I first encountered Buddhism and meditation in 1995 through the Dublin Buddhist Centre in Ireland, where I am from.
Throughout my youth I was always following some sort of spiritual path, and I had just completed a degree in psychology, but I was still looking for answers to the deeper questions in life. A crucial moment arose when I realised that I wasn’t aware of myself, and in order to help me develop more awareness I turned to meditation. Learning about the Dharma quickly followed. I was very inspired by the Buddha's teachings and also by the Dublin Triratna Sangha and Order around me at the time, and I soon asked for Ordination. My training happened on retreats here at Tiratanaloka over the next 6 years, and I was ordained in Il Convento in Tuscany in 2002 at the age of 28.
Throughout my Buddhist life I have worked in and out of Triratna contexts. I spent my early years as a Mitra working in the Dublin Evolution Shop and subsequently spent time working in the Arts, both before and after Ordination. I worked in a fundraising capacity at the Dublin Buddhist Centre for a year, briefly lived at Dhanakosa Retreat Centre, and then went on to work in third-level education in the area of student engagement and retention.
Before moving to Tiratanaloka, and for a period of seven years, I was a full-time member of the Dublin Buddhist Centre team - teaching courses and classes, leading study groups and retreats, as well as helping with the general running of a busy and dynamic city Centre. During that time, I was also Mitra Convenor for women and really enjoyed supporting women at all levels fulfil their potential – including mitras in the ordination training process.
I moved to Tiratanaloka in the Spring of 2020. Now here, I am inspired to continue supporting women deepen their Going for Refuge and to help support them join this very precious Order. And how fortunate am I to be able to do that in such beautiful surroundings, alongside a great community and team of women, and with deep appreciation of my teacher Sangharakshita and the lineage of women who have done this work before me.