WHO
WE ARE
We are a dedicated group of wildlife conservationists determined to enact meaningful change in Ireland
Meet The Barn Owl Project Team
The founder of the project
John Carrig is a published wildlife photographer and has been involved in wildlife conservation and rescue for many years. John now holds the position of director of the Barn Owl project.
John Carrig
Founder, The Barn Owl Project
John Carrig is a published wildlife photographer. He has been involved in wildlife conservation and rescue for many years. John now holds the position of Director of the Barn Owl Project.
Bev Truss
Wildlife Care Expert
Bev Truss is an expert in wildlife rehabilitation.
A qualified Vet Nurse with over 30 years experience with wildlife, Bev also set up and runs The Hogsprickle in Co Clare, which is a dedicated facility to help injured hedgehogs in Ireland. She helps the Barn Owl Project with all the injured wildlife that comes through the project.
Project Advisor
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Vice President, Strategic Initiatives at IngersollR and
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Operational Excellence Six Sigma
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Leadership
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Sustaining Engineering
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Strategic Initiatives
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Engineering
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Quality Assurance
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Sales
Susan Kerwin
Wildlife Care Expert
Susan Kerwin is an expert in wildlife rehabilitation with a long history of working with birds of prey. Susan set up and runs Bat Rehabilitation Ireland in Co Limerick. She helps the Barn Owl Project with all the injured wildlife that comes through the project.
Martin O Malley
Wildlife Care Expert
Martin O Malley is a Veterinary Surgeon and is a partner in Ark veterinary practice Co Galway.
Martin helps with any Wildlife that comes through the Project. Ark Vets are also a Sponsor to The Barn Owl Project.
Barn Owl Ambassador
Eirn is our Barn Owl Ambassador and is a valued part of our team. Eirn is used to letting people see the beauty of what we are trying to protect. Eirn is a captive-bred Barn Owl who came into our care and can never be released.
Danny Dorrhy
Soft Release Manager
Dan Doorhy, who has been involved in helping Barn Owls make a comeback in the west of Ireland, is also Conservation Officer on our 600 acre soft release site.
He has completed on-site training as well as a course with the Barn Owl Trust on Barn Owl Ecology, Legal Protection, Licence Applications and Minimising Disturbance, Survey Methodology, Search Procedures, Evidence of Occupation and Mitigation and Planning.
Claire Besnyoe
Clare Burke got her degree in TCD in the 1940s before moving to Vienna to work with the UN where she spent her whole working career before retiring and moving back to Ireland. Clare has work hard to protect wildlife on her family's Estate and has been instrumental in pushing the Barn Owl project forward this includes the set up and modernisation of our soft release sites.
Youth Ambassador
Jack Lawless is an ambassador to the Barn Owl Project and has helped the project to identify nest sites in East Galway. Sadly Jack past away in late 2021 after a short illness but he will always be an ambassador for the Barn Owl Project. We talk about him regularly and he has left his mark on us all.