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Ógra Fianna Fáil (Irish pronunciation: [ˈoːɡɾˠə ˌfʲiənə ˈfɔːlʲ]) is the youth wing of Fianna Fáil, a political party in Ireland. Within Fianna Fáil it is simply called Ógra (Irish for youth). It was founded in 1975 by party leader Jack Lynch under the guidance of party general secretary, Séamus Brennan. It has active units on an all-Ireland basis, having various Cumainn active in major Third Level institutes and Dáil constituencies. In Northern Ireland it is organised on a county basis at present, along with Third Level Cumainn currently established at two universities.

Membership

Membership for Ógra Fianna Fáil is open to anyone between the ages of sixteen and thirty who supports the aims and ideals of the organisation and those of the general party itself.

History

Foundation and early years

It was during the period of 1974 and 1975 that a specific youth section of Fianna Fáil was established to cater for the needs of young people within the Party. To that end, the party leader Jack Lynch and the general secretary of the party Séamus Brennan moved to found Ógra Fianna Fáil. The first National Youth Conference was held in the Burlington Hotel Dublin in January 1975, and had four delegates from each Dáil constituency. By the second National Youth Conference, a national youth scheme had been formulated, establishing youth committees in each Dáil constituency. From then on, the annual National Youth Conference has been the cornerstone around which all youth activity within Fianna Fáil has revolved.

The following General Election of 1977 had a very visible and high profile youth campaign with a special advertising programme geared to winning the youth vote. The election results brought in a range of new young talented members to the Fianna Fáil ranks in the Oireachtas; among them future Government ministers, Party Leaders and Taoisigh such as Albert Reynolds, Bertie Ahern, Brian Cowen and current Uachtarán Fhianna Fáil Micheál Martin TD - the latter two of which had served as Cathaoirleach (Chairperson) of Ógra Fianna Fáil.

As the 1980s and 1990s progressed, Ógra became an essential component of the Fianna Fáil Party as a whole. It gained the right to vote in all candidate selection conventions. It developed an active policy formulation role, a role that became increasingly recognised by Party spokespersons, policymakers and Government ministers. A new National Youth Scheme was adopted in 1998, further modernising Ógra into the coming new millennium as it further updating its communications, campaigning, policy-making and recruitment strategies.

Going North

An organisation-wide review conduced in 2006 found that there was widespread support within Fianna Fáil for the establishment of an activist base in the North of Ireland. From 2007 on, Ógra Fianna Fáil has been actively recruiting members throughout the region, as well as at Third Level in Queens University, Belfast and in the University Of Ulster. It was subsequently decided at the Party's 2009 Ard Fheis to establish a Forum in each of the six counties in the North, to better facilitate party members residing there who wish to meet and engage in with Fianna Fáil public Representatives and membership.

Recent organisational reforms

Changes introduced at the latest National Youth Conference in Cork (city) in 2011 provided a radical overhaul of Ógra's internal organisation. The National Youth Committee, renamed the Ógra Central Officer Board, was halved in size from over twenty down to ten with only one Regional Organiser for each region instead of three. The Officer Board is much more function-based with directly-elected Policy & Campaigns Director, Events Director and Membership & Development Director. As well as this, the new position of Úactharán Ógra Fhianna Fáil was created where the former positions of Cathaoirleach (a member of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party) appointed by the Party Leader, and Leas-Cathaoirleach (the highest elected official within Ógra itself) were merged into one role.

The first Ógra National Council meeting was held on 28 January 2012. The National Council was established to give accountability and oversight to the Central Officer Board. It has the power to remove Officers, overturn its decisions, direct actions, and fill casual vacancies. It consists of three delegates from each registered Ógra CDC and Third Level Cumann.

Organisation

Ógra Fianna Fáil is organised across all the 32 counties of Ireland, maintaining a presence in most local communities and Third Level Institutes. Within Ógra Fianna Fáil there four different types of units that can be formed: Ógra Comhairle Dáil Ceantair (CDC), Ógra Comhairle Ceantair (CC), Ógra Third Level Cumann and Ógra Coiste Áitiúil. The three governing bodies of Ógra Fianna Fáil are the National Youth Conference, Ógra Central Officer Board and Ógra National Council.

