Ordinary General Assembly

Date: 23 May 2025

Location: Irish Embassy, Denmark

Secretary: Tara Klarlund Hogan

Present: 15 members of the association

Agenda

16:30 – 16:40
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Address by Ambassador of Ireland to Denmark, Elizabeth McCullough
Address by ICAD Chairperson, Barry McGonigal

16:40 – 17:15 Formal Proceedings

Assembly officially called to order
Election of Chair and Secretary for the General Assembly meeting
Annual Report presentation (Chairperson)
Presentation and approval of audited accounts (Treasurer)
Approval of budget
Determination of membership fees
Submitted proposals
Election of board members and alternates
Election of Auditor(s)
Any other business

17:15 – 17:35
Short talk with Stephen Joyce from the Centre for Irish Studies in Aarhus (CISA)

17:35 – 18:30
Reception • Social get-together with live music

Opening of the Meeting
Ambassador Elizabeth McCullough opened the meeting acknowledging the rapid and smooth establishment of the association. Special thanks were extended to the board and all who have contributed to the association’s foundation. Since the first working group was formed in September 2024, a lot of work has been done with drive and energy. The ambassador noted that ICAD will be a key feature on the cultural landscape in Denmark and will run the St Patrick’s Day Parade. Thanks to all – especially the board and members who previously helped in the beginning stages in particular Fergal O´ Byrne and Anna Kenny. The ambassador also commended Marianne Green for her work in organising the StPatrick’s Day parade for the past 20 years. A warm welcome was extended to Stephen Joyce from Centre for Irish Studies in Aarhus (CISA) who would later give a talk for the members.

Chairperson, Barry McGonigal praised the ambassador for her work and enduring legacy with ICAD. He thanked the board for its determination and good humour in getting the association established. Thanks were also extended to the members for attending the assembly. The Chairperson outlined that ICAD stands for inclusivity and that Irish culture is expansive and open-hearted. Many feel a longing for Ireland. Preserving traditions are vital. ICAD wants to expand to where Irish culture exists and create space for all.
Formal proceedings
- Election of chair of meeting
  The Chairperson, Barry McGonigal, was unanimously elected as chair of the meeting. The chair confirmed that the General Assembly was called on April 30, which was in adherence to the timeline outlined in the ICAD statutes. It was also confirmed that the agenda contains the required points according to the statutes.
- Election of secretary for the meeting
  Tara Klarlund Hogan was unanimously elected as secretary of the meeting.
- Annual Report presentation
  The chairperson went through the agenda and then proceeded to present the annual report. It does not cover a full year as the association was first established in January 2025. Since its foundation, the board has established a bank account, set up a website, created a logo and brand, set up social media accounts and set up a payment method for members. The various board members have been actively participating in social events and all members worked as volunteers on St Patrick’s Day. The events calendar on the ICAD website is regularly updated and the association has a presence on social media gaining new followers all the time. ICAD are currently busy with a new events committee and a working group for fundraising. There is a focus on improving the website and on integrating the St Patrick’s Day website. The Chairperson encouraged members to volunteer. He outlined the need for tech savvy members who could help improve the SEO, but all skills are more than welcome. As regards fundraising, ICAD has applied for grants from the Irish state and Copenhagen City Council. No responses yet to these applications. ICAD will keep applying for funds wherever possible. Members were asked to inform ICAD of any potential grants or sponsorship possibilities. The strategy for moving forward is to increase membership and sponsorship. The Chairperson thanked Marianne Green who has been a powerhouse as regards the St Patrick’s Day Parade and stated that ICAD´s primary focus for the coming year will be the organisation of the parade in 2026.
- Presentation and approval of audited accounts
  Treasurer, Ben Hardy, presented the audited accounts.
  The accounts were unanimously approved by the assembly.
- Approval of budget
  The budget was unanimously approved by the assembly.
- Determination of membership fees
  The membership fee of 150kr was approved by the assembly.
- Submitted proposals

Proposal 1 – Amendment to §4.5 (Statute Changes)

Original text:

The statutes may be changed as long as the decision is taken by a two-thirds majority of the association’s members who are present at the General Assembly.

