Gráinne O'Leary

Chief Executive

Gráinne O’Leary is chief executive of Arthritis Ireland, where she is leading the strategy of the charity to be one of the leading patient centric health charities in Ireland.

Prior her appointment as chief executive in 2018, she was head of services with the organisation since 2004 and has worked as a senior manager in the non-profit and healthcare sector for over 20 years. Gráinne developed and implemented Arthritis

 Ireland’s suite of patient support services, including the innovative Stanford University self-management programme, a national helpline and a national physical activity programme in partnership with the Irish Society for Chartered Physiotherapists. She serves as a board member of  the Disability Federation of Ireland and IPPOSI. 

Contact: 01 647 0201; [email protected] 

Nathalie Peyret 

Office Administrator

Nathalie has been with Arthritis Ireland since 2009 and is responsible for the efficient running of the office, central administration, amongst other duties.

Contact: 01 661 8188; 086 067 3733; [email protected] 

Martina Blake

Services Manager

Martina is our Services Manager and joined the team in March 2022, having previously worked with health charities and the Living Well programme in the North West. Martina has spent her career working in the field of community development, cross border work, health and wellbeing programmes, empowering people through support, training and education. Martina brings a wealth of experience, positivity and energy to the role of services manager overseeing, delivering the services at Arthritis Ireland.

Contact: 01 6470205; 086 4411473; [email protected]

 

Svetlana Kushnirenko

Programme Coordinator & Data Management

Svetlana has worked in Arthritis Ireland since 2008 and is responsible for the overall coordination and administration of Arthritis Ireland chronic disease self-management programmes (CDSMP). Her role also includes responsibility for Arthritis Ireland’s database - managing the organisations data to support fundraising, financial management, and community services. Svetlana is also Arthritis Ireland's data protection officer (DPO).

Contact: 01 647 0206; 087 933 2706; [email protected]

Tara Regan

Communications and Advocacy Manager

Tara, our Communications and Advocacy Manager joined the team in June 2022. Tara comes from the National Dairy Council where she worked since 2008, managing their EU and school’s education and awareness programmes including the EU School Milk Scheme. A graduate of Waterford Institute of Technology and a postgraduate of DCU, Tara is passionate about the role that Arthritis Ireland plays in positively impacting people living with arthritis.

Contact: 086 013 8448; [email protected]

Peter Boyd

Services Support Officer

Peter works with the services team in ensuring the delivery of Arthritis Ireland’s services and programmes, with particular emphasis on managing the Arthritis Ireland helpline and peer-to-peer network. Having held many voluntary positions within the organisation, including serving as a board member for six years, Peter joined the Arthritis Ireland team in 2019.  Peter combines his role with on-going voluntary work for EULAR PARE (a European coalition of national organisations for People with Arthritis/Rheumatism in Europe), for whom he advocates on behalf of those living with arthritis across Europe at numerous conferences and events.

Contact: 01 647 0202; 086 775 8813; [email protected]

Maebh Coyle

Health Information Officer

With over 20 years’ experience creating health content for newspapers, magazines, blogs, e-newsletters, booklets and podcasts, Maebh joined the team in June 2023. A graduate of DCU (BA in Communications) and Postgraduate of London City University (Diploma in Journalism), Maebh has also added certificates in Exercise and Nutrition and CBT to her education. She has a passion for communicating health messages to members of the public and strives to provide up-to-date, accurate and relevant content to those living with arthritis.

Contact: 086 065 2279; [email protected] 

Jarlath Coyle

Fundraising Manager

Jarlath is the Fundraising Manager at Arthritis Ireland and joined the team in July 2023. Jarlath has experience across all areas of fundraising, in particular community, corporate, events and campaigns and has worked in a number of Irish charities in the healthcare area over the past ten years. A graduate of University of Galway who has also completed postgraduate studies at UCD, DBS and IMI.

Contact: 086 075 7404; [email protected]

Conal Fagan

Fundraising Executive

Conal Fagan is a passionate advocate and change-maker within the disability sector. Originally from Derry, Conal spent five years in the United States, earning his B.A. in Political Science with a supplementary major in Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame. As a prestigious Hesburgh-Yusko Scholar, Conal dedicated his summers to gain global experience on the intersection of sport and inclusion, having held roles in with various organizations in South Africa, Australia, and the United States. Following graduation, Conal spent a year as a Volunteer Academic Specialist at St Labre Indian School, before returning to Ireland to complete an M.Sc. Disability at University College Dublin and work with Special Olympics International, where he organized the 2023 Global Athlete Congress in Berlin, Germany. 

Contact: 086 440 0584 ; 01 647 0203; [email protected]

Joanne Farrelly

Community Support Officer

Joanne joined Arthritis Ireland in September 2023 and is responsible for the co-ordination and promotion of our 'Be Active with Arthritis', our 6 week adapted exercise class delivered by a chartered physiotherapist and our 'Behind the Pain', our 6 week mental health programme facilitated by a psychotherapist. Joanne's role also involves supporting our network of volunteers nationally. Prior to her role in Arthritis Ireland, Joanne has gained years of experience co-ordinating and facilitating health promotion and well being programmes within community settings.

Contact: 086 795 9866; [email protected]