EDU.INT
INTER-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
IRELAND
Lord Mayor of Dublin receives EDU Secretary-General at The Mansion House
The Mansion House - Dublin - Ireland
His Excellency Irving Le-Vance was honoured to be received recently by His Grace Christy Burke, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, at The Mansion House the Mayor's official residence.
The Mansion House has been at the heart of city government since 1715. This beautiful and remarkable building is the only Mayoral Residence in Ireland which is still used for its original purpose. It is the oldest Mayoral residence in the British Isles (Dublin preceded London by 15 years in providing an official house for its mayor) and it is the oldest free-standing house in Dublin.
The first Irish Parliament, the Dáil, met in the Mansion House Round Room in 1919 and cabinet meetings of that Dáil were held in the Dining Room.
The Secretary-General found it a singular honour to meet with the Lord Mayor in such a significant building and listened intently to an explanation of its important role in the history Dublin and Ireland.
Enjoying afternoon tea together they discussed a range of topics of mutual interest including the importance of education as an enabler for life improvement, actions to address poverty, alcohol and drug abuse issues and the problem of domestic violence.
The Lord Mayor was interested to hear about recent protocols by the Intergovernmental Organization EDU to assist in the global efforts against Ebola in West Africa through its commitment to support the Continuation of Education in Crisis and Post-Crisis Scenarios.
Christy Burke was elected the 345th Lord Mayor of Dublin at the Annual City Council meeting held in City Hall on Friday 6th June 2014. First elected to Dublin Corporation in June 1985, Christy is one of the longest serving Councillors on the Council. Formerly a member of Sinn Féin, he is now an Independent Councillor representing the North Inner City Ward on Dublin City Council.
He is a member of the Inner City Helping Homeless group and in a personal capacity he provides alcohol addiction services. He is also a big fan of Dublin GAA and supports Dublin Footballers whenever he can.
His priorities for his term as Lord Mayor are:
Work to improve housing provision , Assisting the Homeless of Dublin , Improving services to those with disabilities, Tackling the challenge of illegal dumping and Erecting a statue of Luke Kelly
The Secretary-General described the Lord Mayor as one of the most down to earth dignitaries he had ever met and remarked upon the friendliness that he had encountered in Dublin since his arrival and on the efficiency of the Dublin City public transport system. His Excellency thanked Dublin’s first citizen for giving up so much of his valuable time and for the excellent tea.
Each wished the other continued success with their respective stewardships.
The visit ended with the Lord Mayor of the City of Dublin presenting the Secretary-General of the Intergovernmental Organization EDU with a generous gift of a personally signed, sealed and dated copy of the James Joyce 1914 literary classic “Dubliners” which the Secretary-General will cherish as a reminder of their meeting.
