By Ann Marie Foley - 02 May, 2018
Éamonn Meehan
Éamonn Meehan has announced that he is to step down from Trócaire in October after 27 years of service to the organisation.
He has been Executive Director since 2013 and held various other roles before that.
“The mission of Trócaire is as important now as it has ever been,” he said in a statement announcing his retirement, which he admitted was not an easy decision to make.
“Ultimately the organisation’s effectiveness is down to the skills, enthusiasm and commitment of its staff.”
Mr Meehan also thanked Trócaire supporters all over the country for their generosity and support. “It has been an enormous privilege to have served the organisation as Executive Director,” he said.
“The work Trócaire performs each and every day is vital and life-changing. Leading that work has been an honour. Making this decision was not an easy one but it is the right decision for me personally and for Trócaire.”
On 25 January 2017 he was elected President of CIDSE, an international family of Catholic social justice organisations, for a three-year term, having been a member of its Executive Committee since 2014.
He is 62 years of age, and is the third Executive Director in Trócaire’s 45-year history, following on from Brian McKeown and Justin Kilcullen.
Eamonn Meehan, Executive Director, Trócaire.
At the time of his appointment as Executive Director in 2013, Éamonn Meehan saw the overseas work of Trócaire as being at the heart of tackling worldwide challenges of poverty, inequality and injustice.
He felt it was important to communicate effectively with the Irish public about this work. He praised Trócaire’s staff, in particular their partnership with many overseas organisations and communities.
He emphasised that true development and equality can only be brought about by local community action and endeavour with the support of organisations like Trócaire.
Trócaire will begin the search for a new Chief Executive Officer over the coming weeks. The recruitment will be led by the organisation’s board, which is chaired by Bishop William Crean.
Éamonn Meehan joined Trócaire in 1991 as Programme Manager for the Southern Africa Region. For five years in this role, he managed the day-to-day running of Trócaire’s work in South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In 1996, he became Head of the International Division, responsible for Trócaire’s work overseas. This included the allocation of resources to development and humanitarian programmes and securing co-financing from the Irish government, the EU and others.
In 2002, he was appointed Deputy Director and Head of Trócaire’s Ireland Division with overarching responsibility for fundraising and marketing, communications, development education, policy and campaigns.
Before joining Trócaire, from 1987-1991, Éamonn Meehan worked with the Agency for Personal Service Overseas (APSO) as Regional Representative for Southern Africa based in Lesotho.
A former teacher, he has taught in Clane, Co Kildare, Knocklyon in Co Dublin and in Turkana in Kenya.
Originally from Kilmaley, Co Clare, he holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Trinity College, Dublin.
Trócaire is the overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland, established in 1973.
