This page will focus predominantly on people in Ireland who are doing extraordinary things in different areas of Diversity and Inclusion. I will also share some personal tips of mine around job searching, or neurodiversity in business
30 Inexpesive Reasonable Accomodations that I have seen work in Irish Workplaces
A&L Goodbody (in this article) states that “Section 16 of the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015 (the Act) forms the bedrock of the duty to provide reasonable accommodation in…
People to follow from One Young World, Munich 2025 – Politicians, Celebrities, and OYW Senior Staff, Part 2
In the first two sections of my review of people I met or heard from at One Young World 2025 in Munich, I featured company founders,…
People to follow from One Young World, Munich 2025 – Not For Profit Leaders, Politicians, Celebrities, and OYW Senior Staff, Part 1
In the first two sections of my review of people I met or heard from at OYW2025, I featured company founders, and in the second section,…
People to follow from One Young World – Speakers from large companies, Part 4
This is part four of my series looking at 100 speakers to follow from large organisations that spoke at OYW2025 in Munich, Germany. This article features…
People to follow from One Young World – Speakers from large companies, Part 3
This is part three of my series looking at 100 speakers to follow from large organisations that spoke at OYW2025 in Munich, Germany. This article features…
People to follow from One Young World – Speakers from large companies, Part 2
This is part two of my series looking at 100 speakers to follow from OYW2025 in Munich, Germany. This article features speakers from companies such as…
People to follow from OYW2025 – Speakers from large companies – Part 1
Following on from my four articles about the incredible founders, One Young World staff, and coordinating ambassadors from around the world, this next series of articles…
People to follow from One Young World 2025 – Founders, OYW staff or coordinating ambassadors – Part 4
This is the third article in my series of People to follow from One Young World 2025. You can view my first article here, my second article here…
People to follow from One Young World 2025 – Founders, OYW staff or coordinating ambassadors – Part 3
This is the third article in my series of People to follow from One Young World 2025. You can view my first article here and my second…
People to follow from One Young World 2025 – Founders, OYW staff or coordinating ambassadors – Part 2
This is the second article in my series of People to follow from One Young World 2025. You can view my first article here This article…
People to follow from One Young World 2025 – Delegate founders, OYW staff or coordinating ambassadors – Part 1
I had the privilege to be one of the 2,000 people from 192 countries to be given a ticket to the One Young World 2025 Summit…
50 People of colour, or of minority ethnic backgrounds in Ireland that could be your next guest speaker – Part 2
Here is the second part of my series on the best people of colour or minority ethnic backgrounds that could be your next guest speaker. You…
50 People of colour, or of minority ethnic backgrounds in Ireland that could be your next guest speaker – Part 1
It’s estimated that there are approximently 227,000 people in Ireland that identify as being a person of colour or being from minority ethinic background. This represents…
Maezza Romero: Shaping Safe, Inclusive Spaces in Gaming—From Cyber Squad to Romero Games Community”
Maezza Romero gaming career began in childhood and has since evolved into a full-fledged career. From impoving her reading skills through video games, to creating inclusive online…
From Small-Town Indiana to Global Leadership Communications: How Story Telling has Shaped Gina London’s Journey to Empower Authentic Storytelling in Business
Starting her journey in a small town in Indiana with a passion for storytelling, Gina forged a successful career in journalism that spanned major news organisations…
Meg O’Connell and her US based Global Disability Inclusion team is Championing Disability Inclusion Amidst DEI Funding Challenges
Meg O’Connell’s journey from her early work with the deaf community in St. Augustine, Florida to founding and leading Global Disability Inclusion (GDI) as CEO is…
Bill Liao’s Journey from Self-Taught Engineer to Successful Entrepreneur and Global Changemaker who Drives Diversity in EdTech and the Environment
Serial entrepreneur Bill Liao began his journey as a self-taught hardware engineer in Melbourne, fixing computers while he and his wife worked dead-end jobs. A transformative…
