
Who is Adam Harris? Tanaiste's brother ties the knot
The brothers were decked out in the black tie affair as Adam and Daniel said their vows in a private ceremony in front of family and friends on Fota Island resort in Co Cork.
Ahead of the ceremony, the Tánaiste revealed that he was 'putting the finishing touches' on his best man speech and paid tribute to his younger sibling on social media. Adam is the Founder and CEO of AsIAm. Pic: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland
He wrote: 'To Adam, my buddy, the best brother, uncle and friend anyone could ask for, wishing you and Daniel a lifetime of happiness on this, your wedding day. Proud of you always.'
To mark the special occasion, Extra.ie has taken a look into the life of Adam Harris and his new husband Daniel O'Driscoll.
Adam is the Founder and CEO of AsIAm, an Irish autism charity.
Inspired by his personal experience growing up as an autistic person in Ireland, Adam established AsIAm to create a more inclusive and understanding society for autistic individuals.
Beyond his role at AsIAm, Adam was appointed to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission in July 2020 and has served on the Executive Council of Autism Europe.
He is also a Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Awardee and has contributed his expertise to numerous governmental policy and advisory committees focused on disability rights and inclusion, playing a key role in shaping progressive national policies. Adam is inspired by his own experiences. Pic: Julian Behal
A committed advocate and sought-after public speaker, Adam regularly appears in national and international media and conferences, engaging with policymakers and the public to foster greater awareness, acceptance, and equality.
Under his leadership, AsIAm has become a central force in autism advocacy in Ireland, guided by his vision of a country where every autistic person is accepted 'as they are' – equal, valued, and respected.
Meanwhile, Daniel works as an assistant school principal and English and History teacher in Lucan in Dublin.
Adam's older brother is, of course, Tánaiste Simon Harris, who took on the role of best man at the recent wedding.
In 2017, when Simon married his wife Caoimhe, Adam also acted as best man to start what is now a nice full circle moment for the pair.
Adam is uncle to Simon's two children Cillian and Saoirse. Adam with his brother Simon and sister Gemma. Pic: Instagram/Simon Harris
Simon spoke about his brother on World Autism Awareness Day in April 2023, sharing a photo and saying he is 'incredibly proud' of Adam and all the 'work he does for so many families.
He added: 'On a personal level, I am so grateful to him for being in our lives. When Adam was born and Autism became a reality in our home, everything changed, my childhood changed and while it certainly was challenging at times, it has given me a perspective on life that I simply wouldn't have had otherwise.
'I wouldn't be doing what I do, if it wasn't for Adam and my family experience. So from one brother to another; thank you Adam. And let's all keep raising awareness and let's keep working to make the changes required in so many areas.' The siblings are extremely close. Pic: Simon Harris/Instagram
Adam also has an older sister, Gemma, whom he's very close to as well.
Gemma was a bridesmaid for Simon's wife Caoimhe in their wedding.
Adam announced his engagement to Daniel in February 2023 with a cute photo on social media.
In it, he shows off a band on his ring finger, and Adam captioned the picture: 'Tonight, I answered a very easy question from @driscollodaniel.'
