He was first elected to the Dáil (Parliament) in 1977 for the constituency of Dublin-Finglas and he represented Dublin Central from 1981 until 2011.

Bertie was Minister for Labour from March 1987 to November 1991 and was appointed Minister for Finance on three separate occasions, from November 1991 to December 1994.  He was first elected Taoiseach in June 1997 and was re-elected in June 2002 and again in May 2007.

He retired as Taoiseach in May 2008 having enjoyed the unique distinction in modern Irish politics, of being the first person in over sixty years to have been elected to that office on three successive occasions.

Bertie is a member of Peace Building and Reconciliation Groups worldwide. 

He was made an Honorary Professor by Queen’s University Belfast in April 2019.

He was in Hong Kong for the 2019 protest movement and the subsequent imposition of the new National Security Law by China in 2020.

He served as Deputy British Ambassador in Dublin 2005-09 covering the St Andrews Agreement. He is now a regular speaker and media expert commentator on Myanmar, Hong Kong and wider foreign policy issues.  

He was awarded an CMG in 2020 and an OBE in 2013. He was made an Honorary Fellow of St Hugh's College Oxford in 2020. 

Active on women’s issues, anti-poverty initiatives and community development since 1975, Avila’s practice also extends internationally as co-founder of the Foundations for Peace Network - a peer-to-peer support group for locally-based philanthropy in divided societies.  She was previously Director of the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland (1994-2014).  These roles enabled her to research, and focus on, the contribution of philanthropy to peacebuilding.

Avila’s research focuses on community-based conflict transformation and the role of civil society in peacebuilding.  She also has a deep commitment to community engagement and hopes to support increased networking between grassroots activism and academia.

Avila has a specific interest in women’s participation: she was a founder member of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition and a member of its negotiating team for the Good Friday Agreement (1998).  She has particular interest in the contribution and role of women in peace, security and development, reflecting on experience drawn from Northern Ireland to share with activists in many societies facing challenges of violence and polarization.  Avila is invited regularly to speak internationally on women’s involvement in decision-making. 

Avila holds both a PhD (Institute of Governance) from QUB and an Honorary Doctorate from Queen’s University. 

A committed activist on issues of conflict transformation and social justice, Avila is interested in enhancing networking between community-based initiatives and academia through identifying opportunities for further research and shared learning. 

She also brings an expertise on post-conflict re-integration and reconstruction issues, particularly as affecting often marginalised and excluded communities and groups. 

In 1992 he became head of Political Affairs in the NIO, and subsequently its Political Director in Belfast, an appointment coupled with the role of Joint Secretary of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.

In 2004 he was appointed a Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (CB) by HM The Queen; and is a former Chairman of the Board of Governors of Victoria College Belfast.

Since retiring from the NIO he has given advice and assistance to the governments of Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Lebanon, Colombia, Cameroon and the Basque Country, among others, on the intricacies of peace processes and political development, including direct engagement with members of paramilitary groups. He is currently a director of the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building.

He was appointed a CBE – Commander of the Order of the British Empire – in the 2019 Birthday Honours.

Michael was made an Honorary Professor by Queens University Belfast in April 2019.

He has been principal EU adviser to Enda Kenny and Simon Coveney and has worked extensively with Irish, Northern Irish, British and European politicians and officials. He was part of the Irish team which negotiated the Good Friday Agreement. He is also a Member of the Royal Irish Academy.

Since his retirement, he has published articles on subjects including Margaret Thatcher, the state of the EU, Brexit, a united Ireland, and the history of Irish foreign policy.

He is author of Great Hatred, Little Room: Making Peace in Northern Ireland, The New Machiavelli: How to Wield Power in the Modern World and Talking to Terrorists: How to End Armed Conflict. Find out more about Jonathan Powell.

In 2012, the organisation helped facilitate the historic handshake between the Queen and then deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Martin McGuinness.

From 1976 to 2008 he was a police officer in Northern Ireland, where before retiring he had responsibilty for murder and organised crime investigations.