Active Disability Ireland is pleased to welcome a panel of eight judges from across the sport, health, education, and community sectors to review this year’s submissions. The panel will assess applications from Day Services and shortlist finalists across eight award categories.
Winners will be announced at the Active Disability Services Awards ceremony on Wednesday, 24th of June at the Athlone Springs Hotel. The event will celebrate the innovative and engaging initiatives that promote a healthy, active culture in Day Services across Ireland through the Active Healthy Me programme, supported by the HSE and Sport Ireland.
Meet the Judging Panel
Ursula Barrett
Ursula Barrett is a lecturer at Munster Technological University, Tralee, where she has taught since 2006, coordinating the Adapted Physical Activity (APA) practical programmes and lectures across the Health and Leisure, Physical Education and Social Care degree courses. Ursula is co‑founder of Camp Abilities Ireland, a sports development camp for children with vision impairments established in 2010 and is also an International Halliwick Senior Lecturer, regularly delivering training in water‑based skill development.
Ursula has contributed to numerous European projects focused on developing educational resources and standards in adapted physical activity and has served as Secretary of the European Federation of Adapted Physical Activity until 2024.
Her previous experience includes working with Kerry Sports Partnership and St. John of God’s Services, where she currently serves on the Rights Review Committee. Outside of her professional and academic roles, Ursula is an active volunteer and competitor with her local athletics club and parkrun community, and is a guide‑running tutor with Vision Sports Ireland. Having previously served as a judge for the Active Disability Ireland Awards, Ursula is delighted to return to the judging panel once again.
Geraldine McTavish
Geraldine McTavish is the Disability in Sport Lead at Sport Ireland, a role she assumed in early 2025 to advance inclusive sport policies and participation opportunities for people with disabilities across the country. Her appointment aligns with Sport Ireland’s Statement of Commitment and Action to Disability Inclusion in Sport, which underlines leadership, accessibility, and capacity-building within the sector .
Prior to this, McTavish served as Outdoor Recreation Manager at Sport Ireland, following a five-year tenure as Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Manager at the GAA. In that role, she led initiatives promoting inclusive participation in Gaelic Games family, including programmes for individuals with disabilities, intercultural engagement, and LGBTQI+ inclusion. She was instrumental in expanding the GAA’s “GAA for All” initiatives, such as Wheelchair Hurling and Camogie, and the “All Stars” inclusive club programme.
McTavish’s earlier career includes development roles with Special Olympics Ireland, Dublin Gaelic Football, and the Irish Amateur Boxing Association. Her leadership in inclusive sport has been recognised with her inclusion in the Sport for Business “50 Women of Influence in Irish Sport” lists in both 2021 and 2022 .
In her current role, McTavish is tasked with implementing Sport Ireland’s disability inclusion strategy, collaborating with national governing bodies, local sports partnerships, and community stakeholders to foster a more accessible and equitable sporting environment for all.
Liam Beville
Active Disability Ireland Ambassador Liam Beville is a Guinness World Record holder and one of Ireland’s most accomplished masters powerlifters. Now aged 60, he is ranked No.1 in the world in his age and weight category for the deadlift, competing exclusively in mainstream competition despite living with a permanent disability.
With a competitive career spanning four decades, Liam has represented Ireland internationally and holds multiple world records across weight divisions. His achievements have been recognised at the highest levels, including civic receptions and national commendation for his contribution to Irish sport.
Beyond performance, Liam is a strong advocate for inclusion within mainstream sport and for longevity in elite competition. His work challenges assumptions around age, disability, and participation, demonstrating that high performance and resilience are not confined by either.
Afeefah Memon
Afeefah is a fourth-year student in the Skills for Life programme at MTU. She is passionate about advocacy and believes strongly in speaking up for the rights, opportunities, and inclusion of people with disabilities. Afeefah has a great love for sport and staying active. She believes that sport should be accessible to everyone and that taking part can help build confidence, friendships, and wellbeing. Through her interests and experiences, she encourages others to get involved, be active, and believe in their abilities. Afeefah enjoys meeting new people, sharing ideas, and learning from others. She is proud to represent the voice of people with disabilities and is delighted to be invited to serve as a judge for Active Disability Ireland, helping to celebrate the achievements of individuals and organisations who are making sports more inclusive for all.
Peter McCarthy
Peter is Head of Participation & Activation in Swim Ireland with a key focus on ensuring swimming is inclusive, accessible, and meet the needs of diverse communities including creating swimming programmes to ensure people with disabilities have equal opportunity to be physically active.
Peter holds a Masters in Sports Directorship and has extensive experience across public sector sporting bodies and a deep understanding of developing inclusive sporting opportunities. He is also a board member of Active Disability Ireland serving as Finance Director. Prior to his work in sport, Peter spent 15 years in accounting and auditing roles as a qualified Chartered Accountant.
Chloe Whelan
Chloe Whelan is a competitive Irish dancer and a passionate advocate for inclusive sport. She has been dancing for many years and recently competed for the World Championships in Chicago. Chloe was also part of her school’s World Champion Dance Drama team, where they secured a historic first place, making Chloe the first visually impaired World Champion in this category.
Chloe is deeply committed to promoting opportunities for people with disabilities in sport. Drawing from her own experience as both an athlete and a person with a disability, she actively encourages greater inclusion and participation. She serves as an ambassador for Active Disability Ireland and a champion with Vision Sports Ireland, using her platform to inspire others to get involved.
She has also spoken at various events about her sporting journey and the importance of representation for people with disabilities. In addition, Chloe is involved in volunteer work with initiatives such as MayFest, Zero Limits, and Camp Abilities, and is enthusiastic about continuing to make a positive impact through new opportunities.
Niamh Dunne
With over 20 years’ experience in mental health and disabilities day services, Niamh is a project manager for interim standards in day opportunities for people with disabilities, based in HSE Dublin & Midlands Office. Niamh’s role supports the continuous quality improvement of disability day services across Dublin, Kildare and West Wicklow. Niamh works closely with project managers in each region across the country and her work is underpinned by supporting the strengthening of implementation of interim standards & new directions day opportunities.
The new directions interim standards support sport, health & wellbeing through person centered planning and active citizenship, ensuring activities reflect individual interests, hopes and goals. They promote active community inclusion, encouraging participation in local sports, recreation, and partnership with organisations and groups in the local community, allowing people to develop valued social roles such as teammates, club members, or competitors. Through participation, individuals build relationships, confidence and skills, creating real opportunity for belonging, inclusion and recognition based on ability, interests and achievements.
Niamh additionally plays a role in the national steering group to support the rollout of the Active Healthy Me program across day services.
Nora Peters
Nora Peters is a senior leader in the non-for-profit sector with extensive experience in organisational governance, stakeholder engagement, and strategic operations. She currently serves as General Manager and Company Secretary of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN), where she oversees daily operations, governance compliance, and the delivery of key supports and services for education leaders across Ireland.
Nora has previously held senior roles with Agri Aware and Macra na Feirme, delivering large-scale public engagement campaigns, EU-funded projects, and impactful educational initiatives. She holds a Professional Diploma in Creativity, Innovation and Leadership from UCD and a Certificate in Charity Law, Trusteeship and Governance with the Law Society of Ireland.
Passionate about social impact, Nora brings a deep commitment to good governance in the charitable sector.
Active Disability Services Awards will take place on Wednesday, June 24th in Athlone Springs Hotel, Co. Roscommon. Click here to find out more about the event.
