Meet the Team
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Our Staff
Morgan Mc Knight | Chief Executive Officer
Email: morgan@theatnetwork.com
Phone: 01 525 0707
Emma Caparangca | Business Manager
Email: emma@theatnetwork.com
Phone: 01 525 0708 / 086 1804940
David Curran | Finance Manager
Email: david@theatnetwork.com
Phone: 01 525 0701 / 086 2037613
Mariam Assi Bah | Finance Officer
Email: mariam@theatnetwork.com
Phone: 01 525 0702 / 083 4098401
Aisling Whelan | Member Relations Manager
Email: aisling@theatnetwork.com
Phone: 01 525 0704 / 086 180 6952
Kate Morrissey | Member Relations Officer
Email: kate@theatnetwork.com
Phone: 01 525 0707 / 086 183 1502
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Our Board
We are hugely grateful to our Board – composed entirely of volunteers – who bring with them a huge weight of experience and expertise which has helped to guide everything that we do.
Gordon Ryan – Chairperson
Gordon is a founding member of Áiseanna Tacaíochta and an active member of the disability movement and has a broad range of experience.
Gordon was a Leader in the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) self-directed service for sixteen years.
For the past eleven years, Gordon has worked in the Accounts Department of the Citizens Information Board (CIB). Gordon is a fellow member of the Institute of Accounting Technicians of Ireland (IATI). He was also a director at Disability Options, a company providing training and support to people with disabilities on Independent Living issues.
Gordon participates in the Strasbourg Freedom Drive, an event taking place every two years and organised by the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL). While there, they had met MEP’s at the European parliament and the European Disability Inter Group to try to get the EU to influence member states to improve the rights of people with disabilities in Europe.
Gordon has been involved with Centre for Independent Living (CIL) for the past fifteen years, and he passionately believes in the philosophy of Independent Living. He has been involved in researching the different models of Direct Payments with CIL for the past four to five years, because he believes it is the future. In early 2018, Gordon has been appointed as Board member of CIL.
Gordon was also a member of the task force on individualized funding set up by Minister McGrath, which just published the report in 2018.
Owen Collumb
As a founding member of ÁT and a person with lived experience of disability, Owen brings first-hand knowledge and understanding to the Board. This ensures that ÁT continues to be person-centred and supportive of the individual, while also working to promote Independent Living. Owen provides training courses on manual handling. He is an active board member for a number of organisations, including Greater Dublin Independent Living, Cheshire Ireland and Lucan Disability Action Group.
Mary Keogh
Mary has worked for over 10 years at an international level on disability rights and international development. Prior to that she worked with the disability movement in Ireland. Mary completed a PhD in 2014, prior to completing her PhD, she undertook a BA in Economics and an MA in International Economic Development. Mary currently works with CBM International as Senior Advisor on Disability and Gender Equality. Prior to this, she worked with CBM Australia as Inclusive Development Advisor and CBM Ireland. Mary also worked with the International Disability Rights Monitor (IDRM), where she was the coordinator of the IDRM European regional report and authored the Irish report. Mary has also written reports for the UN on inclusive development, contributed to the development of the CRPD committee general comment on women and girls with disabilities and she recently authored the CBM publication: How to make international development disability inclusive, and is a co-author of Inclusion Counts – The Economic Case for Disability-Inclusive Development
Mary is the former chair of the Dochas Working Group on Disability and International Development. The working group has been in existence for over 10 years and seeks to influence the Irish government and also Irish development and humanitarian organisations to ensure persons with disabilities are included in Ireland’s overseas aid commitments. She has also been the co-chair of the International Disability and Development Consortium EU Taskgroup.
Mary’s PhD research focus was a comparative analysis of how the US, Finland and Australia mainstream disability in their development aid programmes. Her research interests are intersectionality and gender and disability.
Eamon Saunders
Eamon joined the Board of Áiseanna Tacaíochta in 2024, bringing with him over thirty years of experience in the public service, mainly with the Department of Justice and Equality, and also with the Department of Finance and the Department of Foreign Affairs, where he served for three years as Counsellor for Justice and Home Affairs at the Irish Embassy in Washington DC.
Eamon is a qualified legal professional, having been called to the Bar of Ireland in 2004 and graduating from the Law Society of Ireland in 2017. He is also a certified Business Analyst and has worked in private legal practice. He is currently engaged on contract work with the International Protection Office.
