Burma Action Reception to mark 65th Birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi

Burma Action Reception to mark 65th Birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi
Originally uploaded by Lord Mayor of Dublin

On the day Aung San Suu Kyi, the Leader of Burma’s National League for Democracy, celebrates her 65th birthday, Dublin’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Emer Costello has called on the Military Junta in Burma, to immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi, Freeman of the City of Dublin, Nobel Peace Laureate, from house arrest.

The Lord Mayor, Councillor Emer Costello, met with representatives from Burma Action Ireland at the Mansion House this morning, where she presented Burma Action with a Mayoral Scroll in support of Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma.

According to the Lord Mayor, “Aung San Suu Kyi is a global icon of heroic and peaceful resistance in the face of military repression, and she takes her rightful place in history amongst other great civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King and Mahatma Ghandi who I know inspired her. As Lord Mayor of Dublin, I am calling on the Military Junta in Burma to immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. ”

I, like, many people throughout the world was outraged when I learned of the outcome of the Kafkaesque showtrial in Burma last year, where she was sentenced to three years hard labour which was subsequently commuted to eighteen months house arrest for a non-existent crime.

Last year, one of my first actions as Lord Mayor was to open a Book of Solidarity as Dublin’s response to Aung San Suu Kyi own powerful plea to people around the world to join the struggle for freedom in Burma when she said ‘Please use your freedom to promote ours’.

Aung San Suu Kyi was conferred with the Freedom of Dublin City on March 18th 2000, by former Lord Mayor, Councillor Mary Freehill. She has yet to sign the Roll of Freemen of the City, where a space has been left for her to sign.

Ends
For further information contact Emer Costello 086 3831805
Photo available at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordmayor

LMCE Report Launch - 15.06.10 251

LMCE Report Launch - 15.06.10 251
Originally uploaded by Lord Mayor of Dublin

“THE REPORT OF THE LMCE MAKES PROPOSALS ON HOW ECONOMIC RENEWAL AND EMPLOYMENT GROWTH IN THE CITY CAN BE BETTER PROMOTED BY A RANGE OF AGENCIES INCLUDING DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL”…

Lord Mayor’s Commission on Employment
Tuesday 15th June 2010: The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr. Emer Costello, will present the Report of her Lord Mayor’s Commission on Employment (LMCE) to Mr. Conor Lenihan T.D., Minister for Science, Technology, Innovation and Natural Resources today at 1.45 p.m. in the Mansion House. During her term as Lord Mayor, it was a priority of the Lord Mayor “to ensure that the Members of Dublin City Council play a pivotal role in the development and promotion of economic recovery and job creation in the City.”

Lord Mayor, Cllr. Emer Costello, says “I established the Lord Mayor’s Commission on Employment in September 2009 to examine how Dublin City Council can facilitate growth in the economy by protecting existing employment and creating new job opportunities. I am delighted with the outcome of many months of hard work by all those dedicated individuals who, collectively, have made this report possible. I look forward to seeing the recommendations contained in the Report implemented in the future.”

Mr. Conor Lenihan, Minister for Science, Technology, Innovation and Natural Resources, says “I am delighted to receive this Commission Report from the Lord Mayor”. The Minister added “the past ten months has witnessed the Commission engage in extensive research and public consultation by taking submissions, meeting with organisations and communities, visiting projects and holding workshops to come up with innovative and creative ideas for boosting the City’s economy, protecting and creating employment and improving our competitiveness.”

The Report being launched today highlights the main findings of the LMCE in the course of the last ten months work. Recommendations have been put forward under the interlinked themes of Dublin city a Working city, a Learning city, a Creative city, an Open city, a Global city and a Liveable city with three key outcomes being announced as follows:

The LMCE has successfully joined forces with Tipperary Institute to secure 20 places for Dublin in an exciting project CESBEM (Competence Enhancement in Sustainable Building Through European Mobility) II, which is a european funded project under the Lifelong Learning, Leonardo Da Vinci (People in the Labour Market) Programme. The CESBEM II Project is aimed at those in the construction Sector and provides upskilling in the field of energy efficiency in buildings.


