Board of IRD Duhallow

Michael is a founder member of IRD Duhallow and currently serving his second term as Chairman of the Organisation, having previously been Chair from 2011 to 2013. He sits on the Finance Committee as well as the HR and Environment Working Groups. Michael represents Kanturk Chamber of Commerce on the Board. With his wife Noreen and family, Michael owns Supervalu Stores in Kanturk, Abbeyfeale and Askeaton. A keen angler and country sports enthusiast he has developed a number of angling projects in Duhallow.

Anne Maria is the current Vice Chairperson of IRD Duhallow. She represents the INTO on the Board and held the position of company Chair from 2015- 2018. She is a former National School Principal and continues to work closely with State agencies in an advisory capacity. She is currently the Chair of the Finance Working Group and Vice Chairperson of the Womens Forum Working as well as sitting on the HR Committee. She is a keen bridge player and is a member of the Kanturk Bridge Club.

Breeda re-joined the Board in 2014 to represent Duhallow’s Social Enterprises and held the position of Chairperson from 2019-2022. Breeda was a member of Dáil Éireann from 1992 – 2007 and a member of Kerry Co. Council from 1999- 2003 and from 2011 - 2013. Serving her community for over 20 years, her constituency included the East Kerry area of Duhallow. She is involved in a number of voluntary and charitable organisations.

Cormac is a former Chairman of IRD Duhallow holding the role from 2012 to 2015. He is from Gneeveguilla and works as a Senior Manager in the ESB. He was appointed to the Board to represent the State sector having previously served as Community Representative for Western Duhallow. He is the current chairman of Gneeveguilla Community Council, who developed a cultural centre in Gneeveguilla village, “Teach Failte”. He serves on the HR, Finance and Community Development Working Groups.

John represents the Environment Working Group on the Board. He retired in September 2022 as Director of Services with responsibility for Environment & Water Services, Fire and Emergency services, Civil Defence and Library services as well as Municipal District manager for the Castleisland / Corca Dhuibhne Municipal District with Kerry County Council. He has also previously served as Director of Services in Limerick City and as Town Clerk in Tralee and Town Manager of Listowel and Killarney Town Councils. A native of Kilkenny city he presently resides in Castleisland.

Padraic is from Kanturk where he lives with his wife and two daughters. He is Chairman of the IRD Duhallow Enterprise Working Group. He is Director of Energy Security at Gas Networks Ireland having held senior management roles there in Human Resources, Energy Policy, Commercial, PR, Marketing and Legal for the past 20 years. Padraic is actively involved in various community, school board and sporting clubs in Kanturk. He is also an avid golfer and is a member of Kanturk and Killarney Golf Clubs and plays Tennis in Lombardstown Tennis Club.

Jack is from Rockchapel and represents the Saoi Network of which he is the Chairman. A former IRD Duhallow Chairman, he sits on the Social Economy, Finance, Human Resources and Community Development Working Groups. Jack has represented IRD Duhallow on ILDN and ILDN on ELARD the European LEADER Association for Rural Development of which he is past President. Steeped in the cultural development of the region, he developed Bruach na Carraige Cultural Centre in Rockchapel, along with a dedicated Sliabh Luachra Archive and the Sliabh Luachra Cultural Trail.

Pat was elected to the Board to represent Western Duhallow in July 2020. He has over 20 years' experience as an online marketing consultant. Pat has lived in Gneeveguilla for over 40 years and has been involved in the GAA, Walking and Basketball Clubs. He is an active member Gneeveguilla Development Association. He also updates Rathmore Parish website.. He is the Chair of our Equality Working Group.

Billy Dennehy was elected to the Board of IRD Duhallow in May 2017 as a community representative for the Western Duhallow region. He is the chairperson of IRD Duhallow’s Community Development Working Group. He is an active member of the Kiskeam Community and is the current Development Officer of the Kiskeam Development Association and Chairman of Kiskeam GAA Club. He is working as an Area Engineer with Cork County Council. Billy is married to Emily and they have two children.

Tom O’Riordan was elected to the Board in July 2019 to represent the communities of North Eastern Duhallow. Tom, a native of Kilbrin is married to Nora Mary and they have six children. Tom worked for many years in retail where he held a variety of roles and owned his own business for a number of years. In recent times, he retired to part time farming. Tom has been actively involved in Kilbrin Community for over forty years where he held posts of Secretary, PRO, and Chairperson. Tom was one of the instigators of the heritage project, which restored Dr. Croke’s birthplace house in Kilbrin. Tom’s hobbies include Golf, Heritage, Music and Dancing and GAA.

Margaret was elected to the Board in 2019. She is involved with a number of various boards and committees in her community on a voluntary basis. Margaret served as Parent’s representative for 6 years on her local secondary school’s Board of Management which granted her with an invaluable background in decision making and communications. She is currently the Child Officer in
her local GAA club where she is responsible for the provision of child safe guarding courses and Garda
vetting.

John represents the Mid Cork Region. He is a retired Coillte Forest Engineer. He has been involved in various projects nationally and internationally relating to harvesting technology. His current involvements include Macroom Tidy Towns, Macroom Handball / Racquetball club, Macroom Parish Safeguarding Committee, local community association, hillwalking club and an active member of Aghinagh Comhaltas Group. Married to Frances, they have 4 daughters and nine grandchildren.

James is the Blue Dot Farmer Representative on the Board. He is a fourth-generation dairy farmer from Lismire. He is Chairman of the Newmarket Charleville ICMSA and was elected to the National COUNCIL of ICMSA in 2021. James was on Kerry co-op advisory committee from 2011 – 2021 and in 2018 he was elected to the Board of Directors of Kerry co-op and is a member of their strategy committee. He is an outdoor enthusiast who is married to Aine and they have two children.