His public service career includes roles such as Secretary to the Committee to Review the Offences Against the State Acts, Secretary to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal, and Liaison Officer for the Morris Tribunal and the Brian Rossiter Commission of Inquiry. He was also involved in drafting the legislation that led to the establishment of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission and legislation on decommissioning—foundational work contributing to the Good Friday Agreement.
Outside of work, Eamon enjoys swimming and motorbiking. He is a qualified basketball coach and referee, and often lends his voice as a PA announcer and commentator at Griffith College Éanna Superleague Basketball games.
Eamon has been married to Bride for nearly forty years and is a proud father to his daughter Amy and grandfather to Tom and Kate. He brings to the Board a deep interest in public affairs and a strong commitment to upholding people’s rights and entitlements.
Fiona Weldon
Fiona joined the Board of Áiseanna Tacaíochta in 2026. She brings over 30 years’ experience in the disability sector as a researcher, trainer, and advocate. Fiona is currently employed as a Capacity Development Officer with Independent Living Movement Ireland, where she promotes a rights-based model of support for disabled people, guided by the Social Model of Disability and the philosophy of Independent Living.
Earlier in her career, Fiona was involved in establishing a local Independent Living service that provided Personal Assistance supports to disabled people seeking greater choice and control over the assistance they require in daily life.
Fiona holds a Master’s degree in Disability Studies, along with Diplomas in Community Development, Information Communication Technology (ICT), and Counselling Skills. She has also completed additional training in areas such as Advanced Facilitation, Equality Studies, Social Care, Reality Therapy, Assistive Technology, and Supported Self-Directed Living.
She has previously worked with the National Institute for Intellectual Disability in Trinity College Dublin, Maynooth University, and the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre at Dublin City University. She has also delivered evidence-based training programmes to both service users and staff across a range of disability services.
Fiona is passionate about supporting the empowerment of disabled people and strongly believes that everyone should have the same freedoms, choices, and opportunities to live their lives as equal members of society.
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Our Supporters
As an organisation developing a new approach and advocating for a policy commitment to the Direct Payments model, it was essential from the very beginning that we looked to include and inform all individuals, policy makers and service providers. We have received great support from the following:
Genio
Genio is an Irish non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works to bring Government and private and philanthropic funders together to develop better ways to support disadvantaged people to live full lives in their communities. Genio has provided support to us by way of funding and leadership, helping to continuously develop and strengthen our Direct Payments model.
Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI)
DFI represents the interests and the expectations of people with disabilitiesto be fully included in Irish society. It comprises over 120 organisations that represent and support people with all types of disabilities and disabling conditions. The vision of DFI is that Irish society is fully inclusive of people with disabilities and disabling conditions so that they can exercise their full civil, economic, social and human rights and that they are enabled to reach their full potential in life. DFI’s mission is to act as an advocate for the full and equal inclusion of people with disabilities and disabling conditions in all aspects of their lives. DFI has been supporting us since our organisation was established as a pilot project in 2010, particularly in the areas of governance, standards and development.
Go Accessible 365
We are an official partner of GoAccessible365.com. It aims to provide a web and mobile-based search facility to quickly and easily source all forms of wheelchair accessible travel, raising standards, promoting independence and pushing social change. GoAccessible365.com hopes to create a society of ‘universal design’ so transport, accommodation, tourist attractions and venues are accessible to everyone regardless of their situation.
Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA)
The IWA is the national organization dedicated to the achievement of full social, economic and educational inclusion and integration of people with disabilities as equal, independent and participative members of their communities and society. The IWA has been very supportive of us, particularly in the initial stages of helping to identify candidates and supporting those individuals to avail of our model. They also provided us with Senior Managerial Experience.
Cheshire Ireland
Cheshire Ireland provides a range of support services to people with both physical and neurological conditions in their homes, in residential centres, in supported accommodation and in stand-alone respite facilities. Cheshire Ireland has been very supportive to us, particularly in the initial stages of helping to identify candidates and supporting those individuals to avail of our model. They also provided us with Senior Managerial Experience.
Health Service Executive (HSE)
The HSE has been very supportive to the development of our organisation. The HSE facilitated us to pilot the Direct Payments model in the first instance.