President Catherine Connolly has appointed academics, legal experts and activists in the areas of human rights and the Irish language as members of the Council of State.
The President appoints seven members of the Council of State, which also has members including current and former taoisigh and chief justices.
The council advises the President on the use of her discretionary powers, including referring a Bill to the Supreme Court to test its constitutionality.
On Tuesday, Connolly appointed seven people to serve on the Council of State.
They include Linda Ervine, a teacher from a Protestant unionist background in Northern Ireland who founded an Irish-language school in east Belfast.
She is the sister-in-law of the late Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) leader, David Ervine, and wife of Brian Ervine, who also led the party.
The Irish Times previously reported how Linda Ervine was introduced to Irish in 2011 and says it changed her life.
She set up the Turas Irish language project and is the founder of Scoil na Seolta, the first integrated school in the North to teach through the medium of Irish.
Another Council of State appointee, Colin Harvey, is a professor of human rights law at Queen’s University Belfast and a Commissioner on the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.
Harvey is also involved with the Ireland’s Future organisation which promotes dialogue on constitutional change in Northern Ireland within the framework of the Belfast Agreement and campaigns for a “new and united Ireland that will be successful and sustainable”.
Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, another appointee, is also a professor of law at Queen’s University. She was born in Dublin but grew up in the Connemara Gaeltacht and is an Irish speaker.
Ní Aoláin was United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights while Countering Terrorism between 2017 and 2023.
Also now on the Council of State is Kathleen Lynch, a sociologist and professor of equality studies at University College Dublin (UCD).
She previously served as a member of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) from 2020 to 2025.
The statement from Áras an Uachtaráin said she has “devoted her life to advancing equality and social justice through research, education and activism.”
Another appointee, Donncha O’Connell, is a professor of law at the University of Galway. He served two terms as a commissioner of the Law Reform Commission and was also a member of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland and a board member of the Legal Aid Board.
University College Cork law professor Conor O’Mahony – whose teaching and research is said to focus on constitutional law and children’s rights – has also been appointed to the Council of State. Between 2019 and 2022 he served as Special Rapporteur on Child Protection to the Government.
Former president of the University of Galway Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh is the other appointee to the Council of State. He is on the board of the National Library of Ireland, on the Council of the Economic and Social Research Institute and the Áras statement notes he occasionally writes Irish language articles for The Irish Times.
The President thanked all of the nominees and said: “These seven members bring a unique expertise and range of experience to the Council of State which will be of immense value in considering the matters which may arise over the course of my term of office.
“I look forward to receiving their advice and support over the next seven years.”