Ógra Fianna Fáil

Ógra Fianna Fáil
President	Kate Feeney
Founded	1975
Headquarters	65–66 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
Ideology	Irish republicanism Irish reunification[1][2][3][4] Social liberalism
Mother party	Fianna Fáil
Website	www.ogra.ie

Ógra Fianna Fáil^[5] (Irish pronunciation: [ˈoːɡɾˠə ˌfʲiənə ˈfɔːlʲ]; meaning "Youth of Fianna Fáil") is the youth wing of Fianna Fáil, a political party in Ireland. It 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,^[6] having various branches (called Cumann) in major Third Level institutes and Parliamentary constituencies in the Republic of Ireland. In Northern Ireland it is organised on a county and city basis, along with third level branches established at the University of Ulster and Queen's University Belfast.^[7]

Membership

Membership for Ógra Fianna Fáil is open to anyone between the ages of sixteen and thirty who supports the aims and ideals of the organisation and those of the general party itself.

Uachtarán

From the inception of the organisation until 2011 Ógra was chaired by a member of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party. Since 2011 Ógra have elected a president of the organisation.

In 2013 Blackrock's Kate Feeney was elected as the first female leader of Ógra.^[8][9]

President of Ogra Kate Feeney

History

Foundation and early years

It was during the period of 1974 and 1975 that a specific youth section of Fianna Fáil was established to cater for the needs of young people within the party. To that end, the party leader Jack Lynch and the general secretary of the party Séamus Brennan moved to found Ógra Fianna Fáil. The first National Youth Conference was held in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin in January 1975, and had four delegates from each Dáil constituency. By the second National Youth Conference, a national youth scheme had been formulated, establishing youth committees in each Dáil constituency. From then on, the annual National Youth Conference has been the cornerstone around which all youth activity within Fianna Fáil has revolved.

The 1977 general election had a very visible and high profile youth campaign with a special advertising programme geared to winning the youth vote. The election results brought in a range of new young members to the Fianna Fáil ranks in the Oireachtas; among them future Government ministers, party leaders and Taoisigh such as Bertie Ahern, Brian Cowen and current party leader Micheál Martin, TD – the latter two of which had served as Cathaoirleach (Chairperson) of Ógra Fianna Fáil.

As the 1980s and 1990s progressed, Ógra became an essential component of the Fianna Fáil Party as a whole. It gained the right to vote in all candidate selection conventions. It developed an active policy formulation role, a role that became increasingly recognised by party spokespersons, policy-makers and government ministers.

Going North

An organisation-wide review conducted in 2006 found that there was widespread support within Fianna Fáil for the establishment of an activist base in Northern Ireland. From 2007 on, Ógra Fianna Fáil has been actively recruiting members throughout the region, as well as at Third Level in Queen's University Belfast and in the University Of Ulster. It was subsequently decided at the party's 2009 Ardfheis to establish a forum in each of the six counties in the North, to better facilitate party members residing there who wish to meet and engage with Fianna Fáil public tepresentatives and members.

2011–12 organisational reforms

Changes introduced at the 2011 National Youth Conference in Cork provided a radical overhaul of Ógra's internal organisation. The National Youth Committee, renamed the Ógra Central Officer Board, was halved in size from over twenty down to ten with only one Regional Organiser for each region instead of three. The Officer Board is much more function-based with directly-elected Policy and Campaigns Director, Events Director and Membership and Development Director. As well as this, the new position of Úactharán Ógra Fhianna Fáil (President) was created where the former positions of Cathaoirleach (chair; a member of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party) appointed by the party leader, and Leas-Cathaoirleach (vice-chair; the highest elected official within Ógra itself) were merged into one role.

The first Ógra National Council meeting was held on 28 January 2012. The National Council was established to give accountability and oversight to the Central Officer Board. It has the power to remove Officers, overturn its decisions, direct actions, and fill casual vacancies. It consists of three delegates from each registered Ógra CDC and Third Level branches.

Organisation

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), 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. ^[10]

• Ógra Comhairle Dáil Ceantair (Ógra CDC): The Ógra CDC covers the area of the Dáil constituency as set out by the Constituencies Commission, or in some cases where a constituency crosses a County border; it covers the area of that County. In the case of the North it currently applies to each of the six counties as six separate CDCs with the same equal status as the rest in the southern part of the island. Anyone between the age of 16 and 30 in their respective constituency or county are entitled to become members of the Ógra CDC. The management of the Ógra CDC is done by an officer board which is elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Ógra CDC members may also be members of a Third Level Cumann, or an Ógra CC or CA.^[11]

• Ógra Comhairle Ceantair (Ógra CC): This type of unit is smaller than an Ógra CDC, it only includes the Ógra members who are in a particular part of the constituency, most likely a Local electoral area (LEA). Ógra CC members may also be members of a Third Level Cumann and an Ógra CDC.^[12]

• Ógra Third Level Cumann: Most higher education institutions have an Ógra Fianna Fáil Cumann. These branches generally have similar status to an Ógra CDC. Within the institution, a Cumann is usually regarded as the Ógra Fianna Fáil 'Society' and is therefore subject to the rules and regulations of the college regarding establishment, running and funding of societies. A member of an Ógra Third Level Cumann may also be a member of the Ógra CDC and of the Ógra CC where they are ordinarily resident.^[13]

