FR. MCGRATH CENTRE - Key Persons
Anne Marie is a lifetime resident of the estate and one of our youngest Directors. She has been involved with the organisation since she was eleven years old when she was active as a member of the KATS Circus Group and when she trained as a junior leader with our youth clubs. She was also employed for a period as a trained childcare worker in our crèche before leaving to take up a position with the HSE. Anne Marie is a founding member of the local and very successful Community Savings Bank, a member and former secretary of the Butts Women's Group and she is an active member of the South East FRC Forum. She joined the Board in 2005.
Fr. Jim is parish priest of St. Canice's and the most recent member to join our Board. He is well known to many local families having worked in the community as a curate in earlier years. One of the first voluntary groups he joined when he took up his position as Parish Priest in 2005 was our Board indicating his eagerness to build strong links between community and social justice groups and the local church.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Retired Accountant
Martin is a retired accountant and long-time resident of the Parish. He has been active all his life on social and community enterprise Boards including Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce, Abbey Business Centre, South East Simon Community and SOS Kilkenny Ltd. Martin is also currently Chairperson of the Board of Management of Loreto Secondary School, is finance officer of Loreto Education Trust and sits on the board of Kilkenny Civic Trust and the audit committee of the Kilkenny local authorities.
Michael was brought up in the Butt's estate, and still has family members resident in the community. He attended primary school in the building now housing the Fr. McGrath Centre. Michael has work extensively with youth organisations in Ireland, England, Australia and America and has a degree in youth work studies. For over thirty years he has helped pioneer the development of youth support and training services in Kilkenny. He is currently employed as the artistic director of Young Irish Film Makers, a youth group he established in 1991. SCCA originates from the ‘Butts Pride Festival' he organised in 1991.
Pat is a founding member of the group and resided in the Parish area for many years with his family. He is a lay minister in the parish and has been active for a number of years with residents and voluntary community groups, notably the Kilkenny Parishes Action Committee and the Save The Waterbarrack Committee (local action groups for balanced development) which he helped to found. Pat is the managing director of Kilkenny Communications Ltd and has a young family.
Patricia is a local parent and has lived all her life in the estate. She is an active and founding member of the Butts Residents Association (2004) and has been actively involved in the management Board of the project since 2005. Patricia in also one of three Board reps who are active members of the South East Family Resource Centre Forum.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of Our Board
Rose is the newest member of our Board and has recently retired as Senior Social Worker with Carlow/Kilkenny HSE's Childcare Team. Rose has many years of experience in working with families and children in our targeted communities and has extensive links with community, social justice and family support groups in Kilkenny.