• Ógra Comhairle Dáil Ceantair (Ógra CDC): The Ógra CDC covers the area of the Dáil constituency as set out by the Constituencies Commission, or in some cases where a constituency crosses a County border; it covers the area of that County. In the case of the North it currently applies to each of the six counties as six separate CDCs with the same equal status as the rest in the southern part of the country. Anyone between the age of 16 and 30 in their respective constituency or county are entitled to become members of the Ógra CDC. The management of the Ógra CDC is done by an officer board which is elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Ógra CDC members may also be members of a Third Level Cumann, or an Ógra CC or CA.

• Ógra Comhairle Ceantair (Ógra CC): This type of unit is smaller than an Ógra CDC, it only includes the Ógra members who are in a particular part of the constituency, most likely a Local Electoral Area (LEA). Ógra CC members may also be members of a Third Level Cumann and an Ógra CDC.

• Ógra Third Level Cumann: Most higher education institutions have an Ógra Fianna Fáil Cumann. These Cumainn generally have similar status to an Ógra CDC. Within the institution, a Cumann is usually regarded as the Ógra Fianna Fáil 'Society' and is therefore subject to the rules and regulations of the college regarding establishment, running and funding of societies. A member of an Ógra Third Level Cumann may also be a member of the Ógra CDC and of the Ógra CC where they are ordinarily resident.

• Ógra Coiste Áitiúil - Ógra members in a particular local Area are encouraged to form local units to allow the local members to come together to discuss issues and to organise events to promote Fianna Fáil. This form of Ógra unit was instigated to support the organisation in places where may not be practical or possible for Ógra members to travel long distances to Ógra CC or CDC meetings, or not possible to establish an Ógra CC. They do not have voting or representative rights as Ógra CC’s do. Local units are entitled to elect an officer board if they so wish. Those involved in local units may also be members of an Ógra CDC, an Ógra CC, or an Ógra Third Level Cumann.

• Ógra National Youth Conference (NYC) The National Youth Conference is the supreme decision making body of Ógra. The event itself is the political and social highlight of the Ógra calendar. The Conference gives the young members of Fianna Fáil a forum to express their views and opinions and develop national policies. Workshops are organised with Ministers/Spokesperson and Oireachtas members present to listen to the views of Ógra members. The Conference is composed of voting delegates from each registered Ógra CDC and Third Level Cumann. The annual National Youth Conference is Fianna Fáil’s second largest political event after the Ard-Fheis. Elections are also held for the Central Officer Board.

• Ógra Central Officer Board (COB) - The Central Officer Board is responsible for the management of Ógra. It consists of an Úachtarán, Policy & Campaigns Director, Events Director, Membership & Recruitment Director, Regional Organisers, Third Level Organiser, all elected at the NYC, and the National Youth Officer. The Úachtarán appoints various non-voting officers to assist the COB in its duties e.g. Press Officer, Secretary, Internal Communications Director and National Council of Ireland Representative.

• Ógra National Council (NC) - The National Council provides oversight to the work of the Central Officer Board. In addition to the members of the Central Officer Board, it consists of three delegates from every registered Ógra CDC and Third Level Cumann. Members of the Central Officer Board are required to report to and take questions from the National Council. It has the power to remove members of the COB on a qualified majority basis and overturn decisions by the COB. The National Council is run by a Cathaoirleach and a Secretary elected at an AGM. The National Council has various Standing Committees: Regional SC’s, Third Level SC and National Policy & Campaigns SC.

Its current secretary is Enda Costello from Mayo and its Chair is Keith Henry from Sligo North Leitrim

Central Officer Board

The members of the Central Officer Board are elected by the National Youth Conference and are responsible for the management of Ógra. They are responsible to the National Council. The COB appoints Officers to assist them in various aspects of the work of Ógra. Members of the Central Officer Board for Ógra Fianna Fáil were elected in November 2011 in Cork, at the National Youth Conference. Members of the Board also sit on the Ard Comhairle, the National Executive of Fianna Fáil.

Uachtarán Ógra Fhianna Fáil

The Uachtarán (President) is the highest elected position within Ógra Fianna Fáil. The Uachtarán is elected at the National Youth Conference every year. It is the Uachtarán who acts as the main spokesperson and representative of Ógra Fianna Fáil. The current Uachtarán is Éamon Quinlan from Waterford.

