NCBI's New Chairman
In the Chair
Margaret McDowell was recently appointed chairman of NCBI. Frank Callery visited her at her home near Arklow to chat about her appointment.
NCBI recently appointed Margaret McDowell to the position of Chairman. She replaces Henry Tierney who now has the role of vice-chairman. Margaret has had a long involvement with NCBI. She commenced as a volunteer in the Wicklow Branch in 1971, at the invitation of Miss Josephine Kearney, the then Wicklow “home-teacher.” Margaret was appointed secretary of the Arklow committee in 1975 — a job which she still retains — and subsequently served as regional representative for her county to the NCBI executive for many years before her appointment to the officer board.
Values loyalty and dedication
Margaret is a no-nonsense person who cherishes her privacy and believes strongly in the separation of her work life and her personal life. She also values loyalty and dedication and the long-forged relationships which have developed within NCBI and which have seen it grow into a leading professional service provider in Ireland.
She came to Ireland from her native Cheshire as the bride of Gordon McDowell. He was reading economic and political science at Trinity College. Gordon always wanted to farm, so then studied in Agricultural College in Dublin. They first farmed in the midlands, before moving to Plattenstown, Co. Wicklow. There they had a Jersey dairy herd and raised two sons and one daughter. Sadly, Gordon passed away eleven years ago.
She has served in many different capacities in NCBI including as chairman of the Mrs. Quins shops committee, a role which continues to this day. “There was a lot of talk about charity shops at the time. Brian Campbell, our then honorary treasurer was involved with another charity, which used their shops to fund cancer care. Brian did some research about the charity shops and we were amazed at their potential and saw this as an opportunity to expand NCBI fund-raising. Eventually Martin Kenny was brought on board and the rest is history”.
Margaret is careful to retain some of the older values of NCBI and to mesh them with the new. Her long experience operating at local level informs her view and she has a special regard for the input of the people who volunteer their time and commitment to NCBI. She believes that this is a strength which NCBI should continue to foster. “Whether they are volunteers in the shops or at local committee level, I see them as a valuable resource. We have had a long tradition of service in the organization and we should husband that and pay it due regard,” she says.
She is also aware of the need for NCBI to grow its services and responses towards older newly blind persons. “Given the demographics which are evident through NCBI’s register of blind persons, this is proving to be a growing constituency and one which we have to continue to address with adequate resources”.
Due homage
Her appointment as chairman is a far cry from the days when Margaret first encountered NCBI, when its social workers “shovelled snow to get to blind people in inaccessible places”. She has seen many changes and welcomed them, paying due homage to the many people who, like Henry Tierney, have given tirelessly to the organisation and in whose footsteps she now follows. “Henry Tierney is a great man, he has given a lifetime of service to charity, not alone to NCBI; and it is hard to assess and to pay due regard to his achievement, but I hope to continue the good work he has done and to be mindful of what has gone before”.
Today, apart from her work for NCBI, Margaret runs her period Country House, situated three miles from Arklow. Plattenstown House was built in 1852 for Lady Jane O’Grady and retains all its period features, including magnificent gardens which are kept resplendent by Margaret. She has been a patron of the Wexford Opera festival for many years and would not miss it. And I suppose that is a good note to end on.