Proposed Updated Text

The statutes may be changed as long as the decision is taken by a two-thirds majority of the association’s members who are present at the General Assembly. Changes to the statutes agreed by the membership at the General Assembly come into effect immediately upon ratification.

The proposal was unanimously approved by the general assembly.

Proposal 2 – Amendment to §4.1 (Agenda of the General Assembly)

Original text:

The agenda of the General Assembly must include as a minimum the following items:

Election of meeting Chairperson
Election of Secretary
Annual report – Chairperson presents
Presentation of audited accounts and approval
Determination of membership fees
Approval of budget
Election of board members and alternates
Election of Auditor(s)
Submitted proposals
Miscellaneous

The minutes of the meeting are to be approved and signed by the Chairperson and the Secretary.

Proposed Updated Text:

The agenda of the General Assembly must include as a minimum the following items:

Election of Chair for General Assembly meeting
Election of Secretary for General Assembly meeting
Annual report – Chairperson presents
Presentation of audited accounts and approval
Determination of membership fees
Approval of budget
Election of board members and alternates
Election of Auditor(s)
Submitted proposals
Miscellaneous

The minutes of the meeting are to be approved and signed by the Chairperson and the Secretary.

The proposal was unanimously approved by the general assembly.

Proposal 3 – Amendment to §4.2 (Proposals and Candidates for the Board)

Original text:

Proposals to be considered at the General Assembly must be received by the Chairperson electronically no later than 14 days before the General Assembly. All proposals will be acknowledged by the recipient and redistributed to the members no later than 7 days before the General Assembly. Only matters specified in the agenda or proposals that have been sent out prior to the assembly and adhere to the deadline can be addressed and voted upon at the assembly.

Proposed Updated Text (the change is the addition of the second paragraph):

Members, or incumbent board members, who wish to stand for election to the ICAD board or as alternates must submit their candidacy statement to the Chairperson electronically no later than 14 days before the General Assembly. The statement must include the position the candidate is standing for (Chairperson, Treasurer, board member or alternate). Furthermore, the statement must include the candidate’s background and outline the competencies that the candidate would bring to the ICAD board. All candidacy submissions will be acknowledged by the recipient and redistributed to the members no later than 7 days before the General Assembly. Only candidates that have adhered to the deadline and whose candidacy statements have been sent out prior to the Assembly can stand for election at the General Assembly.

The proposal was unanimously approved by the general assembly.

Proposal 4 – Amendment to §4.3 (Extraordinary General Assembly – Threshold Change)

Original text:

An Extraordinary General Assembly may be held when a majority of the board deems it necessary or when at least 10% of the association’s voting members submit a written request specifying the agenda. If the latter occurs, the extraordinary assembly must be held no later than 6 weeks after receiving the letter. The Extraordinary General Assembly is convened in writing with at least 14 days’ notice. Proposals to be considered at the Extraordinary General Assembly must be received by the Chairperson electronically no later than 8 days before the Extraordinary General Assembly. All proposals will be acknowledged by the recipient and redistributed to the members no later than 4 days before the Extraordinary General Assembly.

Proposed Updated Text

An Extraordinary General Assembly may be held when a majority of the board deems it necessary or when at least 25% of the association’s voting members submit a written request specifying the agenda. If the latter occurs, the extraordinary assembly must be held no later than 6 weeks after receiving the letter. The Extraordinary General Assembly is convened in writing with at least 14 days’ notice. Proposals to be considered at the Extraordinary General Assembly must be received by the Chairperson electronically no later than 8 days before the Extraordinary General Assembly. All proposals will be acknowledged by the recipient and redistributed to the members no later than 4 days before the Extraordinary General Assembly.

The proposal was unanimously approved by the general assembly.

Proposal 5 – Amendment to §4.4 (Voting Procedures)

Original text:

All members who have registered at least 1 month prior to the General Assembly have one vote and all decisions are made by a simple majority vote unless otherwise stated in the statutes. Voting may occur in writing if at least one member requests it. Voting by proxy is not allowed. In the event of a tie, the Chairperson will cast the deciding vote.