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Irish Independent
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- Irish Independent
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Irish Examiner
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Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
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Life on the road was a mixture of good fun and hard work. Depending on the tour, Mullally and McCarthy would sometimes be living on the crew's bus, or other times driving to venues themselves. Of course there were some late nights and partying along the way, but the Oasis entourage also had a serious work ethic. 'If everybody knew that did a couple of days off, then there might be a big party and a bit of a blowout. But a lot of the time, people were up early to get set up at the next venue, and working long hours through the day. You wouldn't have been able to do your job if you were partying all the time,' says Mullally, now working at the Everyman theatre in Cork. 'People got on very well on tour. You knew you just couldn't be invading people's private space or doing the langer in any way.' The band themselves travelled in a different bus, but both Mullally and McCarthy recall the Gallagher brothers as being down-to-earth lads who were always pleasant to deal with. 'I think because we were Irish, that helped too,' says Mullally. 'Yes,' agrees McCarthy. 'I even remember Noel joking with us about Taytos and Tanora!' He does recall a friendly disagreement before a gig in Bournemouth when Liam Gallagher fancied his footwear. 'We had this Dutch driver who used to come every week delivering merchandise, and he used to sell Adidas off the back of the truck. I'd bought this pair of orange Adidas. Liam collected Adidas trainers. He was like 'I'm having your trainers.' And I was going no, and he was like '100 quid!'.' While it was predominantly merchandise that kept Mullally and McCarthy involved with Oasis, they also dropped a load of equipment for the band to Rockfield Studios in 1995. Those sessions at the Welsh studio would of course spawn (What's the Story) Morning Glory?,the second album that would propel the band to stratospheric levels of popularity. On the road, part of the Cork duo's job was dealing with the increasing amount of bootleggers who were selling unofficial merchandise near the venues. 'We'd go out to chat to them, and then of course it'd turn out that a lot of them were friends of the Gallaghers from Manchester,' says Mullally. 'They were mostly nice guys so you'd just ask them to push back a bit – 'Just go down to the end of the road to sell your stuff'.' The mid-1990s was an era when everything was paid for in cash. This meant the two Cork lads would sometimes end up with tens of thousands worth of banknotes in cardboard boxes or plastic bags in the back of the truck or in a hotel after a gig. Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis arriving at Cork Airport in 1996. Picture: Dan Linehan An event like Knebworth in 1996 – when Oasis played to 250,000 people across two days – created even more issues. 'A few times a day we used to do a cash-run to get the money off the stall. Somebody would come along with a backpack and we'd stuff it with maybe 10 grand in notes," says Mullally. "You'd try to be as inconspicuous as you could walking through the crowd with that on your back, hoping that nobody comes at you.' Knebworth had 'proper' security vans taking the cash from the event HQ, but Mullally recalls the earlier days when himself and his co-worker would have to bank the money. 'You can imagine with all the stuff that was going on at the time, and two Irish guys coming into the bank with 20 grand in cash, sometimes even in deutsche marks if we were after a European tour. They'd be looking at you strangely, and you know that they're just about to push a button. But they might make a few phonecalls or whatever and we'd eventually get it done.' Knebworth is widely regarded as the high point for the band, but McCarthy also has particularly warm memories of the gig they played in his hometown just a few days later. 'I couldn't believe they were actually playing in Cork at that stage,' he says. He drove the truck from the UK via the Holyhead ferry, but as he arrived at Páirc Uí Chaoimh ahead of schedule, they wouldn't let him into the arena. Wary of leaving a truck full of merchandise parked around the city, McCarthy drove it to the seaside village of Crosshaven. 'When I got there I decided I'd leave it at the carpark at Graball Bay. I didn't even know if it'd fit up the hill but I just about managed it,' he recalls. When he went back later that evening to check everything was ok, there was a big crowd of children gathered around the emblazoned truck. 'There was a big mystery in Cork about where the Gallaghers were staying, and the word had gone around that this was their truck. One of the kids asked me 'Are Liam and Noel coming out to play?' I had to shoo them away.' Oasis merchandise has become an even bigger business since the 1990s. Picture: Lucy North/PA Those two Cork gigs were among the final dealings McCarthy had with Oasis. He has since moved to Sweden, where he teaches English, but regularly returns to the merchandising world for tours with various other bands. He's happy the Gallagher brothers are back together, and realises he was part of something special in the 1990s. 'It's hard to explain people the energy in the UK that the Britpop thing had. Musically, I didn't think it was the greatest, but the energy was phenomenal,' says McCarthy. ' I think at the time, the Indie scene was very middle class. But then along came Oasis. We probably didn't realise we were living in a golden era, but we had the time of our lives.'