Meet The Team
"The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for."
– Ernest Hemingway
Here at Green Offaly we have an amazing team of people who have the broad range of expertise needed to deliver our Green Regeneration Strategy.
Rebekah Keaveny
Co-Founder / Project Development Coordinator
“In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations”. — Iroquois Maxim
Rebekah runs day to day operations and is the Project Development Coordinator. Rebekah has over 20 years of experience and training in Community Regeneration, Environmental Education, Project Delivery and Event Management. She was co-founder of EcoDysgu – EcoLearn (now STEER), a pioneering environmental education centre, set within the grounds of an historical Welsh heritage site where she first encountered the work of Development Trusts. In her spare time Rebekah is a Green Schools Coordinator and Birr SEC coordinator. She is passionate about people power!
Bridie Costello Hynes
Co-Founder / Director
“We are currently in the optimum place to bring about change in Offaly, Ireland and the world through environmental actions that will provide social, economic and environmental benefits.”
Bridie is the Offaly Public Participation Network Co-ordinator and brings a wealth of Community Development experience across a broad range of areas. Bridie has a keen interest in the environment and sustainability sector and is passionate about expanding the environmental reach of the PPN. Bridie is the glue that bonds us to Offaly’s Communities. Bridie is a great communicator, facilitating and inspiring group leadership of projects and has a creative approach to community challenges.
Roisin Lennon
Director
Roisin is a Director of Green Offaly and her guidance and expertise has been instrumental in setting up the Company. Roisin is the Rural Development Team Leader with Offaly Local Development Company and has over 25 years’ experience in community and rural development; she is responsible for the LEADER Programme and is involved in the roll out of community planning and clustering initiatives within the Company.
Michael Hanna
Director
Michael graduated from Trinity College Dublin and holds a degree in Natural Sciences and an M.Sc. in Animal Breeding. Michael then went to Gurteen Agricultural College and obtained a first class result in the National Certificate in Agriculture. Michael was then offered, and took up, the position of Warden in Gurteen College.
Michael was appointed as the administrative officer for the Faculty of Science at Trinity College and in 1992 moved to a similar post in the Faculty of Health Sciences. In 2002 Michael was appointed to the post of Faculty Manager of the Faculty of Medicine and Health at University College Cork. He retired from that post in 2012, aged 62, as part of a government early retirement scheme.Since then he has become interested in local history and in 2018 completed a masters in local history at UCC.
Michael has always had a strong interest in education and science. He well understands the depth of the climate crisis in which we now find ourselves and the magnitude of the challenge facing us all if we are to successfully avoid a climate catastrophe for the planet caused by human activity.
Basil Mannion
Advisory Executive Committee Member - Water & Environment
Basil is the Community Water Officer (CWO) for Offaly, Westmeath and Laois with the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO). Basil holds a BSc Environmental Science & Technology Degree from Sligo IT, a Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Engineering from Trinity College Dublin and a Postgraduate Diploma in Energy Management from Sligo IT.
Basil has previously worked for Bord na Móna Environmental, Westmeath County Council and Offaly County Council. Basil has been in the position of CWO since 2017. Basil comes from a farming background in South Roscommon along the shores of Lough Ree.
Jonathan O'Meara
Advisory Executive Committee Member - Ecotourism & Outdoor Education.
Owner of Mid Ireland Adventure/ The Slieve Bloom MTB Centre.
Jonathan set up the micro-enterprise Mid Ireland Adventure/The Slieve Bloom MTB Centre to respond to the demand for adventure sports in a rural context. A former journalist, Jonathan drew on his marketing, PR, design and IT skills to help grow and promote his business.
Environmental education is part of the ethos of Mid Ireland Adventure. It aims to inspire greater appreciation of the Offaly environment by providing information on local history and nature. The company also promotes increased water safety. Jonathan’s business was a runner up in the 2019 European Rural Inspirational Award organised by the European Commission.
Roger Guiney
Advisory Executive Committee Member – Business
Roger is president of the Tullamore Chamber of Commerce and in 2019 signed the Chambers Ireland pledge committing to uphold, communicate and implement the Sustainable Development Goals. Roger holds a BComm (UCD) and M.MangtSc (Smurfit Business School).`
With previous experience working and consulting across a broad range of sectors including utilities, manufacturing, engineering and finance, Roger now works with his wife running two pharmacies in Tullamore.
Roger believes that business has a critical role in leading sustainable community development.
Martina O Moore
Advisory Executive Committee Member – Social Finance.
Martina is a Social Finance Executive with Clann Credo – Community Loan Finance covering Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath. This involves playing a key role in helping the community/voluntary sector and not for profit organisations to borrow on fair terms.
She completed a Masters in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in UCD in 2015. She has over 20 years in banking/Lending and previously held roles as Agri Business Specialist dealing with Agri/SME lending.
She holds a BA in Economics and Geography, as well as BA Financial Services, QFA qualified and a HDip Business Studies. Martina’s advice and extensive networking capacity is invaluable to Green Offaly
Alex Copland
Advisory Executive Committee Member – Ecology
Alex has worked as an ecologist for over 25 years, including over 20 years working in the public, private and NGO (charity) sectors in Ireland. He holds a PhD (in Zoology) from UCC and BSc (Hons) in Ecology from the University of Edinburgh.
Alex specialises in research, management, policy and advocacy work relating to the conservation of biodiversity and the protection and enhancement of the environment, with particular expertise in relation to wider countryside issues, particularly in agricultural, upland wetland and peatland landscapes.
He has worked extensively at the interface between people and biodiversity, seeking to encourage, support and enhance a wider understanding and appreciation for the value and importance of nature in our everyday lives.