SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS IRELAND – AWARD RECIPIENTS 

1          John Patrick Kavanagh A.K.A Clown Johnie K (Dublin 7)

Born in Dublin, Johnie K was tutored and trained by Tommy Fossett at the Blackpool Tower Circus 1985/86 and went on to become Children's entertainment manager as a Butlins Redcoat in Margate, Kent 1986/1987. Johnie then toured the UK with Zippo’s circus as writer / performer and commentator clown in a comedy car act 1987/88.

He became resident entertainer at Chessington World of Adventures theme park in Surrey, England 1989, and was a self employed clown throughout UK at festivals and Gala’s between 1989 - 1991.

He then returned to Ireland to work in festivals, TV adverts, corporate events, theatre and film and joined Beg Borrow & Steal theatre company where he played the lead role in three plays performed in primary schools nationwide dealing with issues such as bullying, one parent families and child abuse 1992 – 1994. He went on to join the NGO 'Serious Road Trip' to conduct a humanitarian clown tour of Romanian orphanages and hospitals for 3 months in 1993 raising all funds through entertainment in pubs and clubs in Dublin. Johnie returned from Romania to begin fundraising for 'The Humanitarian Clown Tour' of Bosnian refugee camps in Croatia for 3 months in 1993, using laughter as a healing mechanism for children suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

In 1994 Johnie K toured orphanages, and hospitals in Moscow and St. Petersburg / Russia. Currently he continues to work as a self employed entertainer throughout Ireland – and tours for up to 3 months at a time in post-conflict zones, raising funds and training volunteers in circus skills. 

2          Colman Farrell (Dr.) (Dublin 1)

Born and raised in Dublin, Colman studied Medicine at Trinity College Dublin. On completion of his medical internship he volunteered as a relief worker during the Rwandan Refugee Crisis in 1994. He returned to Africa one year later, moving to Nairobi, Kenya, where he supported a group of local people to establish the Gatoto Community School in order to provide high quality, affordable education to the children in the slums. Today, the school has 1,000 pupils and regularly wins prizes at a national level in sports and music.

On his return to Ireland, Colman obtained a Masters in Multimedia from Trinity College, before pursuing a career across both the private and non-profit sectors: firstly, as an IT Manager for Knowledge Management with the with Procter and Gamble R&D Division, then as a Software Development Manager for e-purchasing solutions, with General Electric. More recently, he worked as the Organisational Development Manager with the Irish state business development agency ‘Enterprise Ireland’ on Performance Development, Knowledge Management, Change Management and Learning Initiatives.

Colman first became involved with Suas during its early stages and became Chairperson in June 2003. He left Enterprise Ireland in January of 2004 to join Suas full-time and became CEO in April 2004.

Suas is a youth and education focused organisation, which facilitates young people to address educational disadvantage at home and overseas. Suas is secular and is a registered charity.

3          Salome Mbugua Henry (Portarlington, Co Offaly)

Salome Mbugua Henry is a native of Kenya married and resident in Ireland with her husband and two daughters.  She holds a qualification in Social Work from her native Kenya, along with a qualification in Women Studies and Equality Studies from UCD.  She has over 15 years experience of working with disadvantaged and marginalised groups especially with women and young people, in Kenya, Uganda and Ireland. In 2001 Salome Founded AkiWdA - African Women’s Network in Ireland and was its chairperson for 3 years. AkiWdA is A national network of African women that aims to address the existing and changing needs of African women in Ireland irrespective of their ethnic / national backgrounds, traditions / religious beliefs, socio economic, political or legal status.Salome has volunteered tirelessly for this network and hopes to see it grow in the coming years. In 2003 she was honoured with the RTE /Metro Media award for her positive contribution in promoting multiculturalism in Ireland.

4          Kieran Crowe (Killarney, Co Kerry)

After beginning a career in Marketing, Crowe joined the Holy Ghost Fathers as a student missionary priest where he studied philosophy and theology.

