Editing Celia Larkin

{{Short description|Irish civil servant}}
{{BLP sources|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=December 2021}}
'''Celia Larkin''', also known as Cecilia Larkin, is a former [[civil service of the Republic of Ireland|Irish civil servant]] and was the partner of the [[Taoiseach]] [[Bertie Ahern]]. Since 2020 she has worked for [[Limerick City and County Council]] as Limerick City Centre Revitalisation Manager.

==Relationship with Bertie Ahern==
Their relationship ended in April 2003. Ahern is separated, though not divorced, from his wife [[Miriam Ahern|Miriam]]. There was some controversy in the media at Ahern's public presentation of his partner. No other European Heads of Government had (at that time) similarly presented their partner at official engagements. Ahern was accused of hypocrisy in being associated with a woman other than his wife while being a practising Massgoer. The media discovered the couple had broken up when Larkin failed to co-host a diplomatic dinner for the visiting German [[President of Germany|Bundespräsident]], although her name, along with that of the Taoiseach, was featured on the invitations.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/20/world/dublin-aflutter-over-party-featuring-premier-s-partner.html?pagewanted=1 |title="Dublin Aflutter Over Party Featuring Premier's Partner" - New York Times |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=20 May 2001 |access-date=2017-02-18 |archive-date=2016-08-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804160906/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/20/world/dublin-aflutter-over-party-featuring-premier-s-partner.html?pagewanted=1 |url-status=live |last1=Lavery |first1=Brian }}</ref>

Larkin, during the period of her relationship with Ahern, regularly acted as his consort. She also occasionally engaged in civic functions in a private capacity. For example, she launched a high speed ferry, the M.V. Jonathan Swift for [[Irish Ferries]].

On 2 February 2008, it emerged at the [[Mahon Tribunal]] that a house was bought by Larkin in 1993, with money donated to Ahern's constituency organisation in Drumcondra.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2008/0223/1203619293524.html |title=Larkin bought house with Ahern cumann money |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=2 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121055726/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2008/0223/1203619293524.html |archive-date=21 November 2010 }}</ref> There was no documentation to back up this loan to Larkin or to prove around IR£30,000 in other expenditure from this account. Dublin businessman Tim Collins, has denied that Ahern was joint holder of the so-called BT account from which Larkin was loaned IR£30,000 without documentation to describe the loan agreement.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0313/mahon.html |title=Ahern 'not joint holder' of BT account |publisher=RTÉ.ie |date=13 March 2008 |access-date=22 November 2010 |archive-date=23 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081223091622/http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0313/mahon.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Tim Collins denied that the BT account referred to Bertie and Tim, even though he operated a joint account with Des Richardson known as the DT account.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.planningtribunal.ie/images/SITECONTENT_824.pdf|title=[ARCHIVED CONTENT] Internet Memory - NLI Web Archive}}{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Other activities==
Since parting with Ahern, she has expanded her chain of [[beauty salon]]s, and has appeared on [[reality television]], in an [[RTÉ]] show ''[[The Restaurant (Irish TV series)|The Restaurant]]'',.

In July 2005, Larkin was appointed to the board of the new [[National Consumer Agency]], a government funded [[consumer organization|consumer watchdog]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1435953&issue_id=12759 |title=Irish Independent|date=20 July 2005 |access-date=4 May 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060528202938/http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1435953&issue_id=12759 |archive-date=28 May 2006|url-status=dead }}</ref>

As a mature student Larkin has graduated from the [[University of Limerick]] with a first class honors degree in Politics and International relations, graduating top of her class. She completed a post graduate course in [[University College London]].

In 2016 she began worked for Thames Water in their HQ at Reading as External Affairs Manager. Now known as Cecilia Larkin, in 2020 she was appointed by [[Limerick City and County Council]] as Limerick City Centre Revitalisation Manager.<ref>{{cite web |title=It's all business for Limerick as double appointment set to deepen key relationships |url=https://www.limerick.ie/council/newsroom/news/its-all-business-limerick-double-appointment-set-deepen-key-relationships |website=[[Limerick City and County Council]] |access-date=22 November 2022 |date=16 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122164835/https://www.limerick.ie/council/newsroom/news/its-all-business-limerick-double-appointment-set-deepen-key-relationships |archive-date=22 November 2022 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Spouses or partners of the Taoiseach}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larkin, Celia}}
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Bertie Ahern]]
[[Category:Irish civil servants]]
[[Category:Irish women civil servants]]
[[Category:Spouses and partners of Taoisigh]]