CFPC TEAM

Janas Harrington

Chair of the Cork Food Policy Council, Janas Harrington is a Senior Lecturer in Public Health Nutrition and Director for the Bsc Public Health Sciences, School of Public Health UCC.   She has an active research portfolio. Her research is focussed on studying the determinants of population diets and the association between diet patterns and chronic disease, including obesity.   Her current work focusses on the impact of Government food policies on the healthiness of food environments.  She has led successful national and European research projects. She is currently a work package leader for a EU-funded Policy Evaluation Network evaluating the effectiveness of existing policies for lifestyle interventions (https://www.jpi-pen.eu/).  The work will produce for the first time an Irish Food Environment Policy Index benchmarking the Irish food environments against international best practice.  At National level, she is a member of the Healthy Eating Sub-group and the Food Re-formulation subgroup of the Obesity Policy Implementation Oversight Group, convened by the Department of Health. She was recently appointed Chair of the Cork Food Policy Council. Her key aim in this position is to support the work of the Food Policy Council to work and to lead the development and implementation of a Food Strategy for Cork City.

Twitter: @janasharrington

Weblink:  http://research.ucc.ie/profiles/C010/jharrington

Maria Young

 Maria is the Administrative Coordinator of Cork Food Policy Council. Maria had a career in the arts for most of her life training as a classical musician, she later became a producer of professional plays, operas, musicals and performance theatre in Ireland and abroad. She managed St Patrick’s Day Parade for Cork City Council for several years and continues to manage bonfire night and other public events across the city. An abiding interest in nature and the environment led her gradually to move closer to working in this area. This is her third year as coordinator of SHEP Earth Aware and since 2018 she is the coordinator of Green Spaces for Health and the Cork Food Policy Council. Her specific areas of interest are in providing platforms for discussion and action around the climate crisis, protecting our natural environment and ecosystems, promoting self sufficiency in a urban setting and sustainability. She is particularly keen on community growing food initiatives and in locating more growing areas in Cork City.

Keelin Tobin

Keelin holds an honours BSc in International Development and Food Policy from U.C.C. and an honours MA in Anthropology of Food from SOAS, London. She trained in Professional Cookery at C.I.T. and until recently has been working as a chef. Her enthusiasm for food and food activism has led her to eat mice in Malawi (she wanted to learn about nutrition), to glean green beans in Essex (to be redistributed to charities), to slaughter a chicken in Uganda (she was interested in what is dubbed ‘farm to fork’), to give Battenberg cake to strangers as part of a ‘playful intervention’ at Kinsale Arts Festival (it’s what her Granny used to give her), to produce and co-present a food show for campus radio (regrettably, this was called ‘Orally Fixated’), and to work part time at a supper club (she wanted to eavesdrop and couldn’t afford to attend as a paying guest). Food growing is her current pursuit of food related knowledge, one that brings much satisfaction..

Denise Cahill 

Denise is the Healthy Cities Co-coordinator in Cork City. She has worked as a researcher in the area of Public Health and has been employed in the area of health promotion for the past 12 years. Denise has worked in the areas of Schools Health Promotion, Physical Activity and Tobacco Control. In more recent years she has developed her understanding and commitment to community health promotion and has coordinated the health profile of Cork City in support of World Health Organisation recognition of Cork as a Healthy City.  Through the Healthy Cities structure Denise has developed skills to support the development of partnerships between and among the community, voluntary and statutory sectors in the area of health promotion.

Bernadette Connolly

is the Development Co-ordinator of Cork Environmental Forum. In respect of current initiatives CEF, she is on the Steering Committee of the “Grow It, Cook It, Eat It” Community Food Initiative in Dunmanway which is one of 10 projects on the island of Ireland participating in the 2013-2015 programme. CEF supports growing food and community initiatives in many different ways. It held a very well attended Growing Seminar in Churchfield in April 2012 and has previously held other Seminars including one in Kinsale on Community Supported Agriculture and in Fota House. CEF added Community Gardens, as a category, to its Annual Environmental Awards in 2009.  On a personal level, Bernadette, was involved on a voluntary basis with the Local Food Group under Sustainable Clonakilty for a number of years..

Jim O’Donovan 

completed an MA in Local Government Management in the Institute of Public Administration in 2005.  -Dissertation on Docklands Renewal projects.  Jim has worked for Cork Corporation as a Clerical Officer 1972; Kinsale UDC as a Town Clerk in1978; Cork Corporation in various Grades to 1991.  In 1991 Jim became the Cork Corporation Assistant Town Clerk and in 1999 the Waterford County Council  Director of Community & Enterprise .  Jim returned to Cork City Council as Director of Services, Planning & Development 2001- 2005 and became Director of Services Community and Enterprise Cork City Council 2006 to 2012.  Jim is currently Director of Environment and Recreation..

