Speakers: Deputy Phil Hogan TD., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government., Cllr Mervyn Osward, Mayor of Ards Borough Council, Dr Aodh Quinlivan, Dept of Government University College Cork., Dr Mark Callanan, Institute of Public Administration. Dr Dan O Brien, Economics editor, Irish Times. Ms Sarah Carey, Journalist Broadcaster & Rosemary Raughter - Historian.
2010 Local Democracy in Changing Times
Speakers: Mr Frank Mc Donald, Environmental Editor, The Irish Times, Ms Mary David, Managing Director, Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia. Ms Heather Moorehead, CEO Northern Ireland Local Govt. Association. Gráinne Mc Loughlin, County Wicklow LivCom Entry, Mr Terry O Niadh, Former County Manager, Tipperary North C.C. Mr Brendan Keenan, Economics Editor, Irish Times. Ms Anne O Keefe, Director, Office Local Authority Management.
Official Opening: Cllr David Smyth, Mayor of Ards Borough Council
Conference Dinner Guest Speaker: Senator David Norris
Sunday Lecture:Ms Caitriona Crowe, Senior Archivist, National Archives of Ireland
2009 Are Local Authorities Good for your Health?
Speakers: Mr. John Treacy, Chief Executive, Irish Sports Council; Professor John Sweeney, Senior Lecturer in Climatology, N.U.I., Maynooth; Mr. Robin Webster, chief Executive, Age Action Ireland; Mr. Bill Murphy, Head of Recreation, Coillte; Mr. Paul Sweeney, Economist, ICTU; Mr. P. J. rudden, Director, RPS Group Business Development; Mr. Michael McLoone, Donegal County Manager.
Official Opening: Mr. William Montgomery, Mayor, Ards Borough Council
Sunday Lecture: Christian Corlett
2008 The Relationship Between Local Authorities & the business Sector – are there lessons to be Learned?
Speakers: Mr. Sean Mulryan, Ballymore Properties Ltd; Mr. Tom Parlon, Director General, Construction Industry Federation; Mr. Tom Coffey, Chief Executive, Dublin City Business Association; Mr. Derek McCallan, Director of Development, Ards Borough Council; Mr. Sean Quirke, Director of Special Projects, Wicklow County Council; Mr. Sean Dunne, Mountbrook Homes Ltd.; Mr. John Nolan, Community Relations Manager, Greenstar.
Official Opening: Mr. Jim Fletcher, Mayor, Ards Borough Council
Dinner Speaker: Mr. Sean Fitzpatrick, Chairman, Anglo Irish Bank
Sunday Lecture: Mr. Matthias Fleckenstein
2007 The Changing Ireland – Are Local Authorities Prepared?
Speakers: Mr. Paul Kenny, Pensions Ombudsman; Mr. Jim Power, Economist, Friends First Group; Mr. Matt Dempsey, Editor, Irish Farmers Journal; Mr. John Fitzgerald, Chairman, Grangegorman Development Agency and Chairman of 2 newly formed Limerick Regeneration Agencies; Dr. John Sweeney, Senior Lecturer in Climatology, N.U.I., Maynooth.
Official Opening: Most Rev. Dr. John Neill, M.A., Archbishop of Dublin & Bishop of Glendalough
Dinner Speaker: Mr. Christy Kenneally, Writer
Sunday Lecture: Mr. Michael McGinley
2006 Local Authorities and Minorities
Speakers: Mr. Niall Crowley, Chief Executive, Equality Authority; Ms. Isabella Chudzicka, Public Relations/Member of Polish Community in Ireland; Mr. Tom Dowling, Meath Coungy Manager
Official Opening: Most Rev. Dr. Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin & Glendalough
Dinner Speaker: Mr. Sean Duignan, Former Government Press Secretary and RTE Current Affairs Presenter
Sunday Lecture: Canon Robert Jennings
2005 The Role of Local Authorities in the Promotion of Public Order
Speakers: Mr. Brendan Kenny, Assistant City Manager, Dublin City Council; Mr. John Lonergan, Governor, Mountjoy Prison; Dr. Ian O’Donnell, Institute of Criminology, UCD
Official Opening: Mr. Dick Roche, TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Dinner Speaker: Ms. Marion Schaefer, Mayor of Wurzburg, Germany
Sunday Lecture: Mr. Matthias Fleckenstein, Wurzburg/Wicklow Partnership Committee
2004 Public Service Delivery versus Privatisation
Speakers: Mr. Jim Power, Chief Economist, Friends First Group; Mr. David Begg, General Secretary, Irish Congress of Trade Unions; Mr. Donal Connolly, retired County Manager of Waterford County Council.
