Jane's Bio

Education and Employment

I live in Dublin, Ireland. When I was very small, I lived in Northern Ireland and, before that, in England, where I was born.

I received my Bachelor in Education degree from Trinity College, Dublin and taught primary (elementary) school children for two years, then left the formal education system to work in the community with early school leavers and young offenders. I subsequently worked on a post-school training programme for young adults with physical disabilities, before managing the development of a range of services for young people and adults with physical disabilities.

An interest in society's perceptions of disability led to the completion of a Master of Science (Disability Management) degree, awarded with distinction, in London, England, followed by a postgraduate diploma in statistics from Trinity College, Dublin.

Having completed a Master of Business Administration degree, I am now a Project Manager in a national voluntary organisation for people with disabilities.

Hobbies

Travelling is one of my favourite hobbies. I have been fortunate to have travelled to many amazing places. In 2002, I travelled around the world for a whole year. You can read more about some of the highlights on the Round the World Trip page, and about other recent travels I've undertaken on my Travel page.

Music is something else I really enjoy. I play classical flute and recorder. I learnt the piano for a while, but didn't get very far, although I love the instrument. Recently, I started to learn traditional Irish flute, which is very different than the classical training I received for the concert flute. Ireland has a rich cultural heritage and music plays a large part of Irish life.

I like to swim, do a bit of running and go to the gym – which I generally do three or four times a week. Hill-walking is another hobby, and I have trekked to the ancient Incan city of Macchu Pichu in Peru, among the foothills of the Anna Purna range in Nepal, across the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand and Table Mountain in South Africa.

I also enjoy cooking and dining out. My favourite cuisine is Middle Eastern, followed closely by Italian or Mediterranean food.