Judy first joined the Board of IRD Duhallow in 1997 representing womens’ groups. She Chairs the Women and Childcare Working Group and is a member of the HR Working Group. Judy is a founding member of the Duhallow Women’s Forum. She hails from Dromtariffe and is actively involved in her local community. She is a long standing member of the Irish Country Women’s Association and is a member of the Kiskeam Guild. She has also served as Vice Chairperson of IRD Duhallow for three years.

Suzanne joined the Board of IRD Duhallow in 2005. She represents Inland Fisheries Ireland where she has held the position of Head of Business Development for IFI for 12 years and is currently the Head of Finance and Corporate Services. Suzanne has previously worked as a manager and accountant in the public and private sectors. Suzanne represents IFI on the Boards of a number of other tourism and rural development strategy groups.

David Doyle joined the Board in July 2015, as a nominee of the Chief Executive of Kerry County Council. David holds the position of Senior Engineer in the Operations & Safety section of Kerry County Council. He is currently working on the development of proposals for URDF projects in Killarney and Tralee, and RRDF projects in Caherciveen and Valentia Cable Station. He previously worked in Roads directorate and as Killarney Town Engineer. David lives in Beaufort, Killarney and is an active member of the local Tidy Towns.

Cllr Maura Healy Rae joined the Board of IRD Duhallow in March of 2016. She has served as an independent Councillor for the Killarney Municipal District, since 2016. Maura is the fourth of the six Healy-Rae children of Danny and his wife Eileen. Her constituency includes the East Kerry area, so she is very familiar with Duhallow and the projects and work that have been carried out in her region. Maura works as an English and History teacher in St. Brogan’s College, Bandon.

Cllr Fionnán Fitzgerald is a secondary teacher and was elected Councillor for the Castleisland Area in the recent local elections of May 2019. He was nominated to the Board of IRD Duhallow to represent Kerry County Council. He has been a community activist for many years particularly in the field of social inclusion for our elderly, community alert groups and also the provision of sport for our youth.

Gobnait joined the Board of IRD Duhallow in June 2016. Gobnait was elected as a County Councillor by the people of Millstreet / Macroom Municipal District, and has been representing the people of the area since 2016. Gobnait works closely with her brother Aindrias Moynihan TD to represent the people of the area. The IRD Duhallow region was expanded to incorporate the greater Macroom, Inchigeelagh, Rylane area. Gobnait continues to build bonds between IRD Duhallow’s existing networks and communities in her own constituency

Martin joined the Board of IRD Duhallow in 2019. He is a member of Cork County Council representing the
Macroom Municipal District. Martin was previously a Town Councillor in Macroom for 20 years. Martin is a
retired FAS supervisor who lives in Macroom and is an active Community worker. He is the current Chairman
of the Macroom Tidy Towns group and on the Board of Directors of the Briery Gap and also works with the Lee Valley Enterprise Board.

Ian Doyle joined the Board in 2019. Hailing from Charleville, he was a founding member of Charleville
Agricultural Show. He is a member of the St Vincent de Paul and is Vice Chairman of the Charleville
Heritage Society, Chairperson of the Charleville Tidy Towns Committee and he is currently a board member of Ballyhoura Development, Charleville
Sheltered Housing and Community Care, Charleville Community Hall, Charleville Chamber, and Newtownshandrum Community Association. He also sits on the Board of Management of St Marys Secondary School and the CBS Primary School
Charleville

Amanda comes from Boherbue and is a primary school teacher in Ballyclough National School. She was nominated to the Board of IRD Duhallow in 2022 as the Macra Na Feirme representative. Amanda is the current chairperson of Banteer Macra, is the Rural Youth representative for Avondhu and she is also on the National Rural Youth sub-committee. Amanda represented Macra na Feirme on a Study Session entitled“Food as a Human Rite”in Budapest this year. Amanda has previously been the PRO for her club. She is looking forward to joining the board.

Paul is from Newmarket where he lives with his wife and two children. Paul works in Cork College of FET – Mallow Campus where he has been deputy principal since 2013. He was nominated to the Board in July 2022 to represent the communities of North Eastern Duhallow. Paul is currently involved in a number of voluntary organisation and serves as chairperson of Newmarket Juvenile GAA and vice chairperson of Newmarket Sports & Leisure and is a member of the Board of Management for the local primary school.

Geraldine was elected to the Board of IRD Duhallow in July 2021 representing South Eastern Duhallow. She is the current vice chair of the Enterprise Working Group. Living in Millstreet with her family, Geraldine is a volunteer on Millstreet Town Park Committee. She recently concluded a 20-year tenure with Aon Ireland to focus on family life and other commitments. During her career at Aon she progressed to the role of Senior Retirement Consultant, managing a portfolio of multinational clients and trustee groups.

Dominic joined the Board in July 2021 representing the ICMSA. He is a dairy farmer from Boherbue and is the current Chairman of Duhallow ICMSA, as well as Vice Chairman of North and East Cork ICMSA. He is currently a Member of the ICMSA National Council, Dairy Committee and a member of the ICOS Dairy Committee. Dominic has served as a Board member of Boherbue Co-Op since 2005 and is a member of the National Water Forum. He is a former Chairman of the National Dairy Council and currently sits on the Board of Ornua cooperative

Rosie very recently joined the board (July 2023), to represent the South Eastern Region. She is involved in various groups locally on a voluntary basis including Banteer, Lyre Nadd and Districts Community Council, Lyre School Parents Association & Lyre Pre School Board. She is from Banteer where she lives with her husband and twins boys. Rosie works with Eli Lilly where she has held various management roles over her 13 years tenure with the company.