Gerard Mannix Flynn

Gerard Mannix Flynn

Flynn in 2016
Born May 1957 (age 60)
Dublin, Ireland
Nationality Irish
Occupation Politician

Gerard Mannix Flynn, sometimes written only as Mannix Flynn, is an Irish politician. He was born in Dublin in May 1957.[1][2] Aside from his work on the Dublin City Council he is also a well known author and playwright, having written the novel Nothing To Say in 1983 and the play James X in 2002.

Early life

He was sent to St Joseph's Industrial School in Letterfrack aged eleven for eighteen months.[3][4] He was subjected to sexual and physical abuse there.[3] He also spent time in Marlborough House Detention Centre, Daingean, Co Offaly, St Patrick's Institution and was given 5 years at 15 years of age and sent to Mountjoy Prison. He has always claimed his innocence despite being convicted as guilty.[5]

Career

Artist

His novels are published in German, Italian, Polish, and are currently being translated into Chinese. He founded his arts company, Farcry Productions, in 2004 which produces visual art, performance and installation work around taboo issues such as child sexual abuse, violence, and addiction.

In 2002 his semi-autobiographical play James X about a man suing the government and coming to terms with abuse he suffered in Irish state institutions was produced in the Temple Bar Music Centre. It won a fringe first award and later went on to win the Irish Times Theatre Awards - Best New Play category. In 2011 James X premiered in New York under the direction of Gabriel Byrne at the Culture Project.

In 2004, James X performed by Flynn won the Irish Times Theatre Award. An earlier version of this play titled ' Talking to the Wall' had previously won the Edinburgh Fringe award.

He appeared in the films Cal and When the Sky Falls, Excalibur and worked as an actor in Scotland, London, Austria, and Dublin for 20 years.

Politician

Flynn was first elected to Dublin City Council in the June 2009 local elections as an Independent candidate representing the South-East Inner City electoral area. He was re-elected to the revised Pembroke-South Dock electoral area in May 2014.

He tabled a motion to move the Temple Bar Cultural Trust [State company set up in 1991 as a regeneration agency for Temple Bar] under the direct control of Dublin City Council. The trust was subsequently found to be in breach of corporate governance and accountability in a number of public reports.[6][7]

He has expressed critical views of the way public money was spent as part of a Grafton Street regeneration project in Dublin.[8]

He is active in protecting Dublin streets and parks from commercialisation and the irresponsible placement of hoardings and other street furniture.[9][10]

He supports tougher regulation around the amplification of busking on public streets, which led to his office being vandalised in February 2015.[11]

In 2015 he resigned from the Dublin City Council Arts SPC over what he perceived as a lack of cohesive overall policy, strategy, and vision.[12]

Unsuccessful in the 2011 General Election in the Dublin South-East constituency, he contests the 2016 General Election to Dáil Éireann in the recently formed Dublin Bay South constituency.

Board Memberships

Mannix sits on the Board of:[13]

Work with SNAP

The first world conference on child sexual abuse was held in Dublin in April 2013. It was organized by Flynn and the SNAP Network.[15]

SNAP is a self-help group that supports people who have been assaulted by clergy, and helps them try to pick up the pieces of their lives, heal and move forward.

The 2015 film, Spotlight, deals with survivors from the SNAP organisation in the United States.

Flynn criticised the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse report for not investigating the role of the state and pointed out that none of the testimony to the Commission can be used for prosecutions.[16]

References

  1. ↑ Gerard Mannix Flynn at Irish Writers Online, retrieved 24 May 2009
  2. ↑ Profile: Mannix Flynn, The Times, 9 February 2003, retrieved 7 July 2009
  3. 1 2 Mannix Flynn: To Hell in Connaught, Brighid McLaughlin, Sunday Independent, 22 December 2002, retrieved 24 May 2009
  4. ↑ Mannix Flynn to stand as an Independent in local elections, Paul Cullen, The Irish Times, 4 April 2009, retrieved 24 May 2009
  5. ↑ The new, improved Mannix Flynn and the X factor
  6. ↑ "Analysis: Temple Bar Cultural Trust to have assets sold off". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  7. ↑ "Temple Bar trust suspends chief executive". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  8. ↑ Ryan, Philip. "Grafton Street refurb cost €400,000 before work began". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  9. ↑ MacGuill, Dan. "Dublin City Council explains sandwich board sweep in Temple Bar today". Business ETC. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  10. ↑ "Jervis / Wolfe Tone Park Community - Related News". wolfetonepark.com. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  11. ↑ Ryan, Orla. "Councillor’s office vandalised with ‘horrendous graffiti of a sexual nature’". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
  12. ↑ "Why I resigned from Dublin City Council’s Arts Committee | Village Magazine". www.villagemagazine.ie. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  13. ↑ Flynn, Mannix. "Mannix Flynn - Dublin Bay South". www.mannixflynn.com. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  14. ↑ http://www.dublincity.ie/sites/default/files/content/YourCouncil/CouncilMeetings/Documents/Agenda_September_2015.pdf COUNCILLOR MANNIX FLYNN 24/06/2015 That this Meeting of Dublin City Council, calls on the CEO to initiate a full independent forensic audit of the Dublin City BIDs company also known as DublinTown. This review and assessment to include – effectiveness measures, all financial dealings and incomes, salaries and payment levels for staff and executive officers, all tendering and procurement processes and contractual arrangements. Also that DCC carry out an evaluation survey within the BID area and within the BID membership regarding satisfaction rating and the effectiveness and performance of BID within the city council administrative area. This report also to include compliance with corporate governance and best accountancy practices. The BIDS company was inaugurated and initiated under legal act and the City Council is the rating authority responsible for the rate levy that goes to the BID company. It is the duty of DCC to carry out a full over view of this company in keeping with European best practices in accountability and transparency for public funds.
  15. ↑ "Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests". Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  16. ↑ "'We can't get on with our lives. It's just not that easy. . .'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
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