Gerard Mannix Flynn

Gerard Mannix Flynn
Flynn in 2016
Born 4 or 5 May 1957
Dublin, Ireland
Nationality Irish
Occupation Politician

Gerard Mannix Flynn, sometimes written only as Mannix Flynn, is an Irish politician and artist. He was born in Dublin in May 1957.[1][2] Aside from his work on the Dublin City Council he is also a well known author and playwright, having written the novel Nothing To Say in 1983 and the play James X in 2002.

Early life

He was sent to St Joseph's Industrial School in Letterfrack aged eleven for eighteen months.[3][4] He was subjected to sexual and physical abuse there.[3] He also spent time in Marlborough House Detention Centre, Daingean, Co Offaly, St Patrick's Institution and was given 5 years at 15 years of age and sent to Mountjoy Prison.

Career

Artist

His novels are published in German, Italian, Polish, and are currently being translated into Chinese. He founded his arts company, Farcry Productions, in 2004 which produces visual art, performance and installation work around taboo issues such as child sexual abuse, violence, and addiction.

In 2004, James X performed by Flynn won the Irish Times Theatre Award. An earlier version of this play titled ' Talking to the Wall' had previously won the Edinburgh Fringe award.

He appeared in the films Cal and When the Sky Falls, Excalibur and worked as an actor in Scotland, London, Austria, and Dublin for 20 years.

Politician

Flynn was first elected to Dublin City Council in the June 2009 local elections as an Independent candidate representing the South-East Inner City electoral area. He was re-elected to the revised Pembroke-South Dock electoral area in May 2014.

He tabled a motion to move the Temple Bar Cultural Trust [State company set up in 1991 as a regeneration agency for Temple Bar] under the direct control of Dublin City Council. The trust was subsequently found to be in breach of corporate governance and accountability in a number of public reports.[5][6]

He has expressed critical views of the way public money was spent as part of a Grafton Street regeneration project in Dublin.[7]

He supports tougher regulation around the amplification of busking on public streets, which led to his office being vandalised in February 2015.[8]

In 2015 he resigned from the Dublin City Council Arts SPC over what he perceived as a lack of cohesive overall policy, strategy, and vision.[9]#

In 2016 he protested against the Artane Band, due to its association with the Artane Industrial School. The band responded saying it has had no association with the former industrial school. Flynn's peaceful protest, which included him protesting on a windowsill in hisDublin City Council office, was criticised by some as "attention seeking" and a "publicity stunt full stop". [10] [11]

He contested both the 2011 General Election and the 2016 General Election to Dáil Éireann unsuccessfully.

References

  1. ↑ Gerard Mannix Flynn Archived 17 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine. at Irish Writers Online. Retrieved 24 May 2009
  2. ↑ Profile: Mannix Flynn, The Times, 9 February 2003. Retrieved 7 July 2009
  3. 1 2 Mannix Flynn: To Hell in Connaught, Brighid McLaughlin, Sunday Independent, 22 December 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2009
  4. ↑ Mannix Flynn to stand as an Independent in local elections, Paul Cullen, The Irish Times, 4 April 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2009
  5. ↑ "Analysis: Temple Bar Cultural Trust to have assets sold off". The Irish Times. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "Temple Bar trust suspends chief executive". The Irish Times. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  7. ↑ Ryan, Philip. "Grafton Street refurb cost €400,000 before work began". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  8. ↑ Ryan, Orla. "Councillor's office vandalised with 'horrendous graffiti of a sexual nature'". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "Why I resigned from Dublin City Council's Arts Committee | Village Magazine". www.villagemagazine.ie. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  10. ↑ https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/calls-to-disband-artane-school-of-music-attention-seeking-1.2789592
  11. ↑ http://www.thejournal.ie/mannix-flynn-protest-dublin-city-hall-3008268-Oct2016/
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.