of London is very important to the British economy. We’ve made it very clear that that would not be acceptable to us. Obviously, in a global sense, a financial transaction tax, were it to be agreed by everybody, would be acceptable.”
British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said: “When you’re in an economically precarious position, as the whole European continent is, I just somehow don’t think the priority should be a measure which its proponents admit would lead to significant levels of unemployment for thousands of people.”
Also at the conference, Scotland’s first minister, Alex Salmond, was asked about an interview he gave earlier to RTÉ where he claimed the British government was attempting to “bully and intimidate” his government over the proposed referendum on Scotland’s independence.
In a more conciliatory response, Mr Salmond said: “Once we publish the Scottish government’s consultation document, then I am very happy to meet the prime minister, the deputy prime minister, in Edinburgh or in London or wherever, to talk through these things in a positive way.”
Mr Clegg said he was not aware of Mr Salmond’s remarks about bullying: “But look, I don’t think Alex, if that is what he said, should be so jumpy.”
Asked how he felt about the possibility of an independent Scotland, the Taoiseach said he had “no intention of getting involved” in commenting on the matter.
“People are well able to make up their own minds whatever they want to do,” Mr Kenny said.
Expressing concern over moves towards Scottish independence, Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson said: “I speak as a unionist but also as an Ulster Scot. Clearly I have a massive interest in what happens and what decision the people of Scotland will take.”
In a joint communique, the council welcomed the establishment of a standing council secretariat in Edinburgh, which became operational as of January 4th.
The summit discussed youth unemployment and a discussion paper entitled Recovery from Problem Drug Use was delivered by Minister of State for Primary Care Róisín Shortall.
At a later bilateral meeting in Iveagh House, Mr Clegg and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore signed a memorandum of understanding for closer co-operation on consular matters during international crises.
As part of the agreement, a staff exchange programme will be instituted between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the British foreign and commonwealth office.
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