Following a serious sporting accident he left the congregation and worked as a community development worker with the Traveling community in Athlone before taking up a post a Community Development Manager for the local Social Inclusion Partnership Programmes.

He then went on to take up a role as a Development Manager for the Citizens Information Services in counties Cavan and Kerry where he established eight public information and advocacy centers in County Kerry. As a former user of statutory mental health services he has been actively promoting a mental health service user agenda for the past twenty years, serving two terms as a member of the Board of Management of the Irish Advocacy Network. He has conducted a number of research programmes into the needs of people who use mental health services, including a recent publication by The Expert Group on Mental Health Policy.

Crowe trained and qualified as a psychotherapist in 1999 is currently engaged in promoting a recovery agenda within mental health and is a founder member of the Institute for Mental Health Recovery. He also lectures to both post and undergraduate nurses, disability studies students and social work students on mental health related issues including the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Psychiatry.

5          Brendan Dowling (Dublin 8)

Brendan Dowling is a volunteer from the Whitefriar / Aungier Area Community in South Inner City Dublin working on every aspect of local development within his community. 

As Chair of the Whitefriar / Aungier Area Community Council he is central to a wide variety of local initiatives from Law, Philosophy & Art Classes held in a renovated Corporation Flat to Climbing, Crafts and Aikido for local young people.

Having recently completed his training in the NCTC Limerick as a National Coach for Martial Arts, last year he was elected as the President of IMAC (the National Governing Body for Martial Arts in Ireland). Brendan sits on the Dublin Sports Network and, as Chair of the Dublin Sports and Recreation Council, is spearheading numerous initiatives around inclusion and education in Sport. He was one of a four person Committee who last year devised and implemented the highly successful LEAPS project in Croke Park focusing on using sport, in the classroom, to teach mainstream curriculum.

He has been centrally involved in the Dublin City Community Forum since its establishment in 1999 and was a founding member of the Dublin Sports and Recreation Council. 

In 2003 he was instrumental in spearheading a ground breaking consultation with the Homeless population of Dublin through the filming of ‘In the Shadow of Others’ and subsequent meetings in November completed a second film focusing on the plight of those who are barred from Homeless Hostels across the city.

Since Sept 2002 he has been a Board member of the Dublin City Development Board representing the Community and Voluntary Sector via the Community Forum.  As part of his function as a CDB member, he also sits on both the Dublin City Social Inclusion Measures Committee and the Dublin South East, Social Inclusion Task Force.  Brendan also represents the Community Forum on the SW Regional Drugs Task Force.

Brendan’s is a Street Trader selling leather belts on Grafton Street, a vantage point from which he says he gets to understand what is really happening on the streets of the city.

6                       Tara Cunningham (Tullamore, Co.Offaly)

Tara Cunningham is CEO of Release Speech Therapy, which provides speech and language therapy to parents of children with learning and speech disabilities through group therapy at a relatively low cost by primarily focusing on teaching parents the skills they need to work with their children on a day-to-day basis.

Tara worked as the eMarketing Executive for Baltimore Technologies and then moved to OgilvyInteractive in 2001, heading up the Interactive Division of Ogilvy & Mather. She volunteered with the Clongowes Youth Club from January 2000 through 2003 working with inner city children aged 8 – 14.  Through her volunteering, she realised she should make a career change and moved from the marketing/ advertising sector to fundraising for a charity.

In January 2003 Tara began working as a Fundraiser for Down Syndrome Ireland.  It was there she learned of the massive need for Speech and Language Therapy in Ireland through meeting parents without services throughout Ireland. In July 2003, Tara decided to pursue the idea of Release Speech Therapy, a social enterprise which teaches parents the skills they need to enhance the communication abilities of their children.  The programme utilises a group therapy approach, which enables the Speech and Language Therapist to work with both the children and the parents in a holistic manner.

Release launched in November 2004 and began delivering speech and language therapy in January 2005.  In only nine months, Release has worked with over 115 children, through formal assessments and provided over 860 hours of speech and language therapy and training. She is married with one young son and currently living in Tullamore.