Claire Twomey Award Winning Founder of Irelands First ADHD Coaching Platform
Claire Twomey, Ireland’s first ADHD coach with four industry-recognised accreditations, shares how her personal journey with ADHD shapes her strengths-based, empathetic approach at ADHD Connections. Driven…
Caolan Kelly: How Sharing His Mental Health Journey Transformed His Path in DEI and Entrepreneurship
Caolan Kelly explores how authentic, lived experiences can drive meaningful social impact. Drawing from his own journey-leaving a successful engineering career to walk 1,500km across Europe…
Transforming Neurodiversity: How Amanda Kirby’s Work Has Diagnosed and Supported More Than 100,000 People
When I was 5, my mum attended a Dyspraxia Ireland conference where an expert named Amanda Kirby was speaking. As she listened, my mum began ticking…
Visually Impaired Rugby Pioneer: Ian McKinley’s Extraordinary Journey from Career Ending Injury to Italian Rugby International
Ian McKinley’s remarkable rugby journey epitomises extraordinary resilience and determination. Born in Dublin, McKinley’s sporting passion emerged early, playing Gaelic football and taking up rugby in…
50 Irish People With Disabilities or Mental Health issues that can be your next guest speaker
Today is International Persons With A Disability Day. To celebrate I created a list of 50 extraordinary Irish people who are breaking barriers, challenging stigma, and…
Mei Lin Yap: Breaking Barriers to Show Employers the True Potential of People with Down Syndrome
Mei Lin Yap, is a committed advocate and accomplished professional, brings an empowering message to people with Down Syndrome and to those who support a more…
Philip Black, CEO of CSRN: A charity supporting non-profits around the globe responding to crisis supported by the One Young World network
Philip Black’s journey journey leading up to leadership roles at the Crisis Student Response Network (CSRN) and Action for Refugee Life (AREL) was rooted in both…
Conor Lynch: Having Sold His Own Marketing Agency Conor is Now Focusing on Helping Others With His New Venture- Career Lab
Conor’s career journey began with a marketing degree, followed by various roles in the field. In 1997, he transitioned into internet marketing at a technology firm,…
Irvine Training: Tailored Workshops for Not-For-Profit’s, Social Enterprises and Traditional Businesses
As founder of Irvine Training was driven by necessity to start the company during the post-Celtic Tiger era, a time when many were seeking to retrain…
15 Irish Paralympians to look out for in the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games
The Irish Paralympic team has been a source of inspiration and pride, featuring a diverse group of athletes who have excelled across various sports. At the…
How an autism diagnosis led Mark Scully to create his own coaching and neurodiversity consultancy company
Mark Scully, a former Tax Director at KPMG Ireland discusses his journey and how his autism diagnosis in 2021 impacted his career. Initially joining KPMG’s tax…
Amanda Wallace: Transforming Business Landscapes with a Passion for People and Performance
Amanda Wallace has been building high-performance teams for over 25 years, spanning roles including Head of Business Development, Head of Training and Development, CPO, and COO.…
Ed Fidgeon-Kavanagh’s Clearpreso: Elevating Startup Pitches with Clear, Sharp, Accessible, and Inclusive Presentations for Investors
Ed Fidgeon-Kavanagh, the mastermind behind Clearpreso, launched his presentation design and consultancy business almost directly out of college, equipped with a business undergraduate degree from UCD.…
Unlocking Empathy: Sile Walsh’s Journey to Inclusive Leadership and Mental Health Advocacy
Sile Walsh’s leadership programmes, blog content and her upcoming book makes her one of the leading voices on how to create create empathy and be a…
Soph Quill: using stories of her own struggles to educate, and be a voice for change
Soph Quill, a dynamic advocate for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), whose journey into the field stems from a diverse background and a passion for making…
10 Reasons why Leaving Cert students should consider doing a Post Leaving Cert course
According to the Education and Training Board (ETB) there are currently “32,000 staff employed in the EBT sector, educating 368,000 learners, in over 1,000 locations in…
Angelika Sharygina; A young Afghan-Ukrainian in Ireland, founder of a startup combating misinformation and a PhD researcher addressing global issues internationally
