The Public Relations Consultants Association (Ireland) represents the interests of the top PR consultancies. Established in 1989, it provides a forum for members to communicate with each other, as well as with government and other public bodies and associations. It also aims to represent the Irish PR sector in the media and internationally.

The PRCA is committed both to the advancement of the profession in Ireland and to the nurturing of the professional goals of our members. Membership of the Association requires meeting strict entry requirements – demonstrating why the experience, skills and creativity of PRCA members rank them with many of the best consultancies in the world.

Look for the Consultancy Management Standard

The Consultancy Management Standard (CMS) is an internationally recognised quality management system for public relations consultancies which is a mandatory requirement for membership of PRCA (Ireland). To be awarded the CMS, PR firms are independently assessed to ensure that they conform to minimum standards over ten separate areas including business management, staffing levels, customer service delivery and adherence to a code of professional practice. The CMS is a guarantee that the appropriate quality assurance systems are in place to meet your organisation’s needs.

Our Mission Statement

The PRCA is the trade association for Irish consultancies engaged in the practice of public relations. In addition to encouraging the highest attainable professional standards from members, the Association acts as a spokesperson and advocate for the PR industry, seeking to instil confidence in public relations as a whole.

We aim to raise professional and ethical standards in consultancy practice through the implementation of a Consultancy Management Standard, the use of best practice and the use of evaluation. We facilitate government, public bodies, trade and industry associations, the media and other interested parties in conferring with public relations consultants as a body and to ascertain their collective views. We provide a forum for discussion on key industry topics and demonstrate the effectiveness of good PR consultancy practice. We aim to promote confidence in public relations consultancy and, consequently, in public relations as a whole and to help members improve their overall skills-set, professionalism, efficiency and effectiveness.

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Board of Directors

2023 PRCA Board of Directors

Chairperson

Martina Quinn, MPRII
Founder & Managing Director, Alice Public Relations
[email protected]

Board members

Justin Bowers, MPRII
Director, Keating & Associates
[email protected]

Kathryn Byrne, FPRII
Director, Limelight Communications
[email protected]

Owen Cullen, MPRII
Managing Director, Cullen Communications
[email protected]

Claire Feely
Deputy Managing Director, Elevate PR
[email protected]

Brian Harrison, MPRII
Director, MKC Communcations
[email protected]

Susie Horgan, FPRII
Managing Director, Springboard Communications
[email protected]

Lorna Jennings, MPRII
Managing Director, Hanover Communications
[email protected]

Gill Madden, MPRII
Director & Head of Brand Marketing, FleishmanHillard International Communications
[email protected]

Code Of Conduct

The PRCA is a member of the International Communications Consultancies Organisation (ICCO). All associations affiliated to ICCO and their member agencies have agreed to conform to the Stockholm Charter since 2003. The Stockholm Charter lays out a code of professional standards that aims to define the profession. In 2017, the ICCO board voted to also approve a statement of ethics called the Helsinki Declaration, a set of principles aimed at uniting the global PR industry under a single banner of ethical behaviour.

The ICCO Stockholm Charter

The International Communications Consultancies Association Professional Charter “Public Relations consultancies are professional service firms who help clients influence opinions, attitudes and behaviour. Along with this influence comes responsibility to our clients, our people, our profession and society at large”

1. Objective Counsel and Advocacy:

Public relations consultancies may not have interests that might compromise their role as an independent consultant. They should approach their clients with objectivity, in order to help the client adopt the optimum communications strategy and behaviour.

2. Society:

An open society, freedom of speech and a free press create the context for the profession of public relations. Consultants operate within the scope of this open society, comply with its rules, and work with clients that share the same approach.

3. Confidentiality:

Trust is at the heart of the relationship between a client and a public relations consultancy. Information that has been provided in confidence by a client and that is not publicly known should not be shared with other parties without the consent of the client.

4. Integrity of Information:

Public relations consultancies should not knowingly mislead an audience about factual information, or about the interests a client represents. Consultancies must make their best efforts to strive for accuracy.

5. Delivering Promises:

Consultancies must work with clients to establish clear expectations in advance about the output of their efforts. They must define specific goals for communications actions and then work to deliver on their promises. Consultancies must not offer guarantees which are not supportable, or which compromise the integrity of the channels of communication.

6. Conflicts:

Consultancies may represent clients with conflicting interests. Work may not commence for a new and conflicting interest without the current client first being offered the opportunity to exercise the rights under any contract between the client and consultancy.

7. Representation:

Consultancies may refuse or accept an assignment based on the personal opinions of the firm’s management or the organisation’s focus.

8. Governance and Business Practices

Public relations consultancies are committed to ethical behaviour and implementation of best business practices in dealing with all audiences.

The Helsinki Declaration

To work ethically and in accordance with applicable laws;
To observe the highest professional standards in the practice of public relations and communications;
To respect the truth, dealing honestly and transparently with employees, colleagues, clients, the media, government and the public;
To protect the privacy rights of clients, organisations, and individuals by safeguarding confidential information;
To be mindful of their duty to uphold the reputation of the industry;
To be forthcoming about sponsors of causes and interests and never engage in misleading practices such as “astroturfing”;
To be aware of the power of social media, and use it responsibly;
To never engage in the creation of or knowingly circulate fake news;
To adhere to their Association’s Code of Conduct, be mindful of the Codes of Conduct of other countries, and show professional respect at all times;
To take care that their professional duties are conducted without causing offence on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, origin, religion, disability or any other form of discrimination