7                       Rotimi Adebari (Portlaois, Co Laois)

Originally from Nigeria, Rotimi Adebari has lived in Portlaois for the last 5 years. He is an elected member of Portlaoise Town Council, and has a Masters degree in Intercultural studies at Dublin City University.

He works with Dublin City University on the European Intercultural Workplace Project (EIW). He delivers training in intercultural awareness and anti-racism issues and works in association with local, regional and national groups to achieve an integrated society where everyone has a sense of belonging.

He is an elected member of the National Executive Committee of INOU – Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed, and is a director on the board of Portlaoise Community Action Project (PCAP).

Rotimi is also a founding member of Suil – An organisation that provides support for the unemployed in Laois, and a member of Laois Ethnic Minority Support Group.

He currently hosts a local community radio programme, called titled “Respecting Difference” on Midlands 103. The programme draws on the presenter’s experience and his election into Portlaois Town Council to serve as an inspiration to the socially disadvantaged in the community, by engaging in discussions that motivate and offer a lift to people currently experiencing social exclusion.

8                        John Redican (Tralee, Co Kerry)

John Redican lives in Kerry and is Chief Executive of the Irish Advocacy Network, and has a history of working to address the needs of the marginalised groups.

John works to identify the needs of families and carers of people who experience mental health problems with a view to designing a responsive peer advocacy training programme. The best known of these initiatives is the Dochas Dingle men's action group.

9          Heather Rosen (O’Callaghan’s Hills, Co Clare)

Heather who is from Bangor, Co Down, worked as an volunteer in the Night Shelter with the Belfast Simon Community and then went on to volunteer in Nairobi in Kenya, as a co-ordinator a of a Crafts Scheme for generating income in shanty towns. In 1982 she received a Churchill Fellowship grant to go to India and was based in a ‘School for the Deaf’.

Heather who also worked as part of a liaison team at St Joseph’s Travellers’ Training Centre, and now runs a project to challenge discrimination and racism against the Travelling Community, availing of the Equal Status Act to build a set of test cases and precedent that would be of relevance to other groups throughout the country.

10        Caroline Kelly (Whitegate, Co Clare)

Caroline studied Political Science and Economics for 2 years in Dublin. She is a founder member of the Golden Horde, which later became a notorious trash rock band.

Caroline moved to Belfast in 1988 where she became actively involved with Holywood Rudolf Steiner School and then completed a 2 year part-time training in Early Childhood education Steiner based in Co. Clare. Around this time Caroline felt very strongly that she wanted to start something new with teenagers, feeling they were not getting what they needed to help them in life. In 1999 she moved to Clare.  

Caroline formed The Alfa Project in 2000 in Scarriff, Co. Clare. In 2001 the Alfa Project opened with 14 teenagers aged 14-15 years for whom the traditional system was not working.

The Alfa Project is a full time education initiative for 13-16 year olds who have dropped out of school, providing a real alternative to the academic exam led education, combining the developmental base of Steiner Education with the need for young people to have a meaningful and experiential education. Caroline lives in Co. Clare.

11               Paul O’Hara (Blackrock, Co Dublin)

Born in 1978, Paul hails from Castlebar, Co. Mayo, and was educated at St. Gerald's College Castlebar, University College Galway (B.Comm) and University College Dublin where he completed an M.Sc. in Marketing Practices at the Smurfit Graduate School of Business. 

Paul went on to work in various marketing roles at Unilever Bestfoods and Cadbury Ireland.  Having joined Cadbury as a Brand Manager in 2002, he was quickly promoted to Product Group Manager, with responsibility for turnover, profitability, market share and brand development on a portfolio with a market value exceeding €70 million. While visiting Zimbabwe in early 2004, Paul had the opportunity to observe the injustices of extreme poverty first hand which inspired him to found The Hope Concept later that year.

The Hope Concept is a sustainable social enterprise which aims to sell a premium range of foods and beverages to Irish consumers with all profits going to sustainable water and agricultural development projects in the developing world through reputable international aid agencies.

