Who We Are



Staff members: 


emails: (firstname)@mrci.ie


Director: Siobhán O'Donoghue

Siobhán is a qualified community worker who has worked for many years in community sector organisations in Ireland, ranging from local grass roots organisations to national policy organisations and structures. Siobhán was previously a member of the National Economic and Social Council and acted as negotiator for the Community Platform, a gathering of 27 national anti-poverty, equality and social inclusion organisations in national social partnership talks in the late 1990s. Siobhán's experience spans equality issues, anti-racism, community work and campaigning at a local, national and global level. She is the current Chairperson of the Community Workers Cooperative, a Board member of the National Women's Council of Ireland and is involved with Is Féidir Linn, the ‘Claiming Our Future' initiative, the Community Platform and the European Network Against Racism. Siobhán is the author of ‘Private Homes - A Public Concern,' a report detailing the experiences of migrant women employed in the private home, and co-author of ‘Accessing Redress for Exploitation: The experiences of migrant workers'.


Finance Administrator: Hilary Royston

Hilary undertakes all core financial and administrative tasks in MRCI, and ensures accountable and well-managed financial and administrative systems. She is currently studying for the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants (ACCA) professional qualification. Before joining MRCI, Hilary worked as a Programme Support Officer for an international NGO based in Dublin, focusing on school improvement in Sub-Sahara Africa. She also served with the US Peace Corps in Malawi as a Community Health Worker from 2003-2005. She has an Mphil in International Peace Studies from Trinity College Dublin and a Degree in European Studies from the University of Limerick.


Community Work Coordinator: Helen Lowry

Helen coordinates community work activities in the MRCI. A graduate of the Higher Diploma in Youth and Community Work from NUI Maynooth, she has also recently completed a Masters in Applied Social Studies. Helen established MRCI's Migrants Forum, has coordinated several leadership development courses, and more recently designed and delivered the first course in Community Work aimed at migrant workers at NUI Maynooth, with the first participants graduating in spring 2010. Helen has also facilitated interagency initiatives with migrant workers, and is an active member of the Community Workers Cooperative.


Domestic Workers Action Group Coordinator: Aoife Smith

Aoife Smith joined MRCI initially as an intern with the Workplace Rights project, before moving on to coordinate the Domestic Workers Action Group. Having graduated from journalism, she has worked freelancing in both radio and print journalism. In 2008, Aoife graduated from a Masters Degree in Development Studies at Kimmage Development Studies Centre, Dublin.


Referrals and Mainstreaming Coordinator: Sancha Magat

Sancha Aurora Magat is from the Philippines and has lived in Ireland since 1999. Prior to joining the MRCI, she was engaged as a Pastoral Care worker supporting asylum seekers, refugees and migrant workers in accessing adult education. Sancha coordinates MRCI's Drop In Centre, providing information on rights and entitlements to migrant workers and their families, and advocating on their behalf with service providers and government departments. Sancha also engages with organisations around the country, to build referral relationships and ensure that the needs of migrant workers and their families are met. 


Irregular Migration Project Leader: Edel McGinley

Edel McGinley coordinates work on Irregular Migration at the MRCI. As a member of MRCI's Community Work Team previously, Edel coordinated two Equality for Women initiatives, including developing the Domestic Workers Action Group and a CLAR project with migrant women in rural areas, along with a number of community work initiatives. Before joining MRCI, Edel worked in various social care and youth work positions. Edel has a Degree in Applied Social Studies and a Masters Degree in Globalisation, as well as a Diploma in Youth and Community Work from NUI Maynooth and a Diploma in Digital Media Technology from DIT.


Irregular Migration Project Worker: Pablo Rojas Coppari

Pablo Rojas Coppari is a Project Worker for the Irregular Migration Team. He has a BA in Applied Languages and an MA in International Development and Intercultural Studies from the University of Lille III, France. Prior to joining the MRCI, Pablo gained experience with the Dutch Refugee Council where he undertook research and  casework for former unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, and with the European Centre for Minority Issues in Flensburg, Germany, working on research projects on Language and Cultural Issues of Ethnic Minorities across Europe.


Workplace Rights Project Leader: Gráinne O'Toole

Gráinne has a community development and legal background and has worked in the community sector for over 15 years, with a variety of organisations concerned with communities experiencing racism, discrimination, poverty and inequalities. Key to this work has been supporting communities to actively tackle key human rights issues they face. Her work has focused in particular on ethnic minority groups and women, including Travellers, asylum seekers, one parent families and migrant workers.

Workplace Rights Project Worker: Virginija Petrauskaite

Virginija is a Project Worker with MRCI's Workplace Rights Project. She coordinates casework in the area of employment rights and forced labour, including legal advocacy on behalf of workers who make official complaints regarding workplace exploitation. She has an MA in International Relations and a Professional Diploma in Employment Law.