The LMCE has liaised with Ulster Bank who will partner with Dublin City Council to provide a dedicated Business Support Programme for new Start Up businesses in Dublin. The Programme includes a €10m fund to support Start Up enterprises, current account and ancillary services, business planning and mentoring aids and other aspects of start up assistance as appropriate to the individual business. Ken Murnaghan, Regional Director Business Banking at Ulster Bank said; “We are delighted to partner with Dublin City Council in this valuable new enterprise support initiative and endorse the Lord Mayor’s Commission on Employment’s series of recommendations.”


Following work by the LMCE a study is now being carried out to identify the location of vacant commercial properties in the entire City Centre area initially along the Quays and Thomas Street. It is intended to database that information and match vacant units with persons or groups in the cultural and artistic arena seeking temporary premises. This would have the dual effect of uplifting areas with high vacancy levels while giving emerging cultural groups access to high visibility shop fronts.


The Report will be distributed at today’s launch and will be available to view on www.dublincity.ie from Wed. 16th June or phone 01 222 6200 to request a copy.

ENDS

For more information

Dublin City Council Press Office: (01) 2222170/086 8150010
Notes to the Editor:
The LMCE is comprised of Councillors on a cross-party basis, external advisors and officials from Dublin City Council. The LMCE met on eight occasions and undertook fieldtrips across Dublin City as well as to Limerick and Tipperary looking at models of best practice. In addition two working groups have assisted the LMCE with its work. A public ‘Call for Ideas’ was issued in 2009 and over one hundred submissions were received. In January 2010 the LMCE hosted two workshops entitled ‘Promoting the Cultural and Creative Industries’ and ‘Promoting Dublin as an International Student City’ and the output from these workshops have been incorporated into the Report.

In April 2010 the LMCE organised a one-day Conference in Croke Park entitled ‘Dublin – A City that Works’ to bring together Dublin’s key players to frame a plan of action for Dublin’s economy. Speaking at the Conference Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation & Science said “It is very clear to me that Dublin City Council is taking the issue of innovation very seriously and that this is a central component of your future jobs strategy. We need to innovate if we are going to create smarter, cleaner and greener jobs into the future”.

LMCE Members are:

Cllr. Paddy Bourke, Cllr. Mannix Flynn, Cllr. Mary Freehill, Cllr. Paul McAuliffe, Cllr. Ruairi McGinley, Cllr. Rebecca Moynihan, Cllr. Eoghan Murphy, Cllr. Aodhan O’Riordan, Cllr. Maria Parodi and Cllr. Nial Ring.

Outside Agencies include Mary Began FÁS, Fiona Corke Leargas, Edel Flynn Digital Hub Agency, Philip O’Connor Dublin Employment Pact, Dr. Declan Redmond UCD., Dermot Ryan DHR Communications, David Treacy CDVEC.

Dublin City Council Officials – Michael Stubbs, Declan Wallace, Lorna Maxwell, Kieran Rose, Paul Kearns, Nial Dully, Helen O’Leary and Jamie Cudden.

Benefits of the CESBEM II PROJECT

As a result of completing the programme the participants will;

Acquire new theoretical and practical knowledge in energy efficiency in buildings,

Have been upskilled so that they can apply the new construction techniques in line with new buildings regulations and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive(EPBD).

Be in a position to maintain or develop new employment opportunities in the construction sector in Ireland.

Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion from Tipperary Institute, the Europass Mobility Document and the German partner’s Certificate of Completion in sustainable Building. Further support will be provided through a specific CESBEM Web Portal where follow on support and information will be provided to participants.

Mexico Celebrates 200 Years Of Independence

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Emer Costello, in the presence of Alicia Kerber Palma, Chargeé d’affaires for Mexico, at 11am on Friday 4th June in the Mansion House, will unveil a plaque celebrating the Bicentennial Anniversary of the Independence of Mexico and the Centenary of the Mexican Revolution.

“Ireland has a long association with Mexico dating back to 1642 when William Lamport from Wexford helped to establish the Independent Mexican state. In more recent times Captain John Riley from Galway led the St. Patrick’s Battalion in the Mexican-American war. It is a privilege to be associated with the unveiling of the plaque celebrating Mexico’s Independence and Revolution” said Lord Mayor Cllr Emer Costello.

