Mary recently joined EIL Ireland & has over 20 years experience in the education sector.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business in Accounting & is currently studying the final accountancy exams with CPA Ireland.

A native of Cork, Mary has travelled to France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, The Netherlands, North America & The West Indies however Italy has her heart.

In her spare time, Mary enjoys swimming, gym, hiking, reading & gardening. Mary lives in Cork and has 3 daughters.

Adam has backgrounds in Social Care and Innovation & Enterprise and worked as a youth worker with a keen interest in wellbeing. Adam first got involved with EIL Ireland in 2013 when he won an award with C.I.T’s Volunteer Abroad Programme where he spent a summer working in Jaipur, India in a Women Empowerment project. Adam has stated that his journey and experience in India was “without any doubt, the greatest learning of my life to date”.

Since then Adam went on to become a member of the Global Education Committee with the rest of “The Dream Team”, and has led inbound and outbound groups from Ireland, Hong Kong and the USA.

A travel lover, son of a Cork “mammy”, a Mauritian father, and living the first 11 years of his life in Britwell, Slough, England – cultures and diversity is something Adam is accustomed to and he loves meeting new people, from new places, with new insights and believes everyone has something special to bring to the party! Being an active role model is something Adam brings to the work and volunteer work he does with the mission – “aspire to inspire.”

Aidan is from North East Galway and joined EIL in 2016 as Road Scholar Group Leader. Aidan has led all the Road Scholar programs in Ireland. In 2019 Aidan became the Group Leader Coordinator. During the Covid Pandemic, he was involved with delivering online Road Scholar Programs. Aidan re-joined EIL as manager of the Cultural Groups department in April 2023 following a brief period working in Tax.

Aidan got involved with heritage in his local community as a teenager volunteering in his local heritage centre which he is now a director of. Aidan has been involved in his local community as Chairperson of the Community Employment Scheme and the tidy towns in his local village.

Aidan’s educational background consists of a BA in Media Studies and History, an MA in European History from Maynooth University, a diploma in Archaeology from National University of Galway, a professional diploma in Digital Marketing from UCD and a postgraduate degree in Accountancy from Atlantic Technological University. Aidan also is a qualified Failte Ireland certified tour guide.

Aidan’s hobbies include swimming, reading, exploring Ireland, photography, and running. In his spare time he can be found coaching his local athletics club or shouting at a GAA match.

In 2019 Jillian joined EIL as a group leader for their Road Scholar Programmes. Jillian has returned to EIL in 2023 in the role of Group Leader Coordinator for incoming Road Scholar programmes to Ireland.

Her background is dominated by the hospitality, dining, and tourism sector with many years of service in the hotel and restaurant industry. Jillian has been a conference and banqueting manager, in the hotel business and an area manager for 20 years with a busy Irish owned restaurant enterprise. She has worked with the public throughout her entire career.

Jillian has travelled to numerous food, drink and hospitality fairs around the world, Rome, Paris, London, Chicago. She has a great interest in food and beverages and loves to cook. She has a diploma with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, UK, in Wines and Spirits.

Jillian enjoys the great outdoors and being active. She is an avid golfer and invests much of her spare time on a golf course. She has many years of sailing experience and has completed a leg of the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race on board the Asgard ll, Irish sail training vessel. She plays tennis socially and enjoys watching rugby. Countries visited include, Australia, USA, Malaysia, Greece. Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, and most central European nations.

Jillian is a member of Toastmasters International and has competed at international level. She dabbles in photography and photoshop.

Jillian has completed courses in Train the Trainer, Business office Management and is a qualified Failte Ireland National Tour Guide.

Petra recently joined EIL Ireland and became the Study Abroad Programme Manager. She was born and raised in Croatia, where she completed a Master’s Degree in Teacher Education. During her university years, she was awarded Erasmus+ Scholarship twice to study abroad at the Social Sciences department at the University of Wrocław and work as an English teacher both at Niepubliczna Szkoła Podstawowa Pro Futuro school and at the University of the Third Age in Poland. Petra has long-term experience working both as a teacher