The next installment in the Center for Irish Partnerships Speaker Series will be a presentation by Sarah Kavanagh, Chief of Staff and Special Advisor to Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. Kavanagh will be speaking on" Turning the Page: Meeting the Challenge of Commemorating the Centenary of the Easter Rising." Kavanagh is currently the Chief of Staff and Special Adviser to the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. She was a senior member of the Irish Government delegation at two rounds of political talks in Northern Ireland (which resulted in the Stormont House Agreement (2014) and Fresh Start Agreement (2015)). She is a key figure in shaping Ireland’s foreign policy including its response to the UK decision to leave the European Union. Her role has taken her around the world to engage in political, trade and diaspora engagements – including to Europe’s capitals, the Middle East, Asia and North America. Kavanagh is a Barrister (2012) with Masters Degrees in Political Communication (2007) and Politics (2001) and a Bachelor’s Degree in History & Politics (2000). She is a published author in the field of political communication. During her time at university in Ireland, she interned in City Hall, Lowell (2000). Lowell is a “sister city” to Ms. Kavanagh’s native Kilkenny, Ireland. This event will be held on Jan. 11, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, 50 Warren Street, Lowell. Light refreshments will be available. In addition to Kavanagh, we have the following speakers lined up for the 2016/17 season: • Mar. 6, 2017 - Ely Janis, author of "A Greater Ireland: The Land League and Transatlantic Nationalism in Gilded Age America" • April 4, 2017 – Irish Genealogy Lecture by Michael Brophy, Brophy Professional Genealogy Heir Searching These events will be held at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center at 5:30 p.m. Please mark your calendars and email [email protected] if you would like to register to attend.