Round-up: IPRT Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2024

18th September 2024

The 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) took place in-person in Dublin on Wednesday 8 September 2024. At the AGM, reports on activities and developments during 2023 were presented to members in attendance by Chairperson Dr Seamus Taylor and Executive Director Saoirse Brady. Treasurer Noel Maloney gave a financial report for the year ended 31 December 2023. The IPRT Annual Report - Directors' Report and Audited Financial Statements for the financial year ended 31 December 2023 was launched at the AGM. 

Elections

After 12 years, Dr Séamus Taylor has retired as Chair of the IPRT Board of Directors. IPRT thanked him for his work and committment to the organisation. 

We were delighted to see Derval McDonagh elected as the new chair at the AGM. Derval is a senior leader in the not-for-profit sector with over 20 years’ of experience. She has held many varied roles in her career including Chief Operations officer at Cope Foundation in Cork and now CEO of Inclusion Ireland. She has a Masters in Leadership. Derval has been appointed to the Disability Stakeholders group by Minister Rabbitte and to the Regional Health Advisory Group by Minister Donnelly. 

Dr Róisin Mulgrew and Dr Liam Thornton were also newly elected to our board, and a number of our sitting directors were ratified. We’re excited to have all of their expertise and passion join us as we continue working towards a fairer and more just penal system in Ireland. IPRT thanked Dr Cormac Behan and Luke Staines for their support, as they stepped down from the board.

Prison members' voices

In the lead-up to the event, IPRT members in prison were asked to share their thoughts and experiences of the last year. An overview of the general themes and issues raised were presented to IPRT members attending the AGM to give a voice to IPRT members in prison as part of the event. Some details of the results will be made public in due course.

Children and Families Initiative

Members received an overview of the project from Children and Families Initiative Project Coordinator, Ashling Tobin. She spoke about the project achievements during its first year in 2023 and informed members of the plans for the future.

Read more about our work on the project on the dedicated website www.actionforfamilies.ie.

While most of IPRT's events are open to the public, our AGM is open only to our membership. If you would like to become a member, you can click here, email info@iprt.ie or call us on 01 874 1400.