Today we say farewell to Nessan Vaughan as he steps down as Chairperson of Northside Partnership. Nessan took on the role of Chair in 2018 following the sad and untimely passing of our former Chairperson, Dr. Lorcán Ó hÓbáin. Since then, Nessan has given hugely of his time in supporting our work and in guiding and stewarding the Board, CEO and Management team.

Throughout his tenure, Nessan’s wisdom, knowledge and commitment to social justice and excellence in governance has helped us navigate many challenges as we strived to maintain and grow our services and supports for those most vulnerable in our society. These challenges included the impact of violent crime upon our communities, the Covid-19 Pandemic, supporting those fleeing the war in Ukraine and those seeking international protection.

We have been very fortunate to have had Nessan as our Chair, and we are thankful for the considerable contribution he has made to Northside Partnership and Irish Society in advocating for those experiencing poverty and social and economic exclusion. We wish Nessan every success in his future endeavours and in his continued work in promoting a more just and equitable society.

Today we also welcome our new Chairperson, Mary Hickie, who retired as Principal of Coláiste Dhúlaigh, College of Further Education in 2022.

Mary has been an active member of the community of the Northside area and has been involved in many upskilling initiatives with local industries and SMEs. Mary previously served as a Director of Northside Partnership, Chairing our Preparing for Life Board Sub-committee, and has been an active supporter of the many education initiatives implemented by Northside Partnership.

Since her retirement from Coláiste Dhúlaigh, Mary has taken up a part-time position as Head of the International Desk for the City of Dublin ETB and is involved in many partnership projects under the Erasmus plus programme.

We are grateful to Mary for taking on the role of Chair and look forward to working with her, and the Board, in continuing to grow and develop Northside Partnership in achieving its social purpose.