Our Governance

Message from our Chair

I am delighted, proud and above all honoured to take the position of Chair of the Board of Directors of An Cosan. My Family, in particular my Mother have had a long association from almost the beginning when An Cosan was known as The Shanty. I am in the very fortunate position where 3rd level education was a given, I expected to go to university after completing my leaving cert. I was also fortunate to begin to get involved fundraising for The Shanty when I was still in school and I realised that not every teenager has the same expectations and opportunity. I joined the Board of Directors in 2010, and have been involved in various funding projects for many years, An Cosan is very close to my heart, and I never cease to be inspired by the wonderful students and staff. Professionally my background is hospitality management, property sales and I now work in sales & marketing in the leisure industry.

An Cosan offers a place of understanding, support, mentoring and learning and it is these additional pieces that make it such a successful model. In recent years we have become a national organisation, adding our Online Community Education approach to our repertoire. The Challenges we face are still present, some new, some the same old ones, but as our team has grown so has it strengthened and I look forward to working with the board of directors, the management team and all of the staff at An Cosan into the future.

I look forward to strengthening current relationships, forging new ones and maybe re-igniting old ones with our partners, funders and all of the extraordinary people who give so much of their time to make An Cosan the organisation that it is.

Anna Durkan, Chair of the Board of Directors

Our Board

Anna Durkan (Chair)
Bill Roche (Secretary)
Geraldine French
Dee Kehoe
Siobhan Wall

Marlene MacCormack

An Cosán is a registered charity (no.8659). Charitable status is granted by the Revenue Commissioners. This allows donors to have a portion of their tax liability paid by way of donation to the Company. The Articles of Association sets out the main objects for which An Cosán is established:

  • To provide for the relief of poverty, deprivation and disadvantage in the four communities of Tallaght West, that is Jobstown, Killinarden, Fettercairn and Brookfield and other similar disadvantaged areas through the provision of education, training, employment, enterprise and childcare.
  • To empower local people through education and enable them to fully participate with local authorities and state agencies in the delivery of Government policies.
  • To promote sustainable local development by the development of the leadership, strategic and entrepreneurial capacities of local people.
  • To provide education, training, employment, enterprise and childcare by establishing, building, maintaining and conducting a centre or centres or such facilities as may be thought desirable.

Each Director on the Board holds equal responsibility for the ongoing life and development of The Shanty Educational Project Company Limited by Guarantee in its development, An Cosán. The Chairperson of the Board works in close collaboration with the Chief Executive. The Chief Executive sits on the Board as a non-voting member and represents staff views to the Board.

An Cosán Strategy 2022 - 2026

An Cosán’s Strategy, Vision 2026: Transforming Lives Together, may be viewed here >>

Principles of Good Governance

An Cosán has signed up to the Principles of Good Governance. Our Governance Code Principles Statement can be viewed by clicking here.