Official Opening: Mr. Hubert Fitzpatrick, Construction Industry Federation
Dinner Speaker: Mr. George Hamilton, RTE Broadcaster/Commentator
Sunday Lecture: Mr. Peter McNiff, Broadcaster & Author
Historical Tour: Cabinteely House
2003 Future Role of Local Authorities in the Promotion of Arts & Culture
Speakers: Ms. Patricia Quinn, Director – Arts Council; Mr. Thomas McCarthy, Assistant Director of Cork 2005 (European Capital of Culture); Ms. Mary McAuliffe, County Sligo Arts Officer;
Official Opening: Mr. Bernard Farrell, Playwright & Author
Dinner Speaker: Mr. Ben Barnes, Artistic Director, Abbey Theatre
Sunday Lecture: David La Touche, Great Grandson of Charles John La Touche, Michael McGinley, Lecturer/Historian
Historical Tour: Kilruddery, Bray
2002 Local Authorities and the Media
Speakers: Mr. Fintan Drury, D.S.M. International; Mr. Frank McDonald, Environment Editor, Irish Times; Ms. Valerie Cox, Journalist, RTE and Independent Newspapers; Mr. Tim O’Brien, Regional Correspondent, Irish Times
Official Opening: Mr. Sean Duignan, Former Government Press Secretary, RTE Current Affairs Presenter
Dinner Speaker: Dick Roche, TD, Minister of State for European Affairs
Sunday Lecture: Judith Flannery
Historical Tour: La Touche House, Bank of Ireland, Dublin 2
2001 Global Warming – Should We Panic?
Speakers: Mr. Duncan Stewart, Architect / RTE Presenter; Mr. Adrian Bell, Partner, Kirk McClure Morton, Consulting Engineers; Official from Department of the Environment & Local Government
Official Opening: Mr. Frank McDonald, Environment Editor, The Irish Times
Dinner Speaker: Joe Jacob, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Public Enterprise
Sunday Lecture: Michael Cotton Digges La Touche (La Touche Family Member)
Historical Tour: Marlay House and Park
2000 BMW Versus Morris Minor – The New Economic Border – Will it Achieve Balanced Regional Development
Speakers: Mr. Gerry Finn, Director, Border, Midlands and Western Regional Assembly; Mr. Ray O’Leary, Assistant Director, Southern and Eastern Regional Assembly; Mr. Finian Matthews, Principal Officer, Department of the Environment and Local Government
Official Opening: Mr. Thierry Terrier, Charge d’Affaires, French Embassy
Dinner Speaker: Sean Dorgan, Chief Executive, IDA Ireland
Sunday Lecture: Jim Brennan, TC
Historical Tour: National Gallery to View the La Touche Collection
1999 Social Exclusion – The Hidden Face of the Celtic Tiger
Speakers: Rev. Fr. Liam ryan, D.D., L. Ph., PhD, Professor of Sociology, National University Of Ireland, Maynooth; Mr. Hugh Frazer, Combat Poverty Agency; Mr. John Fitzgerald, Dublin City Manager
Official Opening: George Jones, TC, Chairman of Wicklow County Council
Sunday Lecture: Mr. Sergio Benedetti, Head Curator, National Gallery of Ireland
1998 Local Authorities – A Re-Assessment – 100 Years On
Speakers: Anne O’Keffe, IPA; Frank McDonald, Irish Times; Richard Haslam, Retired County Manager; John Cullen, Department of the Environment
