I grew up in a housing estate in Dublin, Ireland and had an early interest in politics and social justice. In my 20s I traveled to the Palestinian Territories to learn more about the political situation on the ground. I found myself staying on a permaculture farm just outside Bethlehem, and at the start of a journey that helped me understand the interconnection between our food systems, our communities and a quest to create a more just society. I spent the following years working for the Irish branch of an international peace organization, focusing on non-formal education programs for at risk youth and delivering trainings and seminars across Europe on social justice and non-formal education. Many of the programs I developed focused on sustainability and climate justice, and in 2013, I moved to an ‘ecovillage’ in Cloughjordan, County Tipperary, where I continued to run youth focused programs.

During my time in Cloughjordan I completed a PDC and was an active member of our Community Supported Agriculture farm which supplied vegetables to the wider community. In 2015, I moved to Tasmania, where I am now co-managing a 117-hectare property in the Northeast of Tasmania with my partner and his family. The farm is a conventional dairy assignment farm incorporating regenerative practices and we have plans to transition to a zero-carbon farming practice and micro-dairy operation in the near future. I also am a community worker and continue to manage projects with migrant communities and youth in Northern Tasmania. I am a passionate about local food systems, community education and community led responses to the global challenges we face.