The 8th Annual Sir George Quigley Memorial Lecture

We are delighted to invite you to join us for the 8th Annual Sir George Quigley Memorial Lecture on Thursday 8th June at 11am. The Lecture will be followed by a light lunch and an opportunity to network with those in attendance. We're only a few weeks so please do book your free place now!

"The role of Social Dialogue in underpinning prosperity on the Island of Ireland"

Taking place in the MAC, the 8th Annual Sir George Quigley Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Danny McCoy, CEO of Ibec, and Owen Reidy, Secretary General of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

Social dialogue describes the negotiation, consultation and agreement to work together between workers, business and government. It is clear that a strong working relationship between these actors is a great opportunity to build lasting economic benefits. As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, many are discussing the changes in financial fortunes brought about in the time since, as well as how the ongoing peace process can allow for future prosperity for the Island of Ireland. Our esteemed guests are perfectly placed to discuss the role of social dialogue in underpinning this prosperity.

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Danny McCoy has been Chief Executive Officer of Ibec since 2009. Ibec is Ireland’s largest business representative organisation and the country’s largest lobbying group.  It has 285 staff in nine locations and has 39 sectoral brands with substantial presence within the European Union through Ibec’s Brussels office. He is a member of the Irish Tripartite Labour Employer Economic Forum (LEEF). 

He is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, a Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy, Honorary Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineers, Adjunct Professor Trinity College Dublin Business School and Vice President of the Statistical & Social Inquiry Society of Ireland and Independent Non Executive Director of Iput Real Estate.  

He has held lecturing posts at University College London, University of Oxford, Trinity College Dublin and Dublin City University. He has been senior economist at the Central Bank of Ireland and the Economic & Social Research Institute as well as being a consultant to the European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.   


Owen Reidy was appointed General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in October 2022. Before taking up this role he was the Assistant General Secretary with responsibility for Northern Ireland since 2016. A union official with over 24 years full-time experience in the Irish trade union movement he started his union career as an official with SIPTU in Mayo in 1998. During his 18 years in SIPTU, he represented and organised workers across the Republic of Ireland in the aviation, state and related agency, finance, contract cleaning and security services sectors.

From 2013-16 he was a member of the SIPTU management team leading one of the Union's 5 Divisions, the Transport, Energy, Aviation and Construction (TEAC) Division. He led several significant industrial disputes during that period including the Greyhound lockout, the Luas dispute and disputes in the CIE transport group. He is a father of 2 and from Donegal. 

This is the 8th Annual Sir George Quigley Memorial Lecture. These Memorial Lectures are held in honour of Sir George Quigley, whose vision for cross-border cooperation resonates strongly with the work of the Centre for Cross Border Studies.

The lecture will be followed by a light lunch. The event is free but you must register in advance to be able to attend.

Location:

The MAC 
10 Exchange Street West
Belfast
BT1 2NJ

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