AOP Announces New Board of Govenors

The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium is delighted to announce its latest appointments to its Board of Governors.

Archbishop John McDowell, who took the post of Chair by virtue of statute on his elevation to Archbishop in 2020, has welcomed five new members to the Board. Dean Shane Forster and Archdeacon Elizabeth Cairns also joined by virtue of statute when appointed to their positions within the Chapter of the Church of Ireland Cathedral and Mr Greg Cox by public appointment to represent the Department for Communities. Archbishop McDowell also invited Archbishop Eamon Martin and Ms Sammy Leslie to fill two remaining vacancies.

Speaking about the latest appointments, Archbishop McDowell said: “I am delighted to announce our latest Board members, who all bring their own skills and expertise to the role. These latest appointments will strengthen our position going forward, collaborating and working alongside one another, within such a unique organisation.”

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium is an exemplar for Northern Ireland on the world stage, excelling in research and public outreach in science, set within a heritage environment that is rich in scientific history.

The Board of Governors’ role is to ensure that the culture and character, history and patrimony embodied in Armagh Observatory and Planetarium is protected.

At the end of June, Archbishop McDowell, John Briggs, Chair of the Management Committee and Professor Michael Burton, Director welcomed some of the new members of the Board of Governors and Management Committee for a familiarisation tour of the Observatory & Planetarium. The Board of Governors has delegated the primary responsibility for the governance and management of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium to a Management Committee with the statutory purpose of “developing and improving the knowledge, appreciation and practice of astronomy and related sciences”.