Rooney named Ireland fund chairman

Businessman Denis Rooney is to become the new chairman of the International Fund for Ireland, it was revealed today.

Mr Rooney, a chartered quantity surveyor, will succeed Dr Willie McCarter, who is to step down next February after 12 years in office.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern and Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy described Mr Rooney as a skilled and able leader, with a wide range of community and business experience.

They said he would continue to guide the Fund in promoting reconciliation and economic development in Northern Ireland and the border counties.

Mr Rooney was awarded an MBE for his services to the construction industry in 1988.

Mr Ahern and Mr Murphy also paid tribute to Dr McCarter, who spent 12 years as chairman and over 15 years on the board of the Fund, which was founded by the British and Irish governments in 1986 to promote better economic and social interaction between nationalists and unionists on the island.