Two years after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I interviewed political researcher, humanitarian, and impact-driven founder Angelika Sharygina, displaced by the war in Ukraine. Being half…
Irish female founded companies who empower females in Ireland or abroad
On March 8th, we celebrate International Women’s Day — a time to recognise the significant contributions female founders are making both in Ireland and globally. It’s…
Irish people speaking openly about their eating disorders
According to the Health Research Board’s (HRB) 2020 hospital admissions report, 13% of adult admissions due to an eating disorder were males. And studies have shown…
Zoya Miari – A double refugee who is now a OYW Peace Ambassador and platforming refugee stories around the world
I first came accross Zoya Miari’s story at One Young World in Belfast. Zoya is a double refugee, meaning she has had to flee war twice.…
Aisling McCaffery – Award winning sustainability champion, women in tech and people of colour in tech advocate and One Young World Ambassador
Aisling was born in Co. Down before moving to Dublin for University, She joined Grant Thornton in 2013 is now a Director in Sustainability & Financial Services Advisory.…
Angelika Sharygina (Afghan – Ukrainian) and Zoya Miari (Ukrainian-Palestinian); Two Displaced People that have Turned Advocates for Peace and Accurate Information on the Global Stage
Two of the most impressive people I have interview since I began working on focusondiversity.ie are Zoya Miari – a half Ukranian and half Palestinian woman and…
Northern Irish People to Follow from One Young World
Some of you may have noticed that two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend and was invited to host a session at the One…
People to follow from the Diversity in Tech Awards
The Diversity in Tech Awards took place on the 27th of September, and (although I’m a little late to the party on this), I wanted to…
International Day of The Girl Child
Today marks the 12th International Day of the Girl Child, established in 2011 by the United Nations to champion the rights and well-being of girls globally,…
Melissa Stone – Creating online content to support corporate professionals achieve career success
As a leading Executive Career Coach and HR Director for over 20 years, Melissa Stone established her consulting business, HR Support Ireland, in 2021 (www.hrsupportireland.com) While…
A XV of Irish Rugby Players Who Speak Openly About Diversity and Inclusion Issues
The 2023 Rugby World Cup is upon us (Wahoo!!). Having previously been perceived as being a ‘macho’ sport where no vulnerabilities were discussed, now more and…
The Best Irish People to Follow on the RTE Team for The FIFA Womens World Cup 2023
According to their press release announcing their coverage, RTE says “RTÉ Sport will broadcast every match of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 on television and…
Best Irish Journalists to Follow for Information About The FIFA Womens World Cup 2023
The 2023 FIFA Womens World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand this week and there has never been more public interest in The Republic…
Furkan Karayel – Trailblazer, entrepreneur, speaker, lecturer, author and one of Ireland’s biggest advocates for D&I
Trailblazer, role model, entrepreneur, speaker, lecturer and and author, there’s not many things in the area of Diversity and Inclusion in Ireland. Starting out as a…
Mairin Ni Bheachain – How a traumatic medical diagnosis led to a change in her career and creating a new business – MoStyle
Having spent 16 years in the advertising world and working as a primary school teacher, Mairin began experiencing migraines and other symptoms such as weight loss,…
The current Miss Ireland; Dr Ivanna Mc Mahon is spreading the message of Dyslexia acceptance and building self-esteem amongst students
Dr Ivanna Mc Mahon is a GP trainee, plays seven musical instruments, is an advocate for the Irish language and the current Miss Ireland. Ivanna is…
Meet Anna Krys: A Ukrainian Visionary Entrepreneur Empowering Accessibility in Tech and Ukrainian Nationals in Ireland
Ukrainian national Anna Krys has a remarkable story to tell. Born and raised in Ukraine, Anna moved to Ireland in 2015 and began working for Dogpatch…
Brent Pope co-founded Elephant in the Room, and he is hoping it will create a real conversation about mental health in the workplace
Rugby coach, TV rugby pundit, entrepreneur and TV personality Brent Pope has been one of Ireland’s biggest advocates for Mental Health. Brent and his colleagues Dave…
