The Dublin region held a networking session in June in City Hall. Tricia Murphy, the Queen of Networking, held a lively, informal training session with the large gathering. A great night was had by all.

A new network for the communications industry was launched throughout the country in March and April 2008. The network is for communications professionals (public relations, advertising and marketing people) and their service providers (graphic designers, printers, hotels, photographers etc.).

Members can expect to form links with other communications professionals within the area, attend regional meetings, update their skills through the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme, showcase their talents and business at the Academy Network’s annual conference, and gain access to international perspectives on developments in the communications industry.

Here are some photos from launches around the country...........

Sinead Brady from Cork swept the boards at the Irish Academy of Public Relations’ Graduation Ceremony in Dun Laoghaire on Saturday. Sinead, from Cork, won the Academy’s TAP Award for the best fundraising idea in the country, and she also won the HETAC Student of the Year award for achieving the best academic result on the Academy’s Higher Diploma in Arts in Public Relations.

Dublin City fm was officially launched by Dublin’s Lord Mayor, Cllr. Paddy Bourke in December 2007. Originally known as Anna Livia, the station began broadcasting 15 years ago. The new name reflects the cultural diversity of the capital city. The station broadcasts on 103.2fm. Our director, Ellen Gunning, is a director of the radio station.

Students studying the three-year degree programme at Carlow Institute of Technology use the book written by our director – Public Relations a practical approach - as their core text. They recently had an opportunity to meet the author when she delivered a guest lecture at the college to approx. 100 students.

Galway’s lectures for The Irish Academy of Public Relations helped announced the new season of courses which commenced this October at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. The Academy offers part-time Diploma and Post-Graduate courses in Event Management, Television Presenting, Public Relations and Journalism. Courses are validated by ICM (UK) and HETAC.

The Irish Academy has launched a new post-graduate Higher Diploma in Arts in Journalism course.The new course, taught at UCD (Dublin), UCC (Cork) and GMIT (Galway) is validated by HETAC, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council.

Participants will be attending and reporting on City and County Council meetings, district court sittings and festivals. They will be covering the coroners court, employment tribunals, sporting and fashion events. They will get radio studio experience and will have a portfolio of their work to show employers on completion of the course.

The Irish Academy of Public Relations has introduced a new course for Television Presenters who are interested in working in current affairs. The course, which is taught on Saturdays, involves learning about pre-production, production and post-production techniques, as well as research skills and understanding the language of television. In addition, course participants will conduct single-camera outdoor interviews and multi-camera in-studio interviews, and will be given a showreel which they can play for future employers.

The course is validated by the Institute of Commerical Management (ICM) UK, and will be taught at three centres – UCC (Cork), UCD (Dublin) and GMIT (Galway).

Sinead Brady won the 2007 TAP Award from the Irish Academy of Public Relations. The Award, which is given annually, goes to the student who designs the best fundraising concept for charity. Sinead plans to raise €250,000 with a Corporate Table Quiz for Bothar, which sends livestock to Developing Countries and encourages self-sufficiency within communities.

The TAP awards (Theory And Practice) are held every year and are open to students studying public relations with the Academy at UCD (Dublin), UCC (Cork) and GMIT (Galway).

The Public Relations Institute of Ireland conferred our director, Ellen Gunning, with a Fellowship of the Institute at a ceremony in O'Reilly Hall, UCD in February 2007.
The Fellowship is awarded to members of long standing who are deemed, by National Council, to have made a significant contribution to the profession over a sustained period of time.

The Irish Academy of Public Relations won an award for Corporate Social Responsibility at the 2006 Chambers Ireland ceremony in November. The Award was given for the Academy's TAP Awards which have raised in excess of €500,000 for charity to date. The Academy is the first college in the country to win this prestigious award.

Speaking at the launch Minister Coughlan said, 'This is a marvellous opportunity for Bóthar to link up with some of the freshest fundraising minds in the country. Bóthar has always received great support from the farming community for their laudable means of tackling poverty and supporting sustainable development. May I commend the Academy and students in their campaign and look forward to seeing Bothar benefiting considerably from their efforts.

Some of the top Event Organisers in the country attended the launch of the new Diploma in Event Management which the Academy is offering in Dublin, Cork and Galway from October 2006.

Ciara O’Halloran, a graduate of the Higher Diploma in Arts in Public Relations course, won the TAP Award for 2006. Ciara’s fundraising proposal was deemed the best in the country by an independent panel of experts. Ciara is a native of Cork and studied with the Academy at UCC.

Attending the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Conference in Cairo, Egypt, January 2006.

Also at the IPRA Conference in Cairo were:

Students from Dublin, Cork and Galway (UCD, UCC and GMIT) are pictured at the Academy’s graduation ceremony in Liberty Hall, November 2005.

Certificates and Diplomas were presented by Cllr. Bronwen Maher, deputising for the Lord Mayor of Dublin (centre, with Ellen Gunning, Director of the Academy).

The two guest speakers were (extreme left) Louise Roseingrave of the Evening Echo and, to her right, Aileen O’Brien of O’Brien PR both of whom are past graduates of Academy courses.

Lecturers and examiners who are also shown in the photo include (in alphabetical order): Ger Byrne, Marianne Henry, Ros Murphy, Simone Rapple and William Scally.

Higher Education Training Award Council (HETAC) Chief Executive Seamus Puirseil and Ellen Gunning, Director of the Irish Academy of Public Relations, with "Woody", a European Eagle Owl (the owl of wisdom), pictured in St. Stephen's Green, Dublin at the launch of the Irish Academy of Public Relations' Higher Diploma in Public Relations course at UCD, UCC and GMIT.