Who's who
Chief Executive Officer
David’s background was originally in business. After studying for a business degree he worked in a variety of roles including that of Marketing Executive at The Shelbourne Hotel.
A keen traveler, David embarked on a round the world trip in 1990 after which he decided to do a Masters in Development Studies in UCD. He had found his vocation!
David worked for several years with the humanitarian agency GOAL in Ethiopia where he met his wife, Rahel. On his return to Ireland he became HR Manager for GOAL’s worldwide operations having squeezed in chartership of the Institute of Personnel and Development en route. He took over as CEO of Plan Ireland in July 2007.
Originally from Limerick, married with four children, David is an avid Munster rugby fan but can also be found in Naomh Olaf GAA club coaching the Under 7 teams.
Programme Manager
Damien, from Inagh in Co. Clare, joined Plan Ireland as Programme Manager in January 2008. Graduating from UCD with a Masters in Economics in 1999, he spent two years working in AIB Bankcentre in Ballsbridge. In October 2001 he took a career break from AIB and volunteered in India and Uganda for two years.
Captivated by his experiences in these countries, Damien decided to leave banking permanently and joined GOAL in 2004 where he spent the next four years working in DR Congo, Niger and Darfur.
As Head of Programmes for Plan Ireland, Damien is keen to build on Plan’s work in tackling the many issues faced by children, especially girls and other vulnerable groups in Plan Ireland’s programme countries.
Outside of work Damien enjoys reading, playing a little tennis, swimming and travelling. He also enjoys Clare hurling and Munster rugby!
Financial Controller
Nenagh native, Donal, is one of the more experienced Plan Ireland staff, joining the organisation in 2006.
Prior to Plan, Donal spent several years in an accountancy firm in Edinburgh before deciding to make the jump back across the pond. During his time in Plan Ireland, Donal has made several trips to West Africa, overseeing Irish contributions to our field offices.
As well as overseeing all aspects of Sponsorship and Programme-related finance, Donal also acts as Plan Ireland's IT guy.
Outside Plan, Donal enjoys movies, (watching!) football and travel.
Please contact Donal on 01-6599 601 with any finance queries you may have.
Sponsor Relations Manager
Mike Mansfield
Originally from Ballinasloe in Co. Galway, Mike joined Plan Ireland in January 2009. Graduating with a degree in History and French, Mike took the (natural!) step into Public Relations in 1999. From there, Mike moved into telecoms and worked in Eircom for over 8 years.
A growing interest in matters humantarian, saw Mike take the step into the NGO sector and joined Plan Ireland in January 2009. In February, Mike visited Plan Ireland's projects in Togo in West Africa where he witnessed, first hand, the resilience of a people struggling to get by, but so determined to do so.
Outside of Plan Ireland, Mike enjoys running, surfing and 'watching' rugby!
To get in touch with Mike in relation to anything regarding sponsorship, marketing or PR, please do so on 01-6599 601 or drop him a mail at : mike.mansfield@plan-international.org
Sponsorship Officer
A native of Dublin, Claire joined Plan Ireland in October 2006 as part of the Sponsorship Team. Before working in Plan Ireland, Claire worked in the financial services sector. With a background in History & Politics, Claire has always had an interest in international relations and humanitarian issues and finally decided to make the transition from the financial sector to the NGO sector in 2006. Claire also has a keen interest in event management and volunteering and supports the Plan Ireland volunteers in our office.
Outside of Plan Ireland, Claire practices yoga and pilates and enjoys going to gigs.
To contact Claire you can email: claire.byrne@plan-international.org or call her directly at 01 659 9601 with any sponsorship queries you may have.
Sponsorship and Finance Administrator
Niamh Sheehan
Cork girl Niamh (Fermoy to be exact) joined the Plan Ireland team in July 2009. Graduating with a degree in European Studies from UCC, Niamh recently completed a Masters in Development Studies and brings to Plan a wealth of finance and administration experience.
Outside of Plan, Niamh is quite the active type and enjoys yoga, hill walking and cookery.
Please contact Niamh at niamh.sheehan@plan-international.org or on 01-6599 601 with any sponsorship or finance queries you may have.
