Orlaith Traynor
Orlaith Traynor
Chairperson
Orlaith has practised as a Solicitor for over 45 years with a particular expertise in family law. Orlaith has vast experience in adoption having served as Deputy Chairperson to An Bord Uchtala and the Adoption Authority of Ireland for many years. Her thesis for her master’s degree was on Birth Father’s rights.
Sean O'Brien
Sean O'Brien
Deputy Chairperson
Sean graduated in law from University College Cork in 1983 and has been in practice as a solicitor for over 30 years. In addition to his primary degree Sean is the holder of a masters of law degree in Advanced Legal Practice ( LLM ) from Northumbria University. Sean's practice is primarily in civil litigation in which he has extensive experience. Sean has a particular interest in family law and has also, for many years, advised families of children with disabilities on the creation of Wills and Trusts. In addition, he has, since 2008, been an accredited Mediator with CEDR.
Mr. O'Brien has, over the years, been a member of a number of publicly funded Boards, most recently serving as Chair of Youth Theatre Ireland.
Sean's experience of adoption stems from the fact that he is an adoptive father.
Judge Patrick McMahon
Judge Patrick McMahon
Board Member
Judge Patrick McMahon is a retired District Court Judge. He qualified as a Solicitor in 1966.He worked in the Land Registry for one year. He then went to Leyden in the Netherlands to stay American law. He subsequently studied European law in the University of Amsterdam. After that he practised as a solicitor until 2006 when he was appointed a District Court Judge. Since then he was appointed the Garda Siochana confidential recipient. At present he is conducting an inquiry under the Garda Siochana Act 2005. He also is a lecturer in the Law Society. He is a presiding officer in the citizenship ceremonies. Also is the chair of the citizenship revocation committee .Recently he joined the board of Misean Cara. Finally he also is a practising notary public.
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In 2014 he was appointed as the Garda Confidential Recipient. Patrick is a serving member of the Board of My Legacy. He was an arbitrator for many years, and was also Chairman of Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company.
Professor Sheila Greene
Professor Sheila Greene
Board Member
Sheila Greene is a Fellow Emeritus at Trinity College Dublin and former Professor of Childhood Research. She is a Pro-Chancellor of the University of Dublin. She is a qualified clinical psychologiest but most of her teaching and research has been in developmental psychology. She was the Co-Director of the national longitudinal study of children in Ireland, Growing Up in Ireland from 2006 - 11. Here publications include books, journal articles and commissioned reports. Her most recent book is Children as Agents in their Worlds (Greene & Nixon, Routledge, 2020). She was the Principal Investigator on A Study of Intercountry Adoption Outcomes in Ireland, commissioned by the Adoption Board and published in 2007.
Paul Harrison
Paul Harrison
Board Member
Paul is a registered social worker with over 40 years of experience in children’s services. He has held a number of practitioner and management positions in the areas of child welfare and protection, alternative care, mental health, homelessness, addiction and adoption.
Mr Harrison previously served as Director of Policy and Strategy on the national management team of the Child and Family Agency where he held overall responsibility for the Adoption Service. He currently operates an Independent Children’s Services and Social Work Advisor
Dr. Helen Buckley
Dr. Helen Buckley
Board Member
Dr Helen Buckley is a Fellow Emeritus at Trinity College Dublin and a former Associate Professor in the School of Social Work and Social Policy where she lectured and conducted research on child protection and policy. She is currently Chair of the National Review Panel that investigates the deaths of children and young people known to Tusla social work services.
Dr. Margo Anglim
Dr. Margo Anglim
Board Member
Margo is a retired child and adolescent psychiatrist. She was Director of St. Clare’s Child Sexual Abuse Assessment and Therapy Service in Temple Street Children’s University Hospital for 10 years and also the Clinical Director of the Liaison Mental Health Service in Temple Street for many years. She has a special interest in parent/child attachment issues.
