NEW ROSS, Saturday 13 June 2026 — The Rotary Club of Wexford has made Verona Murphy, TD, an honorary member — honouring the Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann, the first woman — and the first Wexford representative — to serve in the role.
The honour was conferred at a gathering of Rotary clubs from across Zone 4 of Rotary District 1160 — the clubs of Carlow, Clonmel, Gorey, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow. Members first met at the John F. Kennedy Arboretum before continuing to the Brandon House Hotel in New Ross for the conferral ceremony and lunch.
Verona Murphy: an honorary member for a life of service
Honorary membership is a distinction the Rotary Club of Wexford does not confer lightly. It is reserved for those whose lives reflect Rotary’s guiding ideal, Service Above Self. Verona Murphy has served as Ceann Comhairle since December 2024, becoming the first woman to hold the office and the first representative of County Wexford to do so.
“It is a genuine privilege to welcome the Ceann Comhairle as an Honorary Member of our club. Verona Murphy has represented this county with energy and conviction, and in rising to the highest office in Dáil Éireann, she has done Wexford proud. This is a distinction we do not confer lightly, and we do so today with real warmth and a great sense of local pride.”
Eric McClintock, President, Rotary Club of Wexford
A Wexford welcome, close to home
For the clubs of the South East, the day carried a particular significance: the Ceann Comhairle was being welcomed in the county she has represented and calls her own.
“What makes a Rotary zone special is not its size, but its closeness. It is a particular joy for the clubs of the South East to count the Ceann Comhairle among our honorary members, and to welcome her here at home, in the county she has represented and calls her own.”
Calodagh McCumiskey, Assistant Governor, Zone 4, Rotary District 1160
A commemorative book from the clubs of Zone 4
To mark the occasion, the Ceann Comhairle was presented with a commemorative book, Rotary: Global Service, Local Impact, prepared by the clubs of Zone 4. The book tells the story of Rotary from its beginnings to its work today across Ireland’s South East, and sets the local honour against the worldwide family the new honorary member now joins.
“I am honoured to accept Honorary Membership of the Rotary Club of Wexford. I have long admired the work that Rotary does, in Wexford and far beyond it, and I am proud to be associated with the spirit of service its members bring to communities at home and around the world.”
Verona Murphy, TD, Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann
The day in pictures
Photographs from the John F. Kennedy Arboretum and the Brandon House Hotel — the walk, the conferral, and the celebration that followed.
Read the commemorative book
Rotary: Global Service, Local Impact — the story of Rotary from its beginnings to its work today across Ireland’s South East, presented to the Ceann Comhairle by the clubs of Zone 4.
A single district, north and south
Rotary District 1160 is the only Rotary district that spans the whole island of Ireland. From the first clubs in Dublin and Belfast in 1911 — the first Rotary clubs anywhere outside North America, 115 years ago — it has grown to 65 clubs and some 1,381 members across the island. Among Rotary’s best-known achievements is its decades-long campaign to end polio, which has reduced cases worldwide by more than 99.9 per cent.
“It gives me enormous pleasure, on behalf of the whole of Rotary in Ireland, to welcome the Ceann Comhairle as an honorary member. North and south, ours is a single family united by service and friendship, and Verona Murphy’s career embodies the values we cherish — public service, integrity, and a deep commitment to community. In welcoming her, Rotary in Ireland welcomes a true friend.”
Michael Fleming, District Governor, Rotary District 1160
A global moment on the horizon
The honour comes at a notable moment for Rotary in Ireland. From 7 to 11 June 2031, the 122nd Rotary International Convention will be held at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) — the first time in Rotary’s history the Convention has come to Ireland. Dublin is expected to welcome up to 20,000 Rotary members from more than 140 countries, in what for District 1160 is both a landmark on the world stage and a global endorsement of the service Irish Rotarians have given decade after decade.
About the Rotary Club of Wexford
The Rotary Club of Wexford held its inaugural meeting on 25 September 1978 and received its Charter on 16 February 1979. From 28 founder members, it has given more than four decades of service at home and abroad — from its Tree of Remembrance, which takes pride of place on Wexford’s Main Street each Christmas, and an award-winning road-safety programme for young people developed with Wexford County Council, to international appeals such as Bikes for Africa that have shipped bicycles, books and equipment to communities across the continent.
The club welcomes new members who want to put their time and skills to work for their community. To find out more, enquire about joining a Rotary club near you.