Larry McCurry (Chairperson)

Larry was a Senior Lecturer in Operations Management & Change in the Department of
International Business at the University of Ulster, Magee Campus since 1994 until retiring in
2016. He has been lecturing on a part time basis with Aberdeen University in Aberdeen and
in Qatar. He played a central role in the development and delivery of new cross border
Masters Courses for Public Servants.

Mr Mc Curry graduated in the University of Ulster at Degree and Masters levels in Business.
He has 15 years industrial experience at Senior Management level with US multinational
companies AT & T and Bose Hifi Products.

Larry worked for many years with Gael Linn in their intensive teaching division, Foras na
Gaeilge. He organised local intensive courses and Irish language summer courses at Baile
Mhuirne, West Cork and at Machaire Rabhartaigh in Donegal. While working in Donegal he
met his wife Bríd. He has been living there since 1981. They have two children Cathal and
Maria.

Rosaleen McCorley (Treasurer)

Rosie Mc Corley has a First Class Honours Social Sciences Degree through the
Open University, a Diploma in Irish from Ulster University and a Post Graduate
Masters in Translation New Irish from QUB.

Over vast range of work experience she spent five years as a Sinn Political
Adviser, four years as an independent Policing Board Member in West Belfast
and four years as a Sinn Féin elected member of the Legislative Assembly.
More recently Rosie was Manager of the Upper Springfield’s Development
Trust’s Healthy Living Project.

Rosie spent several years involved in the creation and development of Bunscoil
an Traonaigh, Lisnaskea Co Fermanagh. Since retiring in 2022 she is still
involved in a voluntary capacity in many projects, including Raidió Fáilte.

Niall Ó Catháin (Secretary)

Niall is a Chartered Surveyor and has a Masters Degree in Urban Land Appraisal from the University of Reading and specialises in Investment & Development Appraisal and Project Management.  Niall is a Director / Shareholder of Fermac Properties Ltd, a successful local construction and development company.  Niall has over 25 years of experience managing projects in the construction and development sector. During this time, Niall managed development projects to the value of over £40 million. These included major commercial, institutional, and residential schemes.

Niall has a keen interest in the development of the voluntary sector and has been involved in Coiste Forbartha Charn Tóchair, a rural community association based in Sleacht Néill, Maghera, which has been instrumental in reviving the Irish language within a rural community.  Niall has been involved in the promotion of the Irish Language for the past 15 years and was involved in establishing 2 Irish Language Nursery Schools and 1 Irish Language Primary School in the Maghera area. He is on the Board of Comhairle na Gaelascolaíochta and is Chairperson of the Governors of Gaelcholaiste Doire.

Dolores O Reilly (DIRECTOR)

Professor Dolores O’Reilly was the Professor of International Business Strategy at the University of Ulster, Magee College. She was appointed as head of the newly-created International Business School at Magee in 1999 and in July 2000 became executive director of the Northern Ireland Centre for Electro Business (NICEB). A graduate of Queen's University of Belfast, the University of Ulster and University of Surrey, she was Chairman of the Air Transport Users Council (ATUC), of the Chambers of Ireland and a member of the European Commission's Federation of Air Transport User Representatives Europe (FATURE). Prof O'Reilly has written extensively in the area of liberalisation, deregulation and competition in European and US air transport. She is a former board member of Independent News and Media  (Northern Ireland).

Maria Nic Fhearchair (DIRECTOR)

A native of Coilleach Eanach in South Armagh, Maria Caraher is heavily involved in the
development of the Irish language and in doing so, she founded a local group An Chrannóg. She
was a school principal in Bunscoil an Iúir for more than 20 years and she is a member of the
local St Patrick’s GAC club and their musical band. She helps run the Irish language summer
school in the area for primary school children.

Páid Ó Maolagáin (DIRECTOR)

He is a plasterer by trade and have an in depth knowledge of the construction sector. In more recent years he has been working as a carer.

He has a huge interest in the Irish language and is associated with the promotion of the Irish
language in County Fermanagh. He is currently the secretary of the local branch of Comhaltas Uladh, (Conradh na Gaeilge – the Gaeilge League), namely Tús Nua.

He had a central role on the committee who founded and developed the Irish Medium Nursery and Primary schools, Naiscoil and Bunscoil An Traonaigh in Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh. He is currently a trustee of this school.

Caoimhín Mac Giolla Mhín (Chief Executive)

Since leaving school Caoimhín has been involved in Community Development
projects and since leaving University in 1997 he has been employed in the
sector driving and managing such projects in West Belfast. During this time he
has gathered a wealth of experience in the Community Sector working through
both mediums of Irish and English. He has thus gained a lot of experience on
Economic Development.
He studied at University of Ulster where he completed an Honours Degree in
Estate Management along a Diploma in Industrial Studies. This involved
studying modules in all aspects of Land Development and Regeneration;
including and valuation, the planning system and the economic / social impact
associated with land development.

Caoimhín spent a while working in Belfast City Council on Economic
Initiatives before being elected as a Sinn Féin Councillor for West Belfast. He
spent six years adding to his experience in an elected capacity.
He was employed by An Ciste Infheistíochta Gaeilge since its formation in
2010 having a central role in the huge growth of new Irish language community
capital projects throughout the North. He has been working tirelessly with all
the Irish language community groups whilst working closely with various
funders at a senior Government level. He, directed by his Board, has had a
leadership role in delivering capital funding and investing strategically to thirty
projects in the North contributing to more that £20m of Irish language
community infrastructure.
Caoimhín is a keen traveller, cyclist and scuba diver and has been a Board
Member on Foras na Gaeilge since 2020.

GEARÓID Ó hÉARA (PROGRAMME DIRECTOR)

Gearóid O hÉara is an Irish language Community Activist from Derry where he was
Chief Executive in the Gaeláras, a well-known and respected organisation located in the
Derry Arts & Cultural centre, Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin.
Gearóid was central to the creation of Naíscoileanna and Bunscoileanna in the 1980’s
and is a Trustee of Gaelscoil Éadán Mhóir in the Bogside. He formed a branch of
Conradh na Gaeilge in 1983 and has been active in the Irish language revival at a local,
regional and National level since.
Gearóid has been a member of Sinn Féin for over forty years, has been Chairperson in
the North for eight years and sitting on the Ard Chomhairle for twenty years. He was a
member of Sinn Féin’s Talks Team during the Peace Process which resulted in the
signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

He was a Councillor on Derry City Council for sixteen years and was Mayor in 2004-
2005. She was on the Board of Foras na Gaeilge for six years, Board of the Arts
Council, Western Education Board, the North’s Policing Board and Probation Board.
He was one of the founding members of An Ciste Infheistíochta Gaeilge and is still
serving as Programme Director working with the Business Development Officers across
the North.