12        John McCarthy (Parteen, Co Clare)

John is a former Maths and Science teacher from Limerick. He spent 11 years in Moscow during the end of the Cold War period as founder of a very large retail and trading company – Irlasto which was a joint venture with Stoilichny Bank.  For many years John has had a keen interest in sports and has been an active participant in Gaelic games, soccer, rugby and athletics.

After returning to Ireland from Moscow, John set up his own consultancy business for Eastern Europe. In September 2000, John drew on his past experience in Education and Sport and established Sports 4 Success - An after schools education programme for boys and girls aged between 9-12 years who are educationally disadvantaged. The issues of education, health, physical ability, life skills, and social skills are collectively addressed through the medium of sport.

Today John is involved in 31 different schools throughout the country.

13        Paddy McGowan (Tyrone)

Paddy McGowan recovered from Schizophrenia with the support of other survivors. He is one of the founders of the United Kingdom Advocacy Network and participated in the original study (Romme/Escher, 1989) into hearing voices.

He also set up the first user group in Ireland in 1994. He is a prominent proponent of the recovery model and actively engaged in creating alternatives to the medical or maintenance model and a former Chief Executive Officer with the Irish Advocacy Network.

Paddy has served on the National Disability Authorities Ad Hoc Focus Group on Mental Health as well the National Board of Mental Health Ireland.  He has also been appointed to serve on the Western Health and Social Services Council by the Minister for Health in Northern Ireland and is a member of the Expert Group on Mental Health Policy in the Republic of Ireland. He also lectures on mental health matters in Dublin City University and has been involved in developing peer advocacy training to an accredited level.

He has also developed and delivers staff awareness training in user empowerment and is a founding member of the Institute for Mental Health Recovery, which has been set up by former users of mental health services to promote and drive recovery agenda. This project is a partnership between users and professionals and is unique in that service users are setting the agenda in terms of research, education and the application of recovery principles.

14 & 15          Orla Hasson & Jenny MacDonald (Derry)

Orla graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2000 with an MA degree in Drama and Spanish. After graduating she worked as an actor and outreach worker with Wicklow based theatre company Artslab Ireland, before becoming a freelance drama facilitator for the years 2002/2003. Freelance work included issue-based projects with organisations such as St. Columb’s Park House, Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, Derry; Navan Travellers Training Centre; Trinity Access Programme; Balor Developmental Community Arts Group, Ballybofey. Many of these projects involved socially marginalised young people and adults, including those with addictions, lone parents, victims of violence, and all were based on the concept of change. Change for the individual and for society. In 2003/2004 Orla worked as Educational Project Worker introducing drama to classrooms in rural Donegal, and she now works alongside her colleague Jenny Macdonald, as Co-Director of an exciting new educational company, Desert Fish Productions -  an issue-based theatre company addressing bullying among young people, using a drama based model for confronting social issues. Drama has the capacity to empower young people to take an active role in creating change in their own lives and communities.

Jenny Macdonald graduated from McMaster University, Ontario with an honors degree in Drama and Human Rights. She then worked as Company Liaison Director for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before returning to Canada to work as Educational Coordinator with the Tarragon theatre in Toronto. In 2000 she gained a Rotary scholarship to do a masters in Creative Writing in Trinity College Dublin. After graduating she worked as Arts Coordinator with the Trinity Access Programme, before going into freelance drama facilitation and education. In this capacity she worked with St. Columb’s Park House, Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, Derry; Balor Developmental Community Arts Group, Ballybofey; Sustainable Ireland, ECO-UNESCO; Pakhama UK, refugees and asylum seekers project; and Calypso, Dublin. After many collaborations Jenny teamed up with Orla Hasson, and is now Co-Director of Desert Fish Productions.

16        Albert Byrne (Drogheda, Co.Louth)

Albert Byrne from Dublin, established a project which aims to establish a facility where people can experience the first 24 hour call help line for addictions such as Drugs, Alcohol and Gambling, to give support to people living with addiction problems and provide a referral service.