Fergus Finlay, Chief Executive of Barnardos, has been confirmed as the next guest speaker of Kinsale Peace Project. On Thursday 1st October Mr. Finlay will address Transition Year students at Kinsale Community School and later that evening he will give a talk at a venue to be announced later.

Since June 2005 Fergus Finlay has been Chief Executive of Barnardos, Ireland’s largest children’s charity. For around twenty years prior to that he was employed as Senior Adviser to the Labour Party, serving in three Governments and working for the Party in opposition. He was one of the drafters of the Downing Street Declaration and was centrally involved in the election of President Mary Robinson in 1990, together with other political events of the period. He also served for three years as a Director of Wilson Hartnell Public Relations.

Fergus Finlay is the author of four best-selling books. He has founded a number of organisations that campaign for the rights of people with disabilities, is currently on the board of several non-governmental organisations, and was Chairperson of Special Olympics Ireland for four years. He broadcasts regularly on radio and television, and contributes a weekly column to the Irish Examiner.

Keep an eye on the Kinsale Advertiser for further details.