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Email: ruairi @community.ie

About Ruairí

Ruairí McKiernan is an award winning campaigner, consultant and Presidential appointee to Ireland’s Council of State. His work focuses on social justice, health and community empowerment campaigns, projects & publishing. This includes contributing to newspapers (Irish Times, Irish Independent, Irish Examiner, Sunday Times, Huffington Post), radio (RTE, Newstalk, Today FM, BBC), TV (RTE, TV3, BBC), public speaking, and advisory work for numerous non profits and campaign groups in Ireland and internationally.

Originally from Cootehill in Co. Cavan, Ruairí studied Business Management in Scotland before working for various multinational companies in the U.S and Australia. Returning to Ireland he joined the North Western Health Board and got more involved in social justice and environmental issues before setting up the pioneering SpunOut.ie national youth organisation where he was CEO from 2004 to 2011. In 2011 he was one of the organisers of the Dalai Lama’s visit to Ireland and in early 2012 was  appointed by the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, to the Council of State. He is on the boards of Gaisce – The President’s Award, and The Soar Foundation and is a recipient of numerous awards including a Fulbright TechImpact Award, a Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Award, a Net Visionary Award and a Junior Chambers Ireland Award.

During July Ruairí undertook a one month hitchhiking ‘listening tour’ around Ireland that took in 17 counties, countless conversations, 27 radio interviews and no shortage of learning and adventure. He is planning to write a book about the experience and is currently looking for patrons or sponsors for the project.  He is also working on an online platform for people powered change in Ireland.

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– Korea Foundation Next Generation Leaders (Korea), 2013
– Boston College Irish Insitute Programme (USA), 2010
– Ray Murphy Leadership Scholarship, 2010
– Junior Chambers International (Ireland) Award, 2009
– Digital Media Award, 2009
– Ulster Bank Business Achievers Award (Connaught), 2008
– Irish Internet Association: Net Visionary Award, 2008
– GK3 Young Global Social Entrepreneur, 2007
– Eircom Golden Spider Award, 2007
– Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Award, 2007
– Health Service Innovation Award, 2006

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Media links

• Ruairí McKiernan interview with Professor Noam Chomsky at MIT
• Swartz, Aaron (January 2010), We can change the world (video) (interview).
• Presentation to Joint Oireachtas Health and Children Committee
• Ruairí McKiernan on RTE iWitness TV 2009
• Radio interview (40 mins in) with Miriam O’Callaghan on RTE Radio One, May 20th, 2013
• Ireland needs to talk about sex, article in The Irish Independent, March 28th, 2013
• ‘Letter: Time to Tackle the Drinks Industry, The Irish Times, September, 24, 2012
• ‘Terrible legacy of youth service cuts’ – Presidential advisor says suicides will increase., The Irish Independent, August, 29 2012
• ‘Opinion: Give youth a chance: real and radical change needed’, The Irish Times, August 08, 2012
• ‘Ireland’s disaffected youth take to the internet to be heard’, Silicon Republic, February 23, 2010
• ‘Ireland shouldn’t wait on others to ‘come to the rescue’ – SpunOut.ie founder’, Silicon Republic, December, 2010
• ‘Lost generation tries to find its way’, The Irish Times, February 6, 2012
• ‘Concrete support for young people needed, says entrepreneur’, The Irish Times, December 10 2010
• ‘Political ‘system’ putting off youth’, The Irish Times, July 30, 2011
• ‘Young people seen as secondary, group claims’, The Irish Times, June 6 2008
• New youth campaign against suicide, RTE, July 08 2007
• Heroin epidemic gripping Ireland, The Examiner, September 09 2011

• Interview with Professor Noam Chomsky at MIT (YouTube, January 2010)
• Interview with Aaron Swartz (YouTube, January 2010)
• Presentation to Oireachtas Health and Children Committee
• Profile (RTE iWitness TV 2009)
• Suicide, Hope, and Healing the National Soul (Sunday Times, June 2013)
• Radio interview (40 minutes in) with Miriam O’Callaghan (RTE Radio One, May 2013)
• ‘I’m prepared to stay and fight for a bright future‘ (Irish Examiner, May 2013)
• Ireland needs to talk about sex (Irish Independent, March 2013)
• ‘Letter: Time to Tackle the Drinks Industry (Irish Times, September 2012)
• Terrible legacy of youth service cuts’ – Presidential advisor says suicides will increase. (Irish Independent, August  2012)
• ‘Opinion: Give youth a chance: real and radical change needed’ (Irish Times, August 2012)
• ‘Ireland’s disaffected youth take to the internet to be heard’ (Silicon Republic, February 2010)
• ‘Ireland shouldn’t wait on others to ‘come to the rescue’ – SpunOut.ie founder’ (Silicon Republic, December 2010)
• ‘Lost generation tries to find its way’ (Irish Times, February 2012)
• ‘Concrete support for young people needed, says entrepreneur’, The Irish Times, December 10 2010 (Irish Times, December, 2010)
• ‘Political ‘system’ putting off youth’ (Irish Times, July 2011)
• ‘Young people seen as secondary, group claims‘ (Irish Times, June 2008)
• New youth campaign against suicide (RTE TV, July 2007)
• Heroin epidemic gripping Ireland (The Examiner, September 2011)