 

Interns & Volunteers


Referrals and Mainstreaming Intern: Emma King

Referrals and Mainstreaming Intern: Jane O' Connell

Irregular Migration Intern: Miranda Ruddock

Policy and Campaigns Intern: Ian McGahon

Receptionist: Razieh Nikoomanesh

Communications Support Intern: Dee Keogh

Fundraising Intern: Mishael Najm


Board members: 


Hilda Regaspi is a Chairperson of MRCI.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Social work in the Philippines, and worked there coordinating a youth council programme before moving to Ireland in 2002. She coordinated the Filipino-Irish Community group in Waterford, before becoming a core member of MRCI's Domestic Workers Action Group in 2004. Hilda was awarded an Unsung Hero Award by the mayor of Dublin for her work in promoting the rights of domestic workers. She participated in Leadership Development training with MRCI, and was awarded a Certificate in Commuinty Work in a Changing Ireland at NUI Maynooth in 2010. Hilda is currently working in University College Dublin.


Meena Baskarasubramanian worked as a Software Programmer in the UK for four years before moving to Ireland and becoming involved in social justice campaigns. In her current role as Organiser with Mandate Trade Union, Meena works to bring young retail workers together to fight for their rights. She has been actively involved in MRCI's campaigns for the last two years.  Meena is also Chairperson of the Board of Management of an Educate Together primary school and involved in the campaign to spread the Educate Together ethos to secondary level.


Anastasia Crickley is Head of the Department of Applied Social Studies. She was the Chairperson of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism until October 2008. She is a founder member of the European Network against Racism. She co-founded Pavee Point (National Travellers Centre). She convenes the Community Sector Sub-Group of the Community Workers Cooperative.  Anastasia was Personal Representative of the Chair in Office of the OSCE on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination, also focusing on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians and Members of Other Religions from 2004-2008. She is also actively involved with Council of Europe and United Nations initiatives in the fields of Human Rights and Discrimination. In 2010 Anastasia Crickley was elected a member of The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.


Fr Bobby Gilmore, SSC was a founding member of Migrant Rights Centre Ireland and is lifelong President of the MRCI. He was ordained in 1963, and worked in the Philippines from 1964-78. From 1978-92, Bobby was Director of the Irish Emigrant Chaplaincy in Britain. He was a founding member of Cara Housing Association. He also chaired the Campaign for justice for the 'Birmingham Six'.  He was a founding member of Village of Hope, Montego Bay, Jamaica, where he worked from 1992-99. In 1999 he returned to Ireland. He conducted an education program on migration for the Irish Refugee Council before establishing the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland.  Bobby studied at Birbeck College, Lincoln Institute and Camden College, London, as well as De La Salle College in Manila.


Kevin Glackin works with the Organising Department of SIPTU, Ireland's largest trade union, and is coordinator of the City Bridges initiative, which seeks to tackle prejudice and discrimination in society and the workplace. He is currently working on the 'fair hotels' campaign on ethical consumerism in the hotel industry. For the last ten years, Kevin has worked in the area of diversity in the workplace, promoting the active involvement of migrant workers in trade unions and challenging racism.

Rudy Montejo is currently employed as Manager at the Open Door Day Centre In Bray, Co. Wicklow. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in Philosophy. He recently completed a course in Community Work in a Changing Ireland at NUI Maynooth. Rudy has been a very active member of MRCI's Migrants Forum, and he and his family have been actively involved in MRCI's campaigns for a number of years.


Bernadette Daly is a qualified solicitor who has worked in private practice for many years in both Dublin and London. She now works as in-house legal counsel for a large professional services firm. She specialises in employment law (both contentious and non-contentious) and contractual disputes. Bernadette has also done voluntary legal casework with MRCI's Workplace Rights team. She has a degree in European Studies (Law and German) from the University of Limerick and a Diploma in Employment Law from UCD.


Michael O'Sullivan works for the Columban Missionaries as coordinator of their development education programme, and on their justice and peace team. He is also a member of the Columban Development Committee (Ireland), which works with Columbans in Asia and Latin America to help build their capacity to achieve good quality development work with the communities in which they live. Michael is a founder member and former Chairperson of the Debt and Development Coalition, and also a founder member of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland. He was also a member of the National Committee for Development Education from its inception until it was incorporated directly into the work of the Irish Aid programme. Michael is a member of the MRCI board's Finance sub-committee.


Pat Raleigh is a Columban Missionary, and a founding member of the MRCI. He worked in the Philippines for eleven years, and in Pakistan for eleven years. Pat obtained a Masters Degree in the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, California. Since his return to Ireland in 1994 he has been very much involved in JPIC work for the Columbans and is still the JPIC Co-ordinator for the Columbans in Ireland. He was also the Co-ordinator of the Jubilee Debt Campaign calling for the cancellation of Third World Debt. He is the Regional Education Co-ordinator and the Regional Vice-Director for the Columbans in Ireland. He is currently the Chairperson of the MRCI Finance Sub-Committee.


Anna Visser  is Director of the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland. Before joining EAPN Ireland in January 2008, Anna worked as Senior Policy Officer for the European Network against Racism (ENAR) in Brussels. Anna has worked in policy and development roles in the statutory and NGO sectors at regional, national and international level, in the areas of anti-racism, equality, human rights and conflict resolution. She is a member of the steering committees of the Community Platform and the Equality and Rights Alliance.


Julius Fokasi has worked in accountancy for over nine years and is currently studying for the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants (ACCA) professional qualification. He is currently working as a chef in the Hotel and Catering industry. Julius completed a leadership development course coordinated by MRCI and has been actively involved in campaigning on migrant issues as an activist and leader for a number of years.