Hi there,

This is an important update ahead of our (currently) busiest month of the year. The IGA AGM will, once again, be held on the Monday of Gaelcon, as tradition demands. As part of this, there are a number of positions that are open for election.

1. Director Positions

The IGA has elected to maintain a board of five Directors. There will three vacant Director positions to be filled at the AGM:

• Director position 1 – this position is currently empty.
• Director position 2 – This position was held by Pat Maher, who is standing for re-election.
• Director position 3 – This position was held by Tymora Freeman-Stannett, who is standing for re-election.

The Director positions are not numbered and if there are more nominations than spaces listed above, the positions will be filled based on proportional representation. All members who are able to cast a vote will be given the opportunity to vote.

Note from the Constitution: 

Our Constitution can be found at the following link: IGA Constitution. This provides a break-down of the IGA as a CLG, the legal requirements of the Directors, and expected responsibilities.

The Corporate Enforcement Authority has useful documents that further summarises the roles and responsibilities of company Directors. Please see Principal Duties and Powers of Company Directors for details.

2. Executive Committee Roles

Along with the Director positions above, there will be a number of Executive positions coming available, either through longevity, or through elective step-down. While the Directors are the legal governing body of the IGA, the Executive is the committee that does the day-to-day work of the IGA and keeps it running.

Exec Roles:

• Chair  – This position was held on a caretaker basis by Nigel Kavanagh. 
• Secretary  – This position was held by Tymora Freeman-Stannett who is standing for re-election.
• Treasurer  – This position was held by Pat Maher, who is stepping down to an ordinary exec member.
• Charity – This position was held by Zoe Thompson, who is open to re-election.
• IT  – This position was held by Ruairi Roddy, who is stepping down but retaining his PRO position.
• DPO  – This position was held by Isabella Storey-Cosgrave, who is open to re-election.

In addition to the six named positions above, there can be up to sixteen total members on the Executive Committee; there are currently 11 active members of the IGA Exec.

Note from Executive Committee Membership Policy: 

The Executive Membership Policy can be found here: Executive Committee Membership Policy . This provides a break-down of the Executive and each named role with the expected responsibilities for it. The Data Protection Officer (DPO) is responsible for the management of the data that the IGA, and by extent, Gaelcon, processes during operation, as outlined in our Data Protection Policy. 

All of our Policy documents can be found here and should be read in conjunction with our other governing documents: IGA Policies

Any who purchased their membership at Gaelcon 2023 will be eligible to stand for election to both Director positions and Exec positions at the 2024 AGM. If you purchased your membership later in the year and are unsure of how long you have been a member, or if you can run for the above positions, please feel free to ask me, providing your full name so that I can check this against our membership records.

If you are interested in running for any of the above positions, please reach out to me, outlining the following:

• Full name
• The position you are interested in running for
• Relevant experience (if any)
• Why you are interested in running

You can put your name forward for both Director and Exec, provided you meet the membership terms required, however you can only put your name forward for one position on the Exec. Please make sure you read our Constitution and Policies thoroughly before registering your interest in running for any of the positions listed.

You have until Friday the 4^th of October to put your name forward. After this, an email will be issued to inform you of the nominees for each position and to allow you to vote. It is very important that your nomination is in ahead of this date in order to be considered for voting. 

There is a great deal of history to the IGA, both good and bad, and we acknowledge that there are still improvements to be made. At present, our main focus is still Gaelcon, and expansion beyond that is slower than we would like. This is where you come in; fresh minds, experience, and drive, is what’s needed to get the IGA moving forward with new events, collaborations, and communities.

If you are not interested in running for any of the above positions, but are still interested in helping the IGA, you can reach out to either become a general member of the Exec and/or join our working groups. Our most important resource is volunteers who can help us generate ideas, create links with other communities, and provide support to our working groups. It is important to note that you do not have to be on the Exec or a member to help with the working groups; you can reach out to us to find out how you can get involved. Your voice matters, your feedback is important, and your help is invaluable.

I look forward to hearing from you, and to seeing you at Gaelcon! I’ll be the one running around looking busy, probably tired, and having a great time regardless; though, to be fair, that doesn’t narrow it down much!

Kind regards,

Tymora