Institute for Feminism and Religion

Meet the Board

The following is a list of our board members who have dedicated their time and resources to our continued success.

Chairperson of Board:

Nuala Ahern - Environmental activist and former Irish Green Member of the European Parliament 1994-2004. A psychotherapist by training she is currently researching Celtic spirituality, myth and ritual, with a view toward developing an Irish holistic spirituality.

Isobel Butler: Solicitor (non-practising) who has been actively involved in family law reform with AIM Family Services over many years.

Anne Concannon SSL: Is a Sister of St. Louis, currently a member of the leadership team of the congregation after many years spent working in West Africa. B. Sc. (NUI Maynooth); Licentiate in Psychology (Gregorian University, Rome).

Miriam Anne Lucas - A Holy Faith sister now retired from teaching and who, as director of the Luisne Spirituality Centre in Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow, organises programmes aimed at developing an awareness of God, self, creation and the sacred interconnectedness of these. With degrees in education and pastoral leadership her experience covers work in both the U.S. and Ireland.

Margaret McCullough: Co-ordinator of the Northern Region, a former teacher who has recently retrained as a Person-Centred Counsellor.

Kate Monnelly: Kate is a long term activist on behalf of women’s rights and feminism and religion in Ireland.

Margaret Roche: Margaret Roche has taught communications skills/drama for many years. She has worked in the voluntary sector, is former chairwoman of a counselling organisation, and is currently on the Board of Dublin City Anna Livia community radio where she has presented and produced Women's View, a weekly programme for and about women. She has an M.Phil degree in Women's Studies.

Consultants to the Board:

Dolores Dooley: Retired Lecturer from National University of Ireland at Cork with a Ph.D in Philosophy, specialising in Applied Ethics. She is currently part-time lecturer in ethics at the RCSI, Dublin and is Chairperson of the Irish Council for Bioethics. During 2007-8 she is a member of an interdisciplinary consortium preparing a case-based ethics framework for the Irish Hospice Foundation to use in acute care and hospice settings. She has authored four books covering topics such as ethics in new reproductive technologies, nursing ethics, nineteenth century Irish socialist feminism of William Thompson and Anna Doyle Wheeler. She is on the editorial board of the Journal of Medical Ethics (London).

Marian Dunlea is a Jungian Analyst working in both private practice in Dublin, Ireland and facilitating groups at home and abroad. During the past twenty years Marian has developed a particular interest in integrating body and soul work. Her training and experience encompasses Psychosynthesis, Psychoanalysis, Authentic Movement, Voice Work, Theatre and Dream Work. She has taught in psychotherapy training institutes and on University programs. She has completed the BodySoul Rhythms Leadership Program. In her work with groups Marian integrates the Celtic calendar, which follows the yearly cycle of Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lunasa and Samhain. She has a particular interest in bridging the archetypal energies of ancient landscapes with the body's story lines.

Carol Graham: Artist and Chairperson of the Royal Ulster Academy. Among her many works are portraits of several Irish presidents.

Anne Kavanagh: A Sister of St. Louis, Anne is former leader of her congregation, former chairperson of the Christian Feminist Movement, and former chairperson of IFR. She is now Provincial Leader of her Congregation in Ireland, and facilitates groups working for change in Ireland and abroad. She has degrees in Mathematics from Boston College and in education from Loyola University, Chicago.

Margaret Mac Curtain Ph.D:. The well known Irish historian, Dominican sister, and writer, Margaret has played a significant role in the Irish feminist religious movement over the past twenty years. She has published widely on issues of women and religion, and she edited the section on religion in the widely acclaimed Field Day Anthology of Irish Women’s Writing, vols. 4 and 5.

Mary T. Malone: Retired Professor of Theology, Toronto University, and of Religious Studies at St. Jerome’s University, and the University of Waterloo in Canada. She is the author of the three volume work: Women and Christianity: The First Thousand Years: the Medieval Period 1000-1500, and From the Reformation to the 21st Century, published in Ireland by Columba Press, with U.S. and Canadian editions.

Noirin Ni Riain: Theologian, singer and musician, has represented Ireland at many international festivals including four United Nations Summits. Nóirín has given major recitals and workshops at the leading Sacred Music festivals worldwide. Her doctorate on her theological reflections on music as the “Sound of God”, for which she coined the phrase, Theosony, will be published shortly.

Gabrielle Stuart, RSM. M.A. Sister of Mercy and international religious congregational facilitator. Gabrielle is one of the founder members of IFR.

National director

Mary Condren Th.D.: Mary has degrees in theology, sociology, and social anthropology from the University of Hull; religion and society from Boston College, and a doctorate in religion, gender and culture from Harvard University. She is a Research Associate in Women’s Studies at the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies, Trinity College Dublin; a former Research Associate in Women’s Studies at Harvard University, and has published widely on issues of feminism and religion, and on the interrelationship between religion, violence and gender.

She edited the sub-section on feminist theology and philosophy in the Field Day Anthology of Irish Women’s Writing, vols. 4 and 5, and is the author of the Serpent and the goddess: Women, Religion, and Power in Celtic Ireland. She is currently completing books on the roles of women and men in the sacrificial social contract. She has completed the BodySoul Leadership Training Programme with the Marion Woodman Foundation.