“Mexico is a young country but a very old nation. Our roots go back thousand’s of years. However, 2010 is an especially significant year for Mexico. On the 16th of September, we will celebrate 200 years of being proudly Independent and proudly Mexican, while on the 20th of November we will be celebrating the Centenary of the Mexican Revolution a Revolution whose ideals of Justice and Democracy shaped the destiny of current Mexico. The Embassy of Mexico is deeply grateful for the recognition that the City of Dublin gives to these important dates” said Alicia Kerber Palma, Chargeé d’affaires for Mexico.

Plaque Unveiling for Bicentenary Mexican Independence- 4.06.10 065
Originally uploaded by Lord Mayor of Dublin

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Speech by Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Emer Costello

Your Excellency, distinguished guests it gives me great pleasure to welcome you here on this glorious sunny morning to the garden of the Mansion House. We gather to honour a nation and a people and to acknowledge the bonds that connect us. The nation is Mexico and today as we unveil this plaque donated to the City of Dublin by the people of Mexico we celebrate with Mexico the bi-centennial of their independence.
Although Ireland itself only gained independence less than 100 years ago, Irish men and women have been key actors in the independence of many nations across the globe. People who have left our shores have built new lives in nations from the Americas to Asia . They have played an important role in the educational, political, civil and military lives of their adopted lands. This year marks the 200 years of independence for many Latin American Nations. I am proud of the role that the Irish played in the independence of the nations of Latin America. From the River Plate in Argentina to the Rio Grande on the Mexican-US border many Irishmen fought for independence . . I am certain that they inspired those who gathered here to proclaim Ireland’s independence in 1919.
We are bound together by shared history written in the lives of those who left our shores . . Today Mexico has the sixth largest Irish Community in the world. I understand that there are over 300,000 people of Irish descent living in the capital city of Mexico alone. In the Northern states of Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon, and Durango, Irish names such as Bay, Lamport, Byrne, Walsh, Foley, Hayes, and O'Leary are very common,
Probably the most famous Irishman in Mexico was William Lamport, better known to most Mexicans as Guillen de Lamport, precursor of the Independence movement and author of the first proclamation of independence in the New World. In fact I believe he was the inspiration for Johnston McCulley's Zorro,
Of course every Mexican knows of the St Patrick’s Brigade and their brave contribution to Mexico’s freedom. The San Patricios have entered Mexican folklore. The bond that they forged in blood between our people has found expression in music. The musical souls of our two nations, have been entwined through the music of the Chieftains album San Patricio. Music is a shared bond between us. Today Dublin is the home for the Mexican guitar virtuosos Rodrigo y Gabriela who played for President Obama (another Irishman) in the White House
I have to mention also three more recent people of Irish descent who contributed to Mexico namely ;
Álvaro Obregón (O'Brien) who was president of Mexico in 1920 and who has a city and airport named in his honour.
Actor Anthony Quinn ..
And the recent Mexican President Vicente Fox who visited Dublin in 2002 when the sculpture “Waiting for the Sailors” was unveiled in Sandymount .
Today we are linked not by war and freedom battles, but by the blood of previous generations and through the links between our economies. and our people. Mexico today is Ireland’s 19th largest trade partner, with total trade valued at €938.2m.
So it is both timely and appropriate that we unveil this commemorative plaque in honour of Mexico’s 200 years of freedom. On behalf of the Ireland’s capital I thank the Mexican Embassy and people for honouring us through this plaque. Let it stand for all time here at the home of Dublin’s first citizen in testimony to the friendship between our nations and people, and in the hope that we will grow closer over the coming years.

Irish Human Rights Commission Lecture, Oak Room - 1.06.10 044

Irish Human Rights Commission Lecture, Oak Room - 1.06.10 044
Originally uploaded by Lord Mayor of Dublin

Lord Mayor Attends Protest Against Gaza Flotilla Attack

Protest March for Palestine - 31.05.10 017
Originally uploaded by Lord Mayor of Dublin

The Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Emer Costello has expressed her horror at
the attack on a flotilla which was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The Lord Mayor will be attending and speaking at the protest this
evening.

“I will be joining my voice with that of the citizens of Dublin to
express my outrage at the unprovoked attack on the flotilla. I extend my
sympathies to the families who lost loved ones and to those who were
injured. I was extremely concerned to learn Irish citizens were on the
flotilla and our thoughts and prayers are with them. Investigations by
the EU and UN need to be completely as quickly as possible and it makes
the search for a permanent solution to the middle-East crisis all the
more compelling and urgent.”