Dublin Chamber of Commerce

Dublin Chamber of Commerce is the largest chamber of commerce in Ireland with over 1,300 member companies. Since its foundation in 1783, Dublin Chamber of Commerce has sought to bring business people together to share ideas, to form a single voice for the local business community and to ultimately connect and grow business. The membership of Dublin Chamber employs an estimated 350,000 employees from across more than 50 industry sectors, ranging from sole trader businesses to multinational corporations. This means that Dublin Chamber is the most representative and broadly-based business group in the Greater Dublin Area.

Dublin Chamber has its ‘home’ at 7 Clare Street, Dublin 2. The current Chief Executive of Dublin Chamber is Gina Quin, who has held the position since 2001. The 2014 President is Martin Murphy, Managing Director of Hewlett-Packard Ireland, who will be succeeded in 2015 by Greg Clarke, Managing Director of Digicom.

Origins

Dublin Chamber is one of the oldest such organisation in Europe. The Chamber was founded in 1783, having been preceded by other collective bodies including the Guild of Merchants, which dated from the mediaeval period, and the Ouzel Galley Society, established at the beginning of the 18th century. Dublin Chamber's formation followed a weakening of the merchant guild system which left an opening for bodies which advocated free trade. Much of the focus of the Chamber in its early years was on abolishing impositions and opposing restrictions on export trade.

The creation of Dublin Chamber led to the formation of other chambers of commerce around Ireland, including Waterford (1787), Londonderry (1790), Limerick (1807) and Cork (1814). By 1819 there were 19 chambers of commerce operating in Britain and Ireland - a figure which rose to more than 90 by 1900. The first British federation, the Association of Chambers of Commerce, began in 1860 and included the Irish chambers. Following independence, Chambers in Ireland became members of the Association of Irish Chambers of Commerce, a body now known as Chambers Ireland.

Current Chamber Offering

The Chamber helps members to network with other businesses, maximise and grow their business and help them to understand the driving forces behind the future shape of the Greater Dublin Area. The Chamber's range of business services include:

• Networking and learning events: Dublin Chamber's events programme caters for businesses of all types and size. These include around 60 networking events each year. A highlight of the Chamber's events programme is the Annual Dinner, which is held each October and attracts more than 1,600 attendees. Previous keynote speakers at the Dublin Chamber Annual Dinner include Denis O'Brien, Bloomberg's Dan Doctoroff, Willie Walsh of International Airlines Group, newsreader Trevor McDonald OBE and Ken Livingstone, politician and former Mayor of London.
• Business advisory services: Dublin Chamber holds regular training programmes on a wide range of topics, such as procurement, business growth, green economy and sustainable development. Several business missions are also held each year to San Jose, London and Brussels.
• International trade documentation: The Export Services department in Dublin Chamber offers exporters a fully licensed certification service for ATA Carnets and Certificates of Origin, as well as visas for business, tourist or transit travel and legalisation of export documents. The department can also provide information on export regulations and customs requirements.
• Policy consultations: Dublin Chamber's policy work focuses on developing the Dublin region’s infrastructure and transport, promoting competitiveness and improving local governance. The Chamber's policy team is active in the following strategic areas: access to finance for SMEs, commercial rates, water charges, labour costs, public procurement reform, enterprise development policy. Dublin Chamber is also involved in Activating Dublin, a joint initiative with Dublin City Council which aims to generate growth and employment in the Dublin region.

Archival Material

• In 1983 a book, entitled 'Princes & Pirates: the Dublin Chamber of Commerce 1783-1983' and written by L.M.Cullen, was published by Dublin Chamber of Commerce which chronicled the first 200 years of the Chamber.
• A new updated history of Dublin Chamber is currently being written by Enda McMahon and is due to be published in October 2014.

Past Presidents

Martin Murphy (2014) Liam Kavanagh (2013) Patrick Coveney 2012 Imelda Reynolds 2011 Peter Brennan 2010 PJ Timmins 2009 Margaret Sweeney 2008 Ronan King 2007 Eugene McCague 2006 Áine Maria Mizzoni 2005 David Pierce 2004 Clive Brownlee 2003 Peter Webster 2002 Alfie Kane 2001 David Manley 2000 Hugh Governey 1999 Jim Ruane 1998 John McNally 1997 Mary Finan 1996 John Donnelly 1995 John F Daly 1994 George McCullagh 1993 Brian Duncan 1992 Dr Patrick Loughrey 1991 Vincent O’Doherty 1990 Tony Prendergast 1989 T P Hardiman 1988 Denis Shelly 1987 Roy Donovan 1986 John A Vaughan 1985 Desmond Miller 1984 Niall Crowley 1983 D L Lennon 1982 H Hannon 1981

H C Tierney 1980 J A Lenehan 1979 E J Kelliher 1978 Ald. P F Belton 1977 F F Carthy 1976 H J Bambrick 1975 A C Crichton 1974 James Gallagher 1973 Michael W O’Reilly 1972 James A Walmsley 1971 Edward W Beck 1970 Gerald L M Wheeler 1969 R E M Clarke 1968 James Boylan 1967 J R Dick 1966 E C G Mulhern 1965 Thomas F Laurie 1964 Thomas C Lenehan 1963 Phillip R Walker 1962 John O’Brien 1961 Vincent Crowley 1960 Lt. Col. J E Armstrong 1959 J Harold Douglas 1958 J W Gallagher 1957 Alex O’D Shiel 1956 Stephen MacKenzie 1955 Thomas F Laurie 1954 Patrick J Loughrey 1953 G H C Crampton 1952 Michael P Rowan 1951 Sen. F M Summerfield 1950 George Watson 1949 S V Kirkpatrick 1948 A J Broughton 1947

John Hawkins 1946 G Brock 1945 Ald. Ernest E Benson 1944 David Coyle 1943 J Harold Aylward 1942 Joseph Walker 1941 A A Brunker 1940 W Woods Hill 1939 Thomas F Laurie 1938 Frank A Lowe 1937 John O’Neill 1936 Ald. J Hubbard Clark 1935 Edgar Anderson 1934 H M Dockrell 1933 D J Cogan 1932 James J Halpin 1931 W P Sheriff 1930 Sen. Sir Walter Nugent 1929 David Barry 1928 J C M Eason 1927 George N Jacob 1926 William Crowe 1925 W Lombard Murphy 1924 James Shanks 1923 William Hewat 1922 Rt. Hon. Andrew Jameson 1921 John Good 1920 William Wallace 1919 Edward H Andrews 1918 Matthew J Minch 1917 Richard W Booth 1916 Patrick Leonard 1915 Richard K Gamble 1914 William M Murphy 1912-1913

John Mooney 1909-1911 Laurence Malone 1907-1908 Marcus Goodbody 1905-1906 Sir James Murphy 1903-1904 Sir John E Barry 1903-1904 Sir John Malcolm Inglis 1900-1902 John R Wigham 1894-1896 Michael Murphy 1891-1893 John Lloyd Blood 1888-1890 Sir Richard Martin 1885-1887 John Bagot 1882-1884 William Digges La Touche 1871-1881 Thomas Crosthwait 1857-1870 Arthur Guinness 1827-1855 Lelan Crosthwait 1823-1826 Joshua Pim 1820-1822 George Carleton 1807 Bartholomew Maziere 1806 Randall MacDonnell 1806 William Hone 1806 John Duncan 1805 Alderman Nathaniel Hone 1805 Joseph Wilson 1805 Travers Hartley 1783-1788

External links

• Dublin Chamber of Commerce Website