BSc Botany, PhD Botany
I owe my career to my training and experience in University College Dublin. I graduated from college with a science degree specializing in Botany and Zoology. I followed this with a PhD Study focusing on peatlands.
During my time at college the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) was set up due to concern among academics and government agencies about the destruction of peatland habitats without any conservation plan in place. As a postgraduate an opportunity arose for me to join the Committee of Management of this campaigning organization. From there I learned how to put my scientific training and knowledge to good use in furthering the campaign to save Irish bogs and fens.
For many years with the organization my initial focus was on education as I had followed my primary degree with the Higher Diploma in Education. I published over 30 educational resources focusing on peatlands which have become recognized by the Department of Education and Science and are widely used in primary and post primary schools education programmes.
In 2004, I was promoted to Chief Executive with the IPCC and my role has been to establish a centre of excellence in peatland education, research and conservation at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre in County Kildare. The organization now has seven members of staff, we own and manage three peatlands for conservation, the Bog of Allen Nature Centre is open to tourists and school groups and we have just published a Conservation Plan for the peatlands of Ireland to help halt the loss of their biodiversity.
I believe that a degree in Science is a wonderful foundation for any further work in nature conservation, management, environmental education and campaigning. I owe much of my passion for peatlands to the spark that was ignited by the lecturers in ecology in University College Dublin and for the support they gave to the Irish Peatland Conservation Council in its early days.
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