Official Opening: Liam Kavanagh, Chairman of Wicklow County Council
Sunday Lecture: Michael McGinley / Phyllis Rawlins Digges La Touche
1997 Has the Computer Age By-passed the Local Councillor?
Speakers: Kevin Jones, Oracle Corporation; Liam Fitzpatrick/Christine Flood, IT Section, Wicklow County Council; Dr. Vincent Murphy, Head of Computing, Letterkenny RTC
Official Opening: Michael Sheridan, Telecom Eireann
Dinner Speaker: Joe Jacob, Minister of State
Sunday Lecture: Judith Flannery
1996 The Role of Local Authorities in the Promotion of the Arts
Speakers: Maureen Armstrong, Arts Officer, Antrim Borough council; Muireann Ni Chonaill, Arts Officer, Laois County Council; Fergal McGrath, Galway Arts
Festival
Official Opening: Dr. Garech Browne
Dinner Speaker: Morgan O’Sullivan, Film Producer
Sunday Lecture: Michael McGinley
1995 The Role of Local Authorities in Urban & Rural Development
Speakers: Professor Jim Walsh, St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth; James Walsh, Combat Poverty Agency; William Ringwood, Former County Development Officer
Official Opening: Joe Moran, ESB
Dinner Speaker: Liz McManus, Minister of State
Sunday Lecture: Pastor Robert F. Dunlop
1994 Local Authorities and the National Heritage
Speakers: Noel Kavanagh, Bord Failte; John Griffin, Tralee Visitor Attractions; Joan Kavanagh, Wicklow Heritage Centre; Carton Finnegan, Heritage Ireland
Official Opening: Archbishop Dr. A. R. Caird
Dinner Speaker: Noel Dempsey, TD
Sunday Lecture: Judith Flannery
1993 The Role of Local Authorities in Economic Development
Speakers: Paul Cullen, Department of Enterprise & Employment; Mahon Murphy, De Loitte La Touche; Dr. Euryn Lloyd Evans, Gwynedd County Council, Wales; Colm Rapple, Irish Press
Official Opening: Dom Christopher Dillon
Dinner Speaker: John Browne TD, Minister for Environmental Protection
Sunday Lecture: Michael McGinley, UCD
1992 The New Europe – Challenge to Local Authorities
Speakers: Tom Broderick; Sean O’Riordan, IPA; Dick Roche
Official Opening: Bishop Donal Murray
Dinner Speaker: Thomas Jago, IFI
Sunday Lecture: Pamela Bradley
1991 The Role of Local Authorities in Preservation of our Heritage
Speakers: Eamon de Buitlear; Frank McDonald, Irish Times; John Sadlier, ENFO
Official Opening: Mary Harney, TD
Dinner Speaker: Dr. Garrett Fitzgerald, TD
Sunday Lecture: Emer Singleton
1990 La Touche Seminar
Speakers: The Hon. Desmond Guinness; Dr. J. P. Pittion, French Department, Trinity College; Tom Barrington
Official Opening: Bernard Rogan, President, French/Irish Chamber of Commerce and Marcel Ropert, Cultural Counsellor, French Embassy
Dinner Speaker: David Kennedy, Deputy Governor, Bank of Ireland
Sunday Lecture: Seamas O’Saothrai
1989 La Touche Legacy
Speakers: Paul Doyle, La Touche Descendant; Professor Louis M. Cullen; Seamas O’Saothrai
Official Opening: Jean-Max Bouchaud, French Ambassador
Dinner Speaker: Bernard Breen, Deputy Governor, Bank of Ireland
Sunday Lecture: Dr. D. Digges La Touche