Grants Officer
Séverine Meyer
Prior to joining Plan Ireland in June 2009, Severine spent time working in the Middle East and Southern Africa. Her experience spans over a wide range of themes in both emergencies and development contexts, including food security, cash-for-work programmes, vocational education and development of employment services.
Compliance and Finance Officer
Michael Moriarty 
Originally from Monaghan town, Michael joined Plan Ireland as Compliance and Finance Officer in January 2010.
Having studied accounting and finance in Dublin City University, Michael trained as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dublin. In 2008 he left his job as Tax Manager in PwC in order to volunteer for a year with GOAL in Sudan.
As Compliance and Finance Officer Michael’s focus is on the finances of Plan projects supported by the EU and Irish Aid. He helps to ensure that the projects are carried out in line with EU and Irish Aid regulations, and assists in managing the expenditure of these grants. Michael splits his time between Plan’s office on Baggot Street and the various countries where EU and Irish Aid supported projects take place; mostly in West Africa.
Michael has a keen interest in politics and current affairs. While in DCU Michael regularly took part in competitive debating; and he still occasionally judges and coaches college debates.
Programme Officer
Dualta Roughneen
Mayo man Dualta Roughneen joined Plan Ireland’s Programmes Department in September 2009. Having graduated from NUI, Galway in 2001 with a degree in Civil Engineering he gained valuable work experience with Coffey Construction in Foynes, Co. Limerick and then with Mayo Co. Council.
Since 2003 he has worked on various engineering programmes, primarily water and sanitation, in Ethiopia, Afghanistan, North Korea, Sudan and Liberia.
He recently completed an MSc in Human Rights in UCD. His thesis was on the ‘Right to be Nomadic, with Focus on Irish Travellers’.
Programme Officer
Áine Magee
With Masters degrees in Human Rights Law and Humanitarian Action, Áine joined Plan Ireland in March 2010 as a Programme Officer supporting Plan’s work in West Africa with a specific focus on monitoring and evaluation and ensuring the effectiveness of Plan’s programmes.
Originally from Celbridge in Co. Kildare, Áine has recently returned from many years overseas where her adventures ranged from dolphin training in Hawaii and Paris to working as an extra on the famous Australian TV soap Home and Away! Áine also worked with the European Commission Humanitarian Office in Brussels and spent 18 months in South Sudan working with Trócaire.
A keen supporter of Gaelic games, Áine maintained her passion for GAA throughout her travels. She was a member of the Paris Gaels team who won the European Gaelic Football championship in 2007, and also was a member of the first ever European Camogie team in the same year. She also plays hockey and loves photography, karaoke and Wii tennis.
Development Education & Campaigns Officer
Benedicta Attoh
Prior to taking up her position as Development Education & Campaigns Officer with Plan Ireland in July 2010, Benedicta worked on a voluntary basis as an “Ambassador for Girls” using her personal girlhood experiences in Nigeria to highlight the issues affecting girls in developing countries. She comes to Plan Ireland thanks to the Vodafone Ireland World of Difference programme 2010.
Benedicta has worked with the Louth Volunteer Centre, the Simon Community, the DePaul Trust, the National Consultative Committee on Racism & Interculturalism with responsibility for delivering cultural diversity training to members of the Gardai, staff of the public and private sectors, teachers, students and civil society organisations. She is the Founder/Chairperson of Dreamworld Leadership Initiative for Girls and a Director of Voluntary Service Overseas. She is also Founder/Chairperson of the Women in Leadership Network and a member of the Louth African Women’s Support Group.
She holds a degree in Business Education obtained from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in Nigeria and an MSc in Future Communications obtained from the Dundalk Institute of Technology. She has spoken at several local, national and international conferences and seminars and was a member of the editorial committee of the NGO Alliance who successfully collated a Shadow Report on racism in response to the Irish Government’s first and second reports and presented same to the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva in March 2005.
Benedicta has a strong interest in politics which led to her standing as a candidate in both the Dundalk Town and Louth County Council at the local elections in June 2004 and 2009. She is a mother, and loves travelling and meeting new people.
Communications & Media Officer
Andy Spearman
Andy is a journalist and photographer with many years experience working in the print media. He has been with Plan Ireland since February 2008 but has represented several other development organisations since 1998.
Andy would be delighted to hear from you about your experience as a sponsor or to help publicise your fundraising efforts. Contact him at 01-6599 601or by email
