Sidelined Irish Countrywomen’s Association secretary raised ‘concerns’ over governance

The national secretary of the Irish Countrywomen’s Association (ICA), who last month was removed from its board, has said she had repeatedly raised concerns about the governance of the organisation.

Joanne Dunphy Allen told senior members of the long-established women’s organisation she had “repeatedly expressed concerns” to the organisation’s board over the last year.

In an email in recent days, Ms Dunphy Allen said she had “constantly and consistently” sought to address “matters of concern” both in her role as secretary and as a director of the Countrywomen’s Trust.

“I remain concerned about the governance of the Irish Countrywomen’s Association and The Countrywomen’s Trust” she said.

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Ms Dunphy Allen also reported her concerns to the Charities Regulator and the Office of the Corporate Enforcement Authority.

Last month the ICA board voted to remove three members, Ms Dunphy Allen, Patricia Madden, president of the north east region, and Carol Grogan, federation president of Louth, from the board.

Two sources involved in the ICA said the women had been raising issues around the running of the organisation for some time. None of the three women wished to comment when contacted.

A spokeswoman for the organisation said the “ICA does not comment on individuals or on matters related to members”.

A meeting of the Countrywomen’s Trust on Friday is to vote on a proposal to remove Ms Dunphy Allen and Ms Madden as directors as well, according to an agenda for the meeting. A spokeswoman for the ICA said it had “no comment to make on the upcoming meeting”.

Tensions in the organisation have been high since the removal of the three figures from its National Executive Board (NEB) last month.

In an October 13th message, Hilda Roche, ICA president, told the heads of its county federations the board had voted to remove the three members.

The message said three separate motions and resolutions to remove the women from their positions had been passed. “Fourteen NEB members participated in the cessation votes and all 14 voted in favour of cessation in each case,” she said.

Ms Roche said law firm Mason Hayes & Curran “were engaged to provide legal advice in relation to this process, with the support of a large majority of the NEB”.

The correspondence said the board had retained the law firm to provide any further legal advice “that may be required in relation to this matter”.

The president said the removal of the three members from the board was not a decision taken “without a great deal of thought”.

The decision, first reported by the Irish Independent, has led to underlying tensions within the organisation bubbling to the surface.

Breda Raggett, a former ICA national president, said she was “really shocked and extremely disappointed” at the removal of the three board members.

In correspondence to Ms Roche in recent weeks, she said her “heart is broken” at the board’s decision, which she said was an “awful deed”.

Ms Madden, a barrister, and Ms Dunphy Allen, had been part of a group of six women who took a High Court case against the ICA in 2018, raising issues with the conduct of elections to the board.

Ms Madden, who represented the group in the case, claimed there had been a number of serious procedural irregularities in the elections.

In a judgment, Ms Justice Úna Ní Raifeartaigh said it was clear the dispute over the elections had led to “bitter personal animosities” and inflamed emotions. The High Court judge ruled that fresh elections should be undertaken for positions on the organisation’s board.

One source in the ICA said there has been significant animosity from some figures towards the women who had taken the legal challenge since the court case.