MARY HANAFIN, FORMER MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, CHAIR OF CATHAL BRUGHA STREET COLLEGE COUNCIL

Mary Hanafin has a very long association with DIT. She was a member of City of Dublin VEC from 1985 – 1991, a student from 1991 – 2003 when she studied by night for a diploma in Legal Studies. She was Minister for Education from 2004 – 2008 and she is now Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport as DIT advances towards the new campus at Grangegorman. In this recording she discusses her experiences in all of these positions, and the arrangement with Trinity College in the awarding of degrees. She also explains the reasons for the long delay in getting the Grangegorman plan under way, and she discusses the differences in approach taken by politicians today in contrast to those taken in earlier days. She gives her views on university status for the DIT sector. She recalls graduation ceremonies in which she was involved in Cathal Brugha Street, where she presided over proceedings for six years, and she describes her efforts abroad as she worked to attract foreign students to DIT.