Gerard Mannix Flynn, sometimes written only as Mannix Flynn, is an Irish politician. He was born in Dublin in May 1957. 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.
Video Gerard Mannix Flynn
Early life
He was sent to St Joseph's Industrial School in Letterfrack aged eleven for eighteen months. He was subjected to sexual and physical abuse there. 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. He has always claimed his innocence despite being convicted as guilty.
Maps Gerard Mannix Flynn
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 2002 his semi-autobiographical play James X about a man suing the government and coming to terms with abuse he suffered in Irish state institutions was produced in the Temple Bar Music Centre. It won a fringe first award and later went on to win the Irish Times Theatre Awards - Best New Play category. In 2011 James X premiered in New York under the direction of Gabriel Byrne at the Culture Project.
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.
He has expressed critical views of the way public money was spent as part of a Grafton Street regeneration project in Dublin.
He is active in protecting Dublin streets and parks from commercialisation and the irresponsible placement of hoardings and other street furniture.
He supports tougher regulation around the amplification of busking on public streets, which led to his office being vandalised in February 2015.
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.#
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 protest, which included him protesting on a windowsill in Dublin City Council, were described as "attention seeking" and a "publicity stunt full stop".
He contested both the 2011 General Election and the 2016 General Election to Dáil Éireann unsuccessfully.
References
External links
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments