St Catherine's College of Education for Home Economics Sion Hill 1929-2007

Past Student's Union

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FirstWoman President in 160 years

Ms. Mairead Bushnell - recent Cork Regional President - has been elected National President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Ireland.

A long-time community activist and woman of quiet determination, Mairead now assumes leadership of Ireland's largest voluntary organisation of social concern and action. SVP has  over 9,200 volunteers in 1,000 Conferences (branches) on the island of Ireland and last year  spent over €41m fighting poverty and disadvantage with a wide range of community services. Originally from Co. Wicklow, Mairead Bushnell is a teacher of Home Economics and has taught in schools in Dublin and Cork.
Mother of four adult children, she is a past president of Roscrea I.C.A; past Chairperson of the Board of Management of St. Mary's School, Rochestown, Cork and a founder member of Douglas Gymnastics club.  She has also run a computer payroll company in Cork. Mairead joined SVP in 1986 serving families and the elderly in one of Cork's most disadvantaged areas.

Her contribution to the ongoing training and upskilling of SVP members was recognised in 1998 with her appointment to SVP's National Training Team.  Elected Cork Regional President in 2003, she was also appointed chair of SVP's National Trainers Working Group and a member of the Society's first 3 Year Plan team.

As National President, Mairead aims to focus on the reality that poverty has an ever-changing face - lack of money being just one aspect - and that SVP's unrelenting objective is to serve people in need in an appropriate and effective manner.

Furter information on SVP

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Committee St Catherine's PSU