Proposed Updated Text:

Each fully paid member is entitled to one vote. Unless otherwise specified in the statutes, decisions are made by a simple majority. Members wishing to vote by proxy must inform the Board in writing at least 14 days before the General Assembly, stating their full name, personal membership number and the full name and membership number of the person they are authorising to vote on their behalf. In the event of a tie, the Chairperson will cast the deciding vote.

The proposal was unanimously approved by the general assembly.

Proposal 6 – Amendment to §5 (The Board Structure and Terms)

Original text:

The association is managed by a board of at least four members plus a chairperson.

The Chairperson is elected for one year by the General Assembly.
The Treasurer is elected for one year by the General Assembly.
Other board members are elected for one to two years at a time, on a staggered basis, by the General Assembly.
There needs to be at least 2 alternates ranking as 1st and 2nd alternate. These are elected for one year at a time by the General Assembly.
Board meetings are held at least 3 times a year. Minutes are kept of all board meetings.
The board can assign tasks to members who are not on the board. If necessary, external help can be sought and paid for by the association.
If the Chairperson is unable to fulfil their duties or resigns, the Treasurer will temporarily take on the Chairperson’s responsibilities until the Chairperson can return to their role or a new Chairperson is elected at the next General Assembly

Proposed Updated Text:

The association is managed by a board consisting of a Chairperson and no fewer than four, and no more than six, Board Members.

The Chairperson is elected for two years by the General Assembly.
The Treasurer is elected for two years by the General Assembly.
Other board members are elected for one to two years at a time, on a staggered basis, by the General Assembly. To achieve this staggered effect, it will be decided at the first ICAD General Assembly which Board Members will be elected for one year, and which for two years.
The General Assembly can elect up to two alternates, ranking as 1st and 2nd alternate. These are elected for one year at a time by the General Assembly.
Board meetings are held at least 3 times a year. Minutes are kept of all board meetings.
The Board can assign tasks to members who are not on the board. If necessary, external help can be sought and paid for by the association.
If the Chairperson is unable to fulfil their duties or resigns, the Treasurer will temporarily take on the Chairperson’s responsibilities until the Chairperson can return to their role or a new Chairperson is elected at the next General Assembly

The proposal was unanimously approved by the general assembly.

Election of board members and alternates

Election of Chairperson:

Barry McGonigal was unanimously elected as Chairperson for 2 years by the general assembly.

Election of Treasurer:

Ben Hardy was unanimously elected as Treasurer for 2 years by the general assembly.

Election of Board members:

Voting for board members was done by secret ballot. The Treasurer counted the votes and called out the newly elected board members:

Monica Erstad was elected as an ordinary board member.

Tara Klarlund Hogan was elected as an ordinary board member.

Adrian Mongan was elected as an ordinary board member.

Brona Higgins was elected as ordinary board member.

Lorraine Murphy was elected as ordinary board member.

Election of Alternates:

Etienne Rapacki was unanimously elected as alternate for 1 year.

Lisbet Petersen was unanimously elected as alternate for 1 year.

Election of Auditor(s)

William Dixon was unanimously elected as auditor.

Any other business

One member pointed out that the membership fee is way too low and suggested that ICAD considers this for next year. The Chairperson stated that ICAD can look to increasing it at some point. Another member pointed out that a student rate would be good as there are a lot of students in Denmark. This would potentially raise membership numbers. There was general agreement with this, and another member added that a family membership would also be a good idea.

As regards events, a member asked if ICAD would be reaching out to the members to inform them about events. The Chairperson said ICAD tries to involve all members wherever possible. The ICAD events page is a living thing and updated regularly. Also keep an eye on ICAD socials and volunteer if interested in being more active. One member suggested that ICAD have a stand with Guinness at the annual Amager Beer Festival.

Conclusion of the meeting

The Chairperson brought the official proceedings to a close and handed over to Stephen Joyce from Centre for Irish Studies in Aarhus (CISA).

Minutes approved and signed by:

Barry McGonigal, Chair of meeting
Tara Klarlund Hogan, Secretary