The attendees on 8 May 2011 when CISLI was formed

First CISLI meeting, DCC, Limerick, 8th May 2011

Our History

CISLI was established on 8th May 2011 at the Deaf Community Centre, Limerick. CISLI’s predecessor, the Irish Association of Sign Language Interpreters, was established during the 1990s as a forum for interpreters to meet up and discuss issues affecting this newly emerging profession. IASLI folded in 2007 and for a number of years Ireland had no professional sign language interpreting body.

A steering committee (Noel O’Connell, Darren Byrne, Mary Dermody, Jennifer Hubbard, Caroline O’Leary, and Evelyn Nolan Conroy) was formed in 2010 to begin work towards creating a new body, named the ‘Council of Irish Sign Language Interpreters’.

CISLI’s constitution, Code of Ethics, and other governing documents were approved at the inaugural meeting in Limerick in 201, along with the election of the first committee – Chairperson: Caroline O’Leary; Vice-Chairperson: Frankie Berry; Secretary: Cormac Leonard; Treasurer: Darren Byrne; Student representative: Sarah Sheridan; and IDS representatives: Wendy Murray and John Fennell.