OFFICERS
HONORARY PATRON – Senator David Norris
David is an Irish Senator, human rights campaigner, Joycean scholar and broadcaster. David lives in Dublin where he is regurlarly seen going about town on his bicycle. An enigmatic figure and bon vivant, David is credited with bringing about change in the laws on homosexuality in Ireland and campaigning on many human rights issues including those of women and children.
In 2011 David was a candidate for the Irish Presidency and came a very respectable third in the November election. He remains a popular and well loved public figure in Ireland and on the international scene.
PRESIDENT – Derek J. Byrne M.Phil, M.Sc., OLJ, FINS, O’Byrne of Downes, Guardian of The Name, President of Finte O’Broin, Commander of the Millitary and Hospitilar Order of St. Lazaarus of Jerusalem.
Derek was educated at DCU, Oxford University and Trinity College Dublin. An academic broadcaster and journalist, he lives and works in Dublin and lectures in Addiction Studies at Maynooth University. Derek is also a regular contributor to the opinion pages of The Irish Times.
At the launch of the Napoleon Society of Ireland in March 2012, Derek was made a Fellow of the International Napoleonic Society and presented with the Medal of Honour of the International Napoleonic Society.
His enthusiasm for Napoloen began when his father Ned brought Derek and his brother Edward to see the film Waterloo when it was released in the cinema in 1972. Derek remembers the wall paper of his bedroom depicting the soldiers of the Napoleonic era and growing up with a father who was a keen enthusiast.
Derek’s family were delighted to discover their ancestoral connections to Miles Byrne of Monaseed, Captain in Napoleon’s Irish Regiment, giving them a genuine connection to Napoloen Bonaparte himself.
VICE-PRESIDENT – Cormac Finn O’Brien.
Cormac is a graduate from UL. His spelicasation is Irish Rebels in the French Army, 1913 Dublin and the 1916 Easter rising. Cormac has written an article about the Australian perspective of the 1913 lockout and 1916 Easter rising found at Irish Aussie WordPress. He has spoken at two international Napoleonic Society in 2017 he spoke about the Marengo and the connections with North Cork in which he was awarded with a fellowship. In 2018 he spoke in Italy about Napoleonic Propaganda.
SECRETARY/TREASURER – Keith Brady.
Keith lives in Ireland, is a commercial lawyer and works for a tech company. Born on the same date as the battle of Rivoli he has a general interest in history, specifically 18th and 19th century French history and has read widely on figures and personalaties from the Napoleonic era.
Robert Lee Mulcahy, MBA.
Robert splits his time between Dublin and the South of France. His ventures have spread across a number of sectors from Technology, Food, where he served as President of the European Catering Association, to art history, having studied with the Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London. Robert served as Chairman of the Champions Board at VSO Ireland (Voluntary Services Overseas) where he developed and managed fundraising initiatives to raise vital funds for VSO, who operate in 36 countries across the globe.
His time is spent as a non-executive director and adviser to private clients, including commercial fundraising for development capital. Robert’s interest in Napoleon began at school level and developed further over the years Andrew Roberts ‘Napoleon the Great’ being a favourite concise publication in recent times. He was delighted to have been asked to advise on one of the 2016 International Napoleonic Congress events and to play a leading role in the Empire Ball, a fundraising event hosted by the Napoleon Society of Ireland at the end of the 2016 Congress.
It is no coincidence that his favourite morning walk when in France is from Beaulieu to St. Jean Cap Ferrat, Beaulieu (Beautiful Sight) having been named by Napoleon from the sea.
Anne Kearney Farrelly.
Anne lives in County Meath with her husband Adrian she is a mother of two boys and has four grandchildren. Anne has had an exciting and varied career. At one time Anne was a member of the staff at the Swedish Embassy in Dublin where she was responsible for organising events and assisting with the day to day running of the Embassy.
Today Anne continues to work with choirs travelling the British Isles and as a trained vocalist herself sings with her local cathedral choir. Anne studied the History of European Painting at Trinity College in Dublin and is a member of the Council of the Friends of the National Collections of Ireland, a role which facilitates her love of Irish art and culture.
Anne has been a member of the Napoleon Society of Ireland since it’s inception and was a leading figure in the organisation of the 2016 International Napoleonic Congress in Dublin and Co-host of the Empire Ball. She is currently researching her ancestral links to the Bonaparte-Wyse family of Waterford where Anne’s family were both prosperous and prominent.
Members at Large
OVERSEAS AMBASSADORS
USA
J. David Markham, M.A., M. Ed., FINS, Legion of Merit, President of The International Napoleonic Society. An internationally renowned Napoleonic Scholar and award-winning author, David served as President of the Napoleonic Alliance from 2004 to 2007. An avid collector of Napoleonica, David has one of the worlds finest collections of Napoleonic snuff boxes. He now lives in Torronto, Canada with his wife.
Dr. Rafe Blaufarb, FINS, Director of Napoleon and French Revolutionary History, Florida State University.
CANADA
Baron Denis Hoban KCHS, CCR, CEL, GODA. Denis was born in Dublin, Ireland and attended Synge Street School in the heart of the city. He emmigrated to Canada in 1958 and is now a retired employee of York Hydro Commission, Toronto, Ontario where he worked as a Department Supervisor.
In his illustrious career, Denis has received many honours and awards. He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee Medals, Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Baron of the Imperial Royal House of the Nguyen Dynasty, a Companion of the Royal House of the Prince of Connaught, HRH The O’Conor Don and a Knight Commander of the Imperial Order of the Lion of Ethiopia. Denis also finds time in his busy schedule to be an active member of Clans of Ireland and a member of the Saint Patrick’s Parade Society of Toronto, Ontario.
FRANCE
Dr. Xavier RIAUD DDS, Fellow if the International Napoleonic Society, Medal of Honour of the International Napoleonic Society and a member of the Legion of Merit of the International Napoleonic Society. Xavier lives in Saint Herblain, a suberb of Nantes in France with his wife and two children, where he works as a DDS and PhD in the History of Sciences and Tecnics.
Xavier is a Winner and Associate Member of the French Dental Academy, a Knight of the Academic Palms Order and a Free Member of the French Surgical Academy. He has written over 300 articles of which more than 80 were on Napoleonic Medicine, and 20 books which have been translated into five languages and two of these were on Napoleonic Medicine.
USA (Washington DC)
Philip Farrell MA - Originally from County Meath in Ireland with an MA from Limerick University, Philip has spent the last seven years working internationally. He currently works for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and lives in Washington DC. While Philip claims not to be an historian, he has been a life-long enthusiast and admirer of the life and philosophy of Napoleon Bonaparte and the United Irishmen.
COMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS
Humanitarian Award – 1803 Medal
The 1803 medal is biannual awarded presented on behalf of the members of the NSI to an individual or organisation in recognition of outstanding humanitarian work in an Irish context, thus espousing the principles of the Society of the United Irishmen. Past recipients have been St. Stan Kennedy and Senator David Norris.
A new committee is currently being assembled and will be announced shortly.
If you are interested in joining the board of the NSI or any of our committees or working groups, please contact Derek Byrne at derek@clanbyrne.com
Thank you.