Taoiseach among high-profile speakers to address 2024 MacGill Summer School
The 44th edition of the summer school, which is hosted at the Highlands Hotel in Glenties, has adopted the theme On The Brink
The annual MacGill Summer School gets underway in Glenties on Thursday morning.
The 44th edition of the summer school has adopted the theme On The Brink.
An Taoiseach Simon Harris is due to speak on Friday afternoon.
Mr Harris is scheduled for an hour-long discussion with Professor Cathy Gormley-Heenan, University Provost at Ulster University.
The former Chief Medical Officer Professor Tony Holohan, who rose to national prominence in the role during the Covid-19 pandemic, will feature on Friday morning on the topic 'Disease X: The Next Public Health Crisis'.
The event will open at the Highlands Hotel with an address by the new Director of the MacGill Summer School, Vincent McCarthy, who succeeds founder member Dr Joe Mulholland.
Green Party leader and Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan will speak on the opening afternoon with day one also featuring media entrepreneur Mark Little, former Editor of the Irish News Noel Doran and MEP Frances Fitzgerald.
Dunfanaghy woman Siún Ní Raghallaigh, the former Chair of the RTÉ Board, is among Saturday's guests.
Ms Ní Raghallaigh's resigned saying that it was 'abundantly clear' that she no longer had the confidence of Media Minister Catherine Martin.
During an appearance on Prime Time, the Minister twice declined to express confidence in Ms Ní Raghallaigh.
The Minister told Prime Time that she was 'deeply disappointed' that she was twice misinformed about exit packages with departing executives from the embattled station.
Ms Ní Raghallaigh was previously one of the founding members of Teilifís na Gaeilge (TnaG), which has since become TG4.
She will speak on the topic of 'The Future of Media and Public Service Broadcasting'.
Former Tánaiste Mary Coughlan, the current Donegal GAA Chairperson, and Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty are also on the bill for Saturday's session.
The MacGill Summer School, which is in association with the University of Notre Dame, is one of the most important fora in Ireland for the analysis of topics of national and international interest.