Page 20 - The 16th Percy French Festival: Our Great Disconnect
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former Taoi seach
           bertie ahern                        dr tony mcarthy                                  Dr Margaret daly-denton             Dr brian griffin
















           Bertie served as Taoi seach from 1997 to   After a career spanning over 40 years     Margaret’s doctoral dissertation (on the   Brian is an adjunct associate professor
           2007, during which Ireland saw remark-  as an accountant, stockbroker, and for the   textual origins of Christian ritual song)   in the history department at Maynooth
           able econ omic growth, social change,   last 20 years running his own businesses,    was mentored by Prof. Seán Freyne.   University, specialising in the social history
           and intense engagement with the North-  Tony received his PhD from Maynooth          During his illness and eventual retire -  of nineteenth and early twentieth century
           ern Ireland peace process that resulted    University in 2017. He is a former writer    ment, she undertook his teaching of   Ireland. He has a particular interest in the
           in the Good Friday Agreement between   in residence in the Princess Grace Library,   New Testa ment at TCD, and com pleted   history of the Royal Irish Constabulary and
           the British and Irish Governments and   Monaco, and is currently a visiting fellow   his post hu mously published book,    Dublin Metropolitan Police, crime, and
           the political parties in Northern Ireland.   at the School of History in Newcastle    The Jesus Movement and its Expan sion:   sport (especially cycling). Recent publica-
           The Irish Presidency of European Council   Uni versity. His published works include   Mean ing and Mission (Eerdmans, Grand   tions include articles on Percy French’s
           in 2004 saw him preside over the historic   The Shaws of Terenure, A nineteenth-      Rap ids/MI Cam bridge UK, 2014). She   war-related entertainments during the
           enlargement of the European Union to    century Dublin merchant family (2010),       was instru mental in establishing The   Great War, the bicycle in the Irish Revolu-
           27 member states including eight from   and Land reform in the British and Irish Isles   Freyne Library in TCD, Seán’s gift of the   tion, Jack B. Yeat’s Punch cartoons during
           Eastern Europe. Since being Taoi seach    (2022) coedited with Professor Annie       life-long collec tion that had resourced   the Great War and freak shows in 19th
           he has had leadership roles on key global   Tindley and Dr Shaun Evans. His latest   his biblical schol ar ship. Assuming his   century Ireland. Work in progress includes
           issues including increasing aid to devel-  publication, Land reform and legislation   mantle, teach ing ‘Bible and Ecology’ in   articles on bicycle advertisements in the
           oping countries and tackling the spread    in Ireland 1800–1992, in conjunc tion     a Masters pro gramme in Ecology and   Second World War and street football
           of HIV Aids. His achievements at home   with Professors Terence Dooley and           Religion, was a turning point in her own   in Ireland from the 1870s to the 1970s.
           and abroad have been recognized inter-  Annie Tindley, will be published later       research and writing, opening up for her   His latest book, Crime and the Criminal
           nationally. Bertie is one of the few to   this year. He is a regular contributor to the   the possibility that the world’s religious   Classes in Ireland, 1870–1920, will be pub-
           have been invited to address the Houses   Irish Farmers Journal, Country Living      traditions might have a significant role   lished by Cork University Press in 2024.
           of Parliament in Westminster and the   magazine, and other journals.                 in these days of eco l ogical crisis by moti -



           Houses of Congress in Washington DC.                                                 va t ing their adher ents to care for the
           Since leaving Government in 2008 he has                                              planet. Her latest book, an earth-cons -
           dedicated his time to conflict resolution                                            cious read ing of the Fourth Gospel, is
           and is actively involved with many groups                                            John: An Earth Bible Commentary: Sup -
           around the world.                                                                    pos ing him to be the gardener (Blooms -
                                                                                                bury/T&T Clark, London, 2017).







           •18•              OUR GREAT DISCONNEC T   •   PERCY FRENCH FESTIVAL 2024             SPEAKERS  +  PERFORMER S  •   PERCY FRENCH FESTIVAL 2024      •19•
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