Marianne Delaney

has have been in business in Cork for 16 years with Cafe Gusto & Liberty Grill. Marianne is very active on social media which can be used to create awareness & interest. Marianne is well connected with other restaurateurs & bar owners who operate a food business in Cork city & county. Food waste is a big issue for the food businesses & a great interest of hers. (She composts all the coffee grinds & green waste from Cafe Gusto at home each week) Marianne would like to explore the possibility of collaborating with other food businesses on food waste and has always been interested in health & land. Marianne went to agricultural college in Warwickshire UK before she settled on food business so she has a strong background knowledge on food systems..

Eoin McCuirc 

is a manager in the Central Statistics Office in the Databank and Dissemination Division. Eoin has good data and information technology skills. As a director of the Cork Simon Community, Bia Food Bank and Food Cloud Eoin has an interest in the social and environmental issues surrounding, homelessness, poverty, social exclusion, food and food waste. Eoin trained in Permaculture Design and teaches “Get Growing” a community based vegetable growing course. Eoin coordinates mass catering events and has the relevant management of food hygiene training. Eoin is a trained alternative health therapist and teacher..

Charlotte Donovan 

is the co-ordinator of the Knocknaheeny Hollyhill Community Garden and the Arts for Health Programme for Niche Community Health Project. Charlotte is a visual artist with almost 30 years experience of devising, developing, facilitating and managing art projects in healthcare and community contexts in Scotland and Ireland. She was previously the Development Manager of Art in a Glasgow Hospital and Triskel’s artist-in-residence in St Finbarr’s Hospital. In addition to her current role with Niche, she also facilitates an open studio workshops for the Next Step, a charity promoting creativity for mental health. Charlotte has a vast amount of experience in public art commissions, graphic design, curating exhibitions, training and mentoring, project evaluation, development and consultancy..

Barrie Tyner

is a small scale artisan food producer, bespoke caterer and committee member of the Midleton Farmers Market Society. His main interests are furthering the understanding of food choice, the democratisation of food and the policy that shape these areas. Having completed a degree in Social Science at UCC, he is currently perusing a Masters in Epidemiology and working part time in the HRB Centre for Health and Diet Research..

Lucille O’Connor

is a graduate of UCC holding a BSc in Food Technology, a Diploma in Management and a Diploma in Quality Management. Since graduating Lucille has worked in Sales and in various roles across the Food Manufacturing , Distribution and Retail sector. Currently Lucille is the Food Safety & Quality Development Co-ordinator for Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland. As part of this role she takes part in discussion and working groups at governmental level that help shape future legislation and reduce the burden of implementation of current legislation. Lucille provides guidance on Food Safety and Quality to artisan and small producers that take part in the Food Academy programme which is jointly sponsored by SuperValu, Bord Bia and the Local Enterprise Office. Lucille is passionate about community involvement and is involved at a local level in clubs and associations in her own community. 

Ellie Donovan

is the founder of Green Space, an urban agriculture enterprise in Cork. Her career has always involved food and plants. She managed restaurants, gardens, and whole food retail stores in the UK while studying nutrition and medicinal herbs. Growing up, she was always at her mother’s feet as she tended the vegetable garden. This nurtured Ellie’s belief that food can be grown sustainably by everyone. Ellie is qualified in Applied Social Studies, Computer Aided Design and Training & Development and has completed Project Management training and the Exxcel STEM programme at the Rubicon Centre, CIT. She actively networks within the food industry by attending training events and workshops with Bord Bia, Taste Cork and the Local Enterprise Office. A compulsive plant propagator, Ellie believes healthy food can be grown anywhere and everywhere with a low environmental impact. Green Space received funding from Cork City Local Enterprise Office and is a member of Cork Environmental Forum and The Northside for Business initiative.

Ian Graham

is a horticulturist, living in Cork, but currently working with a fruit grower in Dublin. Ian has worked in nurseries, garden centres and private gardens. However, with a degree focusing on the production and use of herbal plants and a masters in Organic Horticulture, his current interest is in sustainable, low-input, food and herb production. Ian is passionate about urban food production and believes it has the potential to regenerate areas of our city, while also informing people where their food comes from.  Ian decided to focus on a career in horticulture having worked in manufacturing and IT in the early stage of his career. Ian can see the benefits of his career/lifestyle on himself and would love to help to encourage others to engage.

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Brenda Stillwell

grew up on a dairy farm in Co Cavan and is the youngest of 5 children. She moved to Cork in 1982 to study Art at the Crawford and have lived here ever since. Brenda is a mother of 5 boys, is working in Mayfield Community Training Centre teaching Art,  and has been involved in numerous youth and community projects over the years. She is a member of Voices of Cork Community Choir and currently volunteers with a local Youth Café. Brenda is passionate about people having access to the arts without money being a barrier. Brenda’s interest in the Grow Cork project comes from her farm life background and she would like to see people – particularly young people-have the opportunity to learn the skills of growing their own food. She believe these skills, along with access to the arts, will stand to them practically, physically and mentally. Brenda’s back garden that is home to a variety of young fruit trees and bushes, a few salad ingredients, herbs and 5 hens and she describes this as her happy place.