Relationships Ireland Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Special Conference

Saturday June 30^th marked a special milestone in the history of Relationships Ireland as we celebrated our 50^th Anniversary with a momentous conference in the Mansion House.

The Organisation has spent the last 50 years supporting relationships in Ireland and has grown from humble beginnings as the ‘Marriage Counselling Service’ (MCS) in 1962 to the progressive and proactive organisation it is today.

Over the last half century Relationships Ireland has seen its range of services expand significantly with support services on offer for couples and individuals from all backgrounds and sexual orientations.

In order to cater for the changing shape of relationships in Ireland we must also constantly educate ourselves so we can be prepared to offer advice to people who come to see us.

Our 50^th Conference saw a number of subjects discussed by leading therapists in the field from Ireland and the USA, delivering their latest analysis of the challenges modern couples dace and techniques for helping to resolve relationship difficulties.

With queues lining up outside The Mansion House long before the official opening time the anticipation was building among delegates.

Our new Chairperson Irial O’Farrell began proceedings with the conference opening address, reflecting on the special anniversary of Relationships Ireland.

We were honoured to have Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald officially launch our conference where she paid tribute to the organisation and the work we do.

Minister Fitzgerald was followed by our CEO Brendan Madden who looked back on the 50 years of Relationships Ireland, focusing on the transformation of relationships in Ireland since the early 1960s.

After a quick coffee break well known Irish psychologist and family therapist Marie Murray discussed ‘Changing Times, Changing Relationships’; Perspectives on 50 years of Irish Family Relationships.

The audience offered Marie a warm reception and her talk seemed to strike a chord with them as she detailed where relationships have been in Ireland and how they are will be changing in the future.

Following Marie’s talk there was a discussion on the legal side of relationship issues, as family lawyer Eugene Davy disclosed ‘The Importance of the First Port of Call’. As one of Ireland’s most respected and experienced family law solicitors, Eugene discussed the role of non-adversarial services in family breakdown.

Next up on the agenda was the presentation of the Bi-annual ‘Canon Handy Award’. The Canon Handy Award is for someone who has made a significant contribution to the development of services for couples and families while also promoting understanding in this area.

After a period of careful deliberation by our judges the award was presented to Freda McKittrick, Director of the Barnardos Guardian ad Litem. Freda’s contribution in supporting parents and children in the context of family breakdown saw her receive the award from special guest; Denis Handy.

It was a Handy family affair with Charles Handy taking to the stage after nephew Denis to discuss ‘The Changing Shape of Work and Home.’ It was Charles’ second time on the Mansion House stage in three days and despite it being a quite different audience compared to his talk on Thursday, the crowd were still hanging on his every word.

Following the discussion Charles was joined on stage by his wife Elizabeth and our CEO Brendan Madden to discuss their work and their 50^th wedding anniversary. They were then presented with some wine and olive oil by our MC Bernadette Ryan.

The afternoon session saw Drs. John and Julie Gottman take to the stage to deliver the keynote address. Fresh from a morning of interviews with Sile Seoige on Newstalk FM and Anna Daly from TV3’s Ireland AM raising the profile of our organisation, Dr. John Gottman began his talk on ‘Making Relationships Work’ with some light humour before settling down to business.

John was joined on stage by his wife Julie, an expert in the field of relationships in her own right, and together they outlined a research-based roadmap for practitioners to help couples to compassionately manage their conflicts and deepen their friendship and intimacy.

The Gottmans were speaking in Ireland for the first time and represent a world-renowned couple’s expert team. Their keynote speech was followed by a question and answers session as the Gottmans fielded questions from the audience of practitioners. Dr. John Gottman was then presented with a bodhran by Relationships Ireland to indulge his passion with the traditional Irish drum.

Relationships Ireland counsellor and MC for the day Bernette Ryan and CEO Brendan Madden delivered their closing comments to bring down the curtain on a memorable day in the history of Relationships Ireland.