Top tips for Dyspraxic people and others with neurodiversity joining a large organisation
Developmental Coordination Disorder, or more commonly known as Dyspraxia, affects approximately 6% of the population. As the condition affects a person’s coordination, spatial awareness, fine motor…
30 People to follow on LinkedIn who post information about dyslexia – Part 2
Last week, in part 1 of this article, I discussed how people are being more open and honest about their dyslexia in the workplace, since LinkedIn…
30 People to follow on LinkedIn who post information about dyslexia – Part 1
In March 2022, LinkedIn added ‘dyslexic thinking’ as a skill on their skills portfolio. However, long before that there has been a movement from dyslexic people…
Irish people who work in entertainment or the arts and are Dyslexic
Following on from two of my most successful articles on the site to date (Leaders of Medium and Large Organisations in Ireland who have Dyslexia, and Irish…
Advice for parents of children with dyslexia
In recent years several children of my friends or family have been diagnosed with dyslexia or different conditions within the neurodiversity spectrum. Many have reached out…
How dyslexia has helped me in work or education
Dyslexia affects approximately 15% of the population. Although the exact figures of unemployment or under-employment (people being highly qualified but not working in their preferred area)…
What does a dyslexia coach do?
Neurodiversity is becoming an increasingly used term within the diversity and inclusion umbrella. Employment coaches are also becoming more and more common with in organisations that…
Top Tips for job interviews (in person and virtual)
Nobody likes job interviews. It’s particularly difficult for those that are neurodivergent. It gets even more complicated when you add in virtual interviews which are commonplace…
Irish entrepreneurs who have opened their own business and have a disability
It’s 2023’s International People’s With Disabilities Day. According to this article from The Disability Federation of Ireland the 2022 census says there are: This doesn’t include…
Top Tips for CV/Cover Letters
The basic ratio for the number of applications you send in versus the number of interviews you get is about for every 10 applications you do,…
Top tips for job hunting
Over 10 years of job searching, 11 short-term contracts, approximately 135 interviews and being unemployed several times, I’ve acquired something of a knack for applying to…
12 Irish Paralympians to look out for in Toyko
Having only missed 1 Paralympics since the first Paralympic Games in Rome in 1960, Ireland has a proud record of 499 athletes taking part in the…
Irish people who have Down Syndrome and are breaking down stereotypes
According to the Irish Down Syndrome Association “Down Syndrome is a common congenital chromosomal anomaly. It is found worldwide. Down Syndrome occurs when there is one…
Fionn Angus Crombie – Film maker, interviewer educator, musician and CEO of Fionnathan
Having interviewed over 600 people, been a guest lecture at more than 30 colleges and having their exhibitions in galleries throughout Ireland, the UK and New…
Irish people who are visually impaired
According to The National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) “There are an estimated 246,773 people in Ireland who are blind or visually impaired. The…
Irish people who have gone through cancer treatment
According to The Irish Cancer Society’s website ‘Current estimates state that more than 40,000 people in Ireland get cancer each year. This figure comprises both invasive…
People in Ireland who are amputees or have limb deformity
There are approximately five thousand people who are amputees or have limb deformity in Ireland today. While competitions such as The Paralympics or the increased focus…
Irish people with Speech Disorder
According to statistics up to 70,000 children (under 18) in Ireland have a speech disorder. While there are several international examples of adults who have overcome…
Ireland’s biggest advocates for mental health in sport or the entertainment industry
According to Mental Health Ireland has one of the highest rates (3/36 countries) of mental health illness in Europe with 18.5% of the Irish population recorded…
Leaders of Medium or Large Organisations in Ireland who have Dyslexia
Large organisations are beggining to embrace people with Dyslexia in their organisation. With companies such as Dell Technologies, SAP or Microsoft creating Neurodiversity Hiring Programs to…
Irish Startup Founders embracing their Dyslexia
Succesful Irish business entrepreneurs who have embraced their Dyslexia