Biographies of Members of the Oversight Committee
Andrew Fagan (Chair) is the Director of Child Safeguarding and Protection for the Archdiocese of Dublin. Andrew qualified as a social worker in Queens University Belfast and undertook post-graduate studies in child protection in Trinity College Dublin. Prior to taking up his current post in 2010, Andrew worked for thirty or so years as a practitioner, manager and inspector of children’s services both in the Republic and in Northern Ireland.
Bishop Gerard Nash was born in Tulla, Co Clare. Prior to studying for the priesthood he worked in business and the manufacturing industry. Ordained in June 1991 he was assigned to the Roscrea Vocational School as chaplain/teacher and as priest responsible for Roscrea Youth Centre. In 1996 he was appointed as General Manager of Clarecare, and from 2003 was resident priest to Imeall Boirne, the first grouping of parishes in the Diocese of Killaloe. Appointed Diocesan Secretary in 2010, he took on the role as Director of Pastoral Development for the Diocese of Killaloe in 2016 and was ordained as the 81st Catholic Bishop of Ferns in September 2021 . Bishop Ger joined the Oversight Committee in 2022 replacing Bishop Denis Brennan as the Bishop’s representative in the group.
Bernadette Fahy B.A. M.Sc., is a Counselling Psychologist. She is the author of ‘Freedom of Angels’, a memoir of her childhood in Goldenbridge Industrial School. She is an advocate for former residents of Institutional Abuse, a co-founder of the Aislinn Centre and has served on several Boards in the interest of former residents. Bernadette has conducted research on ‘the Role of Counselling in the lives of people raised in Care’ and in consultation with Marie Keenan of UCD and Facing Forward, ‘Sexual Trauma and Abuse: Restorative and Transformative Possibilities’. Bernadette recently completed a three year course in Family History / Genealogy at UCD.
Harry Casey served as Executive Administrator of the Commissions and Agencies of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference from 2004 – 2022. Harry worked for 18 years as a secondary teacher in Navan Co. Meath. He also served as diocesan adviser for post primary Religious Education in the diocese of Meath. He joined the Oversight Committee in March 2023.
Hugh Lagan is a priest with the Society of African Missions and a registered Clinical Psychologist. He has held various ministry appointments in East and Southern Africa, including pastoral, formation, clinical, education and safeguarding responsibilities. He has lead workshops internationally on psychological and spiritual well-being, positive mental health, trauma and resilience.
Anne Sheehy is a Sister of Mercy. She is a qualified nurse and worked in a number of settings including primary health care in Peru, nurse education in Cork, and a member of the Health Care Team in the Dóchas Centre. She is a volunteer with the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas and serves as a local leader to a number of Mercy communities.
David Rose is the first layperson to serve as Secretary General of the Association of Leaders of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland (AMRI). He has previously worked for the Presentation Sisters, as Director of Presentation Ireland, where he led the setting up of a number of new programmes in social inclusion, community development, sustainable living and learning innovation, including establishing iScoil.ie, an innovative online learning organisation for young early school leavers. He served as Executive Director of Mary’s Meals Ireland, an overseas aid charity providing school meals in Africa and Asia. He was Deputy CEO of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council where we working on migrant rights and Indigenous land rights. He believes faith involves working for justice in building a more compassionate and sustainable world.