Central Officer Board

• Uachtarán: Éamon Quinlin

• National Youth Officer: Adrian O'Higgins

• Policy and Campaigns Director: Gerard Fogarty

• Events Director: Ciarán FitzGerald

• Membership and Recruitment Director: Eoin Scully

• Third Level Organiser: Brendan Finucane

• Dublin Organiser: Paul Anthony Ward

• Leinster Organiser: Patrick McKee

• Munster Organiser: Kevin Nelligan

• Connacht-Ulster Organiser: Gemma McGrory

• Northern Organiser: Joanne McQuaid

Campaigns and issues

The main goal of Ógra Fianna Fáil like its parent party, is to secure the unity of Ireland in peace and agreement into an independent republic as outlined in the Party's Córú agus Rialacha (Constitution and Rules). It is currently involved in a number of campaigns with various causes which include:

• An All-Ireland President
• "Your President, Your Voice!" - Campaign for Weekend Polling
• "Ag Caint le Ógra" Irish Language Campaign
• Broken Promises - Commitment Counter
• Campaign against Education Cuts
• Campaign against Gender Quotas
• Campaign for Equality
• Fiscal Compact Treaty Referendum
• Holiday at Home
• Organ Donation
• Road Safety Awareness
• "Save our Seanad" Reform Campaign
• Suicide Awareness
• Voter Registration

Publications

Ógra Fianna Fáil currently operates a weekly online news bulletin called Cursaí Óige (English: Youth Affairs) informing its members of current and upcoming events within the organisation and the general party itself.

It has also published several policy documents, most recently on equality for gay marriage in Ireland; youth unemployment; submissions on the annual budgets and on educational reform in the North.

Kevin Barry Cumann – UCD

The Kevin Barry Cumann is the branch of the Fianna Fáil political party in University College Dublin (UCD). The society, or cumann predates the founding of Ogra Fianna Fáil which was established in 1974 and has records of being active dating to as early as 1948 when Seán Lemass addressed the cumann. The cumann formally dates to 1957 when led by Gerry Collins, then a student organiser in UCD and later Minister for Foreign Affairs and an MEP. The Cumann is named after Kevin Barry (1902–1920), a former medical student of the University who fought and was executed during the Irish War of Independence. It is the largest cumann in Fianna Fáil with recruitment occurring mainly throughout freshers week.

Notable Members

Prominent Fianna Fáil members who were members of the Cumann include former European Commissioner Charlie McCreevy, previous Irish government ministers Dick Roche and Mary Coughlan, Clare TD Timmy Dooley and RTÉ presenter Ryan Tubridy. The author and former political lobbyist Frank Dunlop was a member. The Cumann is run by an officer board elected by members annually at its annual general meeting.

Other Third Level branches

• Dublin City University – Patrick Pearse Cumann
• National University of Ireland, Galway – Cumann De Barra
• National University of Ireland, Maynooth – Seán Lemass Cumann
• Queen's University Belfast – William Drennan Cumann
• Trinity College, Dublin – Wolfe Tone Cumann
• University College Cork – Donogh O'Malley Cumann
• University of Limerick – Conn Colbert Cumann
• University of Ulster - Watty Graham Cumann
• Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology

See also

Fianna Fáil

References

1. In the Irish language, the initial letter of a proper noun in the genitive, as in Fianna Fáil, is lenited, and therefore the grammatically correct spelling is Ógra Fhianna Fáil.
2. "Ógra Organisation".
3. "Ógra Northern Organisation".
4. "Ógra Central Officer Board".
5. "Ógra Comhairle Dáil Ceantair (Ógra CDC)".
6. "Ógra Comhairle Ceantair(Ógra CC)".
7. "Ógra Third Level Cumann".
8. "Ógra Coiste Áitiúil".
9. "Ógra National Youth Conference (NYC)".
10. "Ógra Central Officer Board (COB)".
11. "Ógra National Council (NC)".
12. "Central Officer Board Members".
13. "Ógra Fianna Fáil's Proposal on 'Marriage Equality'".
14. "Ógra Fianna Fáil's Proposal on 'Combating Youth Unemployment'".
15. "Ógra Fianna Fáil Pre-Budget submissions".
16. Tom Garvin, Preventing The Future: Why was Ireland so poor for so long? (Gill & Macmillan, Dublin, 2004) paperback. pp.225 ISBN 0-7171-3970-0

External links

• Ógra Fianna Fáil Official website

• Fianna Fáil
• Youth wings of political parties in Ireland
• Political party youth groups in Northern Ireland
• Organizations established in 1975
• Entities with Irish names
• 1975 establishments in Ireland
• All-Ireland political parties