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Siobhán O’Donoghue received the prestigious Captain Cathal Ryan Scholarship Award at an official ceremony hosted by The One Foundation in Dublin last Wednesday, in recognition of her work to promote equality and social justice in Ireland. 

Presenting the award, Cillian Ryan, son of the late Captain Cathal Ryan, said, "We are delighted to honour Siobhán for her outstanding track record in relation to equality in Ireland over the past 20 years in the areas of women’s issues, Travellers, migrant issues and political reform. Siobhán has shown tremendous leadership in the area of social innovation and I hope this scholarship will allow her to further her development as an emerging leader in this sector.”


The Captain Cathal Ryan Scholarship Award was established in 2008 to celebrate outstanding emerging or established social entrepreneurs and non-profit leaders in Ireland.

Siobhán has worked as Director of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland since 2002, fighting for the rights of migrant workers experiencing poverty, social exclusion and discrimination. Before this she also worked for many years in community sector organisations in Ireland, campaigning on equality issues, anti-racism and community work at the local, national and global level.  More recently, Siobhán has been involved in etablishing Claiming Our Future, a social movement calling for an equal and sustainable Ireland.

Accepting the award, Siobhán said, "leadership for me is not about personal or individual enhancement, but about working collectively, in solidarity, to achieve collective gains and make society a better place. Our vision of an equal society is one that is contested, and challenges all of us at the individual level, and this is why leadership is so important because we need to see beyond the constraints, fight through these barriers, and carve out new thinking and new ways of building a more equal society."

The team and Board members of MRCI are very proud of Siobhán's achievements and her contribution to the fight for better rights for migrant workers in Ireland.