Members
Ex-officio members
Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern TD; Tánaiste, Ms Mary Harney TD; Chief Justice, Mr Justice John Murray; President of the High Court, The Hon Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan; Ceann Comhairle Dáil Éireann, Dr Rory O'Hanlon TD; Cathaoirleach Seanad Éireann, Senator Rory Kiely; Attorney General, Mr Rory Brady SC.
People who have held high office
Former presidents: Dr Patrick Hillery, Mrs Mary Robinson; former Taoisigh: Mr Liam Cosgrave, Dr Garret FitzGerald, Mr Charles Haughey, Mr Albert Reynolds, Mr John Bruton; former chief justices: Mr Justice Thomas Finlay, Mr Justice Ronan Keane.
Appointed by the President
Harvey Bicker: a retired lieutenant colonel of the Royal Irish Regiment, member of Down District Council for eight years and holder of an OBE.
Anastasia Crickley: chairwoman of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism, lecturer with the Applied Social Studies Centre in NUI Maynooth, chairwoman of Pavee Point Travellers Centre and the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, and a founder member of the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas.
Mary Davis: national director of Special Olympics Ireland, a director of the Irish Sports Council and member of Broadcasting Commission of Ireland.
Denis Moloney: a Belfast-based solicitor and professor of law at the University of Ulster. He is involved with many charities and associations.
Martin Mansergh: Fianna Fáil senator and Irish Times columnist. Special adviser to Taoisigh Charles Haughey, Albert Reynolds and Bertie Ahern, with particular reference to Northern Ireland.
Enda Marren: a solicitor, director of the Rehab Group and chairman of the trustees of Fine Gael.
Daráine Mulvihill: a third-year student at DCU studying communications. In 1999, she contracted meningitis which resulted in the amputation of both her legs below the knee and all of her fingers. In 2001 she was awarded the Young Person of the Year award for her courage, persistence and determination.