Our Board

John is a former Chairman of Ballyhoura Development CLG from 2008-2015. He also served as National Chairman of the Irish Local Development Network CLG (ILDN) from 2012-2015. He served as Chairman of Dairygold Cooperative Society from 2003-2007 and concurrently served as Vice Chairman Irish Dairy Board 2003-2007. John has been involved at officer level with many local and community groups.

John is a director of BRS, contributing to strategy, governance, leadership, management, IT and business knowledge. John is now retired from his role as Assistant Director of the LGCSB (Now LGMA). He worked for 7 years in local government and for a further 23 years in a national organisation providing Information Technology services to the local government sector. Roles there included, Software Development, Business/IT Analysis, Project Management, Customer Management and finally six years senior management of the organisation. John holds qualifications in Information Technology and Senior Management. John is a former Director of both Croom Community Development Association and Croom Community Enterprise Centre.

As a Sister of Mercy, Sr. Helena is involved at many levels of Congregational Management. As a nurse /midwife she worked in the Acute Services. As Assistant Director of Nursing she was responsible for the hospital coordination, staff management, member of a HSE local development team for the development of new services and change management. Helena is a registered Nurse/Midwife and holds Diplomas in Social Studies, Human Development, Applied Psychology and Certificates in Health Service Management and Disability Awareness. Helena is the nominee of the Sisters of Mercy contributing to planning strategy, policies and procedure and the development of services.

Martin has been a dairy farmer since 1998 and an agricultural consultant since 2002. He was a board member Kerry Co-operative Creameries from 2015 to 2020 and was vice-chairman in 2020. He served as the board member of ICOS from 2019 to 2020. Martin was a director of IHFA (Irish Holstein Friesian Association) for 2 terms and he is a Council member of ACA (Agricultural Consultants Association). Martin has a Batchelor of Agricultural Science from UCD & also undertakes CPD with the ACA as a Registered Agricultural Consultant. Martin is also a former officer & member of a number community/voluntary groups.

Liam has 8 years’ teaching experience in both secondary and further education. He has held the role of centre manager of Limerick College of Further Education Cappamore Campus since 2015, liaising with educational and local community bodies to meet the educational requirements of the area. In January 2018 appointed Assistant Director of Adult Education for LCFE, which provides a range of part-time educational opportunities for those in the Mid-West Region. Liam holds a B.Tech. in Education in Construction and Materials Technology from UL. Liam is Director: Nominee of the L.C.E.T.B (Limerick and Clare Educational Training Board).

Mairead Lavery is the recently retired editor of Irish Country Living and Irish Country Magazine. She continues to write about gardening for both publications.

Mairead is a former joint winner of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists ‘National Journalist of the Year Award’ and she won the National Print category on two occasions. She also won the ‘John Healy Award for Regional Journalism’ and was voted ‘Consumer Magazine Editor of the Year’ for Irish Country Magazine in 2013.

She contributes weekly to Newstalk’s Sean Moncrieff Show and is a regular panellist on a range of programmes.

Mairead is a graduate of the University of Limerick and Trinity College. She lives in Shanagolden, Co Limerick with her husband Sean and they have three adult children.

Mairead served on the board of Agri Aware, the farming and food education body from 2000-2010 and was its chairman for five of these years. She chaired Failte Ireland’s B&B Strategic Implementation Group. She is a former board member of Foynes Port Company and West Limerick Resources.

She represented IFA on the National Economic and Social Council and is a former County Chairman of Limerick IFA and represented the county on the IFA Executive Council.