• Ógra Coiste Áitiúil - Ógra members in a particular local area are encouraged to form local units to allow the local members to come together to discuss issues and to organise events to promote Fianna Fáil. This form of Ógra unit was instigated to support the organisation in places where may not be practical or possible for Ógra members to travel long distances to Ógra CC or CDC meetings, or not possible to establish an Ógra CC. They do not have voting or representative rights as Ógra CCs do. Local units are entitled to elect an officer board if they so wish. Those involved in local units may also be members of an Ógra CDC, an Ógra CC, or an Ógra Third Level Cumann.^[14]

• Ógra National Youth Conference (NYC) The National Youth Conference is the supreme decision making body of Ógra. The event is the political and social highlight of the Ógra calendar. The Conference gives the young members of Fianna Fáil a forum to express their views and opinions and develop national policies. Workshops are organised with Ministers/Spokespersons and Oireachtas members present to listen to the views of Ógra members. The Conference is composed of voting delegates from each registered Ógra CDC and Third Level Cumann. The annual National Youth Conference is Fianna Fáil's second largest political event after the party conference. Elections are also held for the Central Officer Board.^[15]

• Ógra Central Officer Board (COB) - The Central Officer Board is responsible for the management of Ógra. It consists of an President, Policy and Campaigns Director, Events Director, Membership and Recruitment Director, Regional Organisers, Third Level Organiser and the National Youth Officer. The President appoints various non-voting officers to assist the COB in its duties, e.g. Press Officer, Secretary, Internal Communications Director and National Council of Ireland Representative.^[16] The members of the Central Officer Board are elected by the National Youth Conference. They are responsible to the National Council. Members of the Board also sit on the Ard Chomhairle, the National Executive Committee of Fianna Fáil.^[17]

• Ógra National Council (NC) - The National Council provides oversight to the work of the Central Officer Board. In addition to the members of the Central Officer Board, it consists of three delegates from every registered Ógra CDC and Third Level Cumann. Members of the Central Officer Board are required to report to and take questions from the National Council. It has the power to remove members of the COB on a qualified majority basis and overturn decisions by the COB. The National Council is run by a Chairperson and a Secretary elected at an AGM. The National Council has various Standing Committees (SC): Regional SCs, Third Level SC and National Policy and Campaigns SC.^[18]

Ógra's current president is Kate Feeney, the secretary is Barry Gillen from Galway West, and the chair is Keith Henry from Sligo North-Leitrim.

Publications

Ógra Fianna Fáil operates a weekly online news bulletin called Cursaí Óige (Irish: Youth Affairs) informing its members of current and upcoming events within the organisation and the general party itself.

It has also published several policy documents, most recently on equality for gay marriage in Ireland;^[19] youth unemployment;^[20] submissions on the annual budgets^[21] and on educational reform in the North.

Third level branches

Dublin City University – Pádraig Pearse Cumann

The Dublin City University branch is the Pádraig Pearse Cumann,^[22] commonly known as The PPC. At the Fianna Fáil National Youth Conference in Sligo in 2013,^[23] it was awarded best delegation.

Trinity College Dublin – Wolfe Tone Cumann

One of the more prominent third level branches in the country, it has a long history of activism within Ógra on a national basis. Past members include: senators Averil Power, Thomas Byrne and Deputy Dara Calleary. The co-chairs for the 2013/2014 academic year are David Henry and James Doyle.

Cumann De Barra – NUIG

Cumann De Barra is the branch in the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). It is the oldest and largest of any political society on any third level campus in Ireland. 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 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.

Some notable former members include Fianna Fáil TD Michael P. Kitt, the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins (before he joined the Labour Party), Senator Terry Leyden, former MEP Seán Ó Neachtain.

In the college year 2012–13 Cumann de Barra received the Gobnait O'Connell Award at the National Youth Conference 2013 for being the best Cumann in the country.

Kevin Barry Cumann – UCD

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 1974 and has records of being active dating to as early as 1948 when Seán Lemass addressed it.^[24] It formally dates to 1957 when led by Gerry Collins, then a student organiser in UCD and later Minister for Foreign Affairs. Like NUIG, it is also named after Kevin Barry.

Former members include former European Commissioner Charlie McCreevy, previous ministers Dick Roche and Mary Coughlan, Clare TD Timmy Dooley, Donegal TD Charlie McConalogue and RTÉ presenter Ryan Tubridy. The author and former political lobbyist Frank Dunlop was also a member.

Other Third level branches

• National University of Ireland, Maynooth – Seán Lemass Cumann
• Queen's University Belfast – William Drennan Cumann
• University College Cork – Donogh O'Malley Cumann
• University of Limerick – Conn Colbert Cumann
• University of Ulster – Watty Graham Cumann
• Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
• Institute of Technology, Carlow
• Dublin Institute of Technology
• Waterford Institute of Technology – Thomas Francis Meagher Cumann

References

External links

• Official website