Tony Murphy European Court of Auditors
St Declan's College was delighted to welcome back past pupil Tony Murphy to the school today. Tony is Ireland's representative to the European Court of Auditors having been appointed to the position in 2018. The appointment is for a six year term. Predecessors to this position include Máire Geoghegan Quinn, Barry Desmond and Richie Ryan. Tony is the first non-political Irish representative which makes this achievement even more impressive.
A native of Mulroy Road, Cabra West Tony last stood in the school on the day he received his Leaving Certificate results in 1979. It has been a long road that has seen him excel in his career from entering the civil service in the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General to his current position in the Court of Auditors in Luxembourg. Tony is one of 27 members who make up the Court of Auditors each one having been nominated by their respective member states.
The stellar career path he has followed is testament to his hard work and dedication. On leaving school he balanced a day job in the civil service with studying for his accountancy examinations at night, qualifying to be a Chartered Certified Accountant in 1984. He qualified as a Certified Internal Auditor in 2006. Having spent almost twenty years working in the Office of Comptroller and Auditor General in Dublin his work brought him to Luxembourg in 1999 where he has since been engaged in various positions within the EU Institutions.
Tony spoke with 6th year Politics and Society, Business, and Geography students about his own career and the work of the Institutions of the European Union. In a very engaging presentation he outlined the work and challenges of the EU and also the opportunities for careers within the organisation. He urged the students to consider working for the EU as it presented an opportunity for Irish people to have their voice heard and to have input at the very centre of decision making. Opportunities in his own office extend beyond accounting and auditing into areas such as the legal and project management fields. Internships for six months and taking part in the Erasmus programme offer great experience and exposure to working abroad.
A question and answer session followed the presentation. Tony was pleasantly surprised with the engagement of students and the wide variety of questions asked. Issues such as migration, the Coronavirus, Brexit, E-commerce and European expansion were all explored. This has to have been the highlight of the year in terms of visiting speakers to the school. We wish Tony every success in his role over the rest of his term and appreciate him having taken time out of a busy lecture tour to remember his old school.
The Court of Auditors is one of the 7 Institutions of the EU. The others are The European Parliament, The European Commission, The European Council, The Council of the European Union, The European Central Bank and The Court of Justice of the European Union. As the EU's independent external auditor, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) looks after the interests of EU taxpayers. It does not have legal powers, but works to improve the European Commission's management of the EU budget and reports on EU finances. It is often referred to as the EU's 'financial watchdog'.
For more information on the work of the European Court of Auditors https://twitter.com/EUauditors and Tony Murphy follow them on twitter https://twitter.com/TonyMurphyECA
Many thanks to Niamh Mahon (Secretary - Private Office of Tony Murphy) for all her help in organising the visit.