Irish In Britain

About

I am currently the Director of Development and the Deputy CEO at Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England. I first became involved with the Mental Health First Aid programme in 2007 when it was introduced by the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) and was appointed as a National Trainer. I am also a registered Mental Health Nurse and was employed in the NHS in a variety of roles from Staff Nurse to Director of Improvement until March 2013. I am an associate member of the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH)

I spent most of my working life living and working in Kent and more recently moved to the beautiful Chilterns to be closer to family friends. This move also coincided with my reconnection with my Irish roots and I began to take an interest in Irish organisations in Britain.

I was born in Tipperary and am one of the “Tipperary Bonnars”. If you are a GAA hurling supporter, you may know that the family are well known for our performances on the GAA field at county level. I stay close to Ireland with regular trips back for family occasions - and there are many, (I have 46 nieces and nephews!) and Tipperary hurling exploits.

As a trustee of Ireland in Britain I am committed to helping the organisation achieve its ambition and mission by supporting the community to ensure its voice is heard. Having this voice is particularly important post-Brexit and during the pandemic and I believe that Irish in Britain has a key role to play in this, especially with its ability to represent the diversity of the Irish community in Britain.