Meet the team:

Sharon O’ Halloran, Chief Executive Officer

(Bachelor of Divinity, Dip. Mediation, Diploma in Biodynamic Psychotherapy).

Sharon is a leading voice on a more equal Ireland and a powerful speaker. Inspiring leadership in 2016 at Áras an Uachtaráin, Sharon spoke with host President Higgins, Champion World Leader of the UN Women HeforShe campaign and with international phenomenon Hozier who donated the proceeds of his Cherry Wine single to Safe Ireland. Sharon engaged those leaders and the rest of the country saying, “our culture and attitudes allow domestic violence to continue as a largely undocumented crime in Ireland.” Also in 2016 she led the design and delivery of the first Safe Ireland Summit held in the Mansion House in 2016. It was a groundbreaking, first of it’s kind event that hosted 45 of the world’s most disruptive change agents and raised the profile of domestic violence like never before in Ireland.

CEO of Safe Ireland since 2001, Sharon has collaborated with its 37 Irish member services to transform the coalition into the National Social Change Agency working on domestic violence in Ireland. She is changing how this social, political and cultural issue is discussed in government, in the media and in communities not only within Ireland but around the world. Sharon has created relationships with US and European partners that are moving the topic of domestic violence onto national agendas. She brings her experience in community development to her management of national and EU funded projects, to Safe Ireland’s development of strategic partnerships, gender based violence prevention campaigns, public relations and grassroots service support. Sharon is a fully qualified biodynamic psychotherapist, interested in the intersection between social change and trauma, healing and ending intergenerational cycles of violence. A graduate of Bangor University, she also has a post graduate diploma in Mediation Studies from Dublin University.

Caitríona Gleeson, Programme & Communications Manager

Caitríona is a double graduate of NUI Galway with a B Comm (Hons) and a MA in Women’s Studies. She is a dynamic, innovative change leader with a strong commitment to achieving human rights, safety and equality for all women. She is passionate about being part of a social movement for change, which positively impacts on the lives of women and children affected by gender based violence. She has particular interest in culture change and legal system reform.

Caitríona has been working with Safe Ireland for ten years and currently has responsibility for Programme and Communication Management. Caitríona joined Safe Ireland with over ten years work experience in community and local development where she developed excellent skills in research, organisation development, communications, programme delivery, fundraising and service development for women and children impacted by gender based violence and the LGBTQI population.

Ann Flynn, Operations Manager

Ann is a graduate of NUI Galway and of Liverpool John Moore’s University and has a BA (Hons), a Masters in Rural Development and a Masters in Business Administration. Her career to date spans a range of sectors and settings including local, community, education and enterprise development. Ann has worked in community development for five years, in the public sector as Chief Executive Officer of an Enterprise Board for six years and as a Managing Director in the private sector for eight years. More recently Ann has been working in the local development sector delivering social inclusion programmes targeting those that are most disadvantaged in our community.

Ann has well developed skills and competencies in leadership, strategic thinking, organisational development, accessing funding, not for profit governance and operations management. Ann joined the team of Safe Ireland in December 2015.

Lisa Marmion, Services Development Manager

Lisa joined Safe Ireland in October 2017 as its Services Development Manager. Lisa brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of domestic violence, supporting victims of domestic violence and delivering strategic services in County Louth having worked previously with Women’s Aid Dundalk for 17 years most recently as its Services Manager for the past 6 years. Prior to that, Lisa worked for four years with Youth Work Ireland as a Peer Education and Youth Development Officer.

Lisa holds a BSc (Hons) Social Psychology from Ulster University Coleraine, an MSc Applied Psychology from Ulster University at Jordanstown and is currently completing a PhD with Trinity College Dublin tilted: Multiple Perspectives on father engagement in the context of Domestic Violence.

Lisa has a Certificate in Homeless Prevention and Intervention from Dublin City University and a Fetac Level 5 Community Addiction Studies from Urrús – Ireland’s Community Addiction Studies Training Centre. She lectures part-time in Dundalk Institute of Technology on the Certificate in Fundamentals in responding to Domestic Abuse (Level 8).

Claire Kearney, Office Manager

Claire is a graduate of Middlesex University with a first class honours degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy. She also holds a Diploma in Biodynamic Psychotherapy and Psychology from the Gerda Boyesen International Institute. Prior to joining Safe Ireland, Claire worked in various administrative roles in the private sector, but moved into the Community & Voluntary sector from her interest in women’s issues.

Claire is working with Safe Ireland since 2007 and as a qualified Biodynamic Psychotherapist is the first point of contact for women who contact Safe Ireland and the general public and our Safe Ireland members. Having also qualified with a Diploma in Biodynamic Massage she is keenly interested in the effect of trauma on the body and healing practices.

Shauna Markey, Policy & Research Officer

Shauna is a graduate of NUI Galway where she completed a BA in English and Political Science & Sociology. Her interests in social justice and gender inequality led her to complete an MA in Gender, Globalisation and Rights, with her thesis examining the challenges being faced by women in the Irish Justice System when they seek protection from Domestic Violence from a human rights perspective. Shauna has been working with Safe Ireland since 2013.

Leo Galvin, Finance Manager

Leo is a Commerce graduate of University College Dublin and a member of the Institute of Administrative Accountants. He has spent twenty five years as Finance Director and Operations Director of both Irish and US multinational companies and a further twelve years managing his own Company. He holds several non executive Directorships and his Company offers a wide range of financial,accounting and business planning services to to local business and enterprises.

Mayo Women’s Support Service

Our team in the support service in Mayo is made up of 7 full time staff including:

• A manager
• Assistant manager
• 3 domestic violence support workers
• A childcare worker
• An administrator

We also employ 4 relief workers.