Anne Goggin is the Project Manager. Anne trained as a Civil and Structural Engineer, but has worked in the area of Environmental Protection for over 20 years. A large focus of her previous work was implementation of the Water Framework Directive and River Basin Management Plans at local authority level, with particular focus on agriculture, wastewater and industrial discharges. She has strong belief in the power of communities to effect change and was instrumental in establishing the Maigue Rivers Trust.

Paul is the GIS & Data Manager for the Waters of LIFE. A Geographic Information Scientist and Land Surveyor, Paul has over 10 years’ experience in the collection, mapping and analysis of ecological data. Paul has a background in ecology, and worked with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) for over 15 years, both as a Conservation Ranger and an Ecological Data Specialist. His most recent role was with Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) where he worked on the Water Framework Directive Rivers and Lakes survey programmes.

Bronwyn Hayes is our Project Administrator and is responsible for the financial and day-to-day administration of the project and associated systems.

Bronwyn holds a professional post-grad qualification in Business Studies and Taxation. With over 14 years’ experience in the Civil and Public Sector, she has worked in the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine, Revenue Commissioner’s and Limerick City and County Council.

Living in South Limerick, Bronwyn volunteers with youth charities. She joins the project with a special interest in sustainability and climate action.

Mark Desmond is a Catchment Scientist with the Waters of LIFE. Mark has an MSc in Marine Biology from University College Cork, where he studied population diversity of Brown Trout a sub catchment level.

Mark has previous experience in ecological consultancy working on a range of freshwater ecology projects some of which include the delivery of freshwater ecosystem training courses to local stakeholder groups, assessing ecological impact and environmental compliance of drainage works and developing biodiversity enhancement measures for various heritage sites.

Mark also spent some time with Inland Fisheries Ireland’s Environmental River Enhancement Programme investigating measures to enhance arterially drained catchments in Ireland.

Mark believes in the importance of community investment into the preservation of their local freshwater resource and seeks to support landowners in their goals to protect and improve their local waterbodies.

John Kelly is a Catchment Agricultural Scientist with the Waters of LIFE with over 25 years’ experience of farming in the west of Ireland.

This includes multiple Agri Schemes including REPS, GLAS, ACRES, BDGP, Afforestation and Ash Dieback Reconstitution Scheme.

Having converted to organic farming in 2015, he is passionate about High Nature Value Farming and Regenerative Agriculture.

After completing a Degree in Agriculture and Environmental Management, the Galway native lectured in Mountbellew Agricultural College before going on to work as Project Officer with the Hen Harrier Project and the ACRES CP Scheme.

Through his work as a project officer, John trained and advised farmers in getting the most from their farms when scoring through Results Based Agri Environmental Schemes.

John is dedicated to maximising environmental benefits and improved payments for farmers that stay in the community.

Ross O’Donoghue is the project’s Communications and Stakeholder Relationship Manager.

Ross brings a broadcasting and journalism background to the project and is excited to tell the story of the project and its scientists, stakeholders and communities.

He has worked in communications management for the past 10 years with a particular focus on community and organisational change.

His goals for the building of stakeholder relationships on this project include active collaboration, localised engagement and a plain english approach to science and technology (le cúpla focal freisin).

Ross would particularly like to hear from anyone with a story to tell about people working together in the catchments’ communities and making Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Roscommon and Wicklow a better place to live.

Ruth Bennett Coady joined the Waters of LIFE Project as a Catchment Ecologist in January 2025. She is based in the West of Ireland, working in the Graney demonstration sub-catchment of East Clare and South East Galway.

Ruth most recently spent a number of years as a Senior Project Officer with ACRES Co-Operation. Her work in delivering the scheme saw her directly supporting farmers and farm advisors with agri-environment climate measures.

This included production of farm plans, habitat assessments, training delivery and direct engagement with local communities. The Graney demonstration sub-catchment is well known to Ruth through her time as a Project Officer with ACRES CP.

Ruth’s holds a B.Agr.Sc in Agri-Environemntal Science and a Master’s degree in Agriculture, Innovation and Support from UCD, where her thesis explored the role of knowledge exchange in halting the decline of threatened wading birds.

She has also worked as an Agro-ecology Research Assistant in Atlantic Technological University, primarily focused on high-nature value farmland and the sustainable development of rural areas.