Kilkenny club part of special reception for Ceann Comhairle
The Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil Verona Murphy, TD, has been made an Honorary Member of Rotary in Ireland - with members of the Rotary Club of Kilkenny in attendance.
The award was made to Ms Murphy in recognition of her achievement in becoming the first woman and first Wexford TD to serve as Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil.
Honorary membership is one of the highest tributes a Rotary club can make, and the award is made to men and women for their outstanding achievements or their record of public and civic service.The award, which was made by the Rotary Club of Wexford was supported by half a dozen other clubs across the southeast, namely Waterford, Wicklow, Carlow, Kilkenny, Clonmel and Gorey, the latter a new club, which will be fully established next month.
Members from all the clubs met at the John F. Kennedy Arboretum in New Ross recently before attending a reception and conferral ceremony at the Brandon House Hotel.
“It gives me enormous pleasure, on behalf of all Rotary members in Ireland, to welcome the Ceann Comhairle as an honorary member,” Rotary District Governor Michael Fleming told the gathering.
“North and south, ours is a single family united by service and friendship, and Verona Murphy’s career embodies the values we cherish — public service, integrity, and a deep commitment to community. In welcoming her, Rotary in Ireland welcomes a true friend.”
Eric McClintock, President of the Rotary Club of Wexford said it was a genuine privilege to welcome the Ceann Comhairle as an Honorary Member of the club. “Verona Murphy has represented this county with energy and conviction, and in rising to the highest office in Dáil Éireann, she has done Wexford proud. This is a distinction we do not confer lightly, and we do so with real warmth and a great sense of local pride.”
Ms Murphy, who was one of eleven children from Ramsgrange on the Hook Peninsula, left school at sixteen. Her working life took her from a factory floor in England, to the cab of a truck and the setting up of her own trucking and logistics firm.
In 2015 she was elected President of the Irish Road Haulage Association, a position she held for four years before embarking on a career in politics. After representing Wexford as an independent TD for five years, she was elected Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil in December 2024.She said she was deeply honoured to accept Honorary Membership of the Rotary Club of Wexford.
“I have long admired the work that Rotary does, in Wexford and far beyond it, and I am proud to be associated with the spirit of service its members bring to communities at home and around the world.”
At the ceremony, the Ceann Comhairle was presented with a a commemorative book, “Rotary: Global Service, Local Impact,” prepared by the clubs to mark the occasion.
Calodagh McCumiskey, Assistant Governor for the southeast region said Ms Murphy’s career had embodied Rotary’s motto of “Service above self.”
“Throughout her career she has shown a consistent commitment to her community — to organisations like Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, St Vincent de Paul, Little Blue Heroes, Down Syndrome Wexford, and so many others supporting families through difficult times.”
Rotary in Ireland
Ireland’s 1,500 Rotary members belong to 67 clubs and volunteer their expertise and time to a range of local and international projects. Some of the best-known projects include Rotary Trees of Remembrance at Christmas time, the Rotary Youth Leadership Development Competition, School Bikes Africa and Just 1 Life, a safe driving awareness programme for secondary school students.
Earlier this year it was confirmed that Rotary Ireland will host the Rotary International Convention in Dublin in June 2031. This will be the first time the global event will be held in Ireland and its expected 20,000 Rotarians from some 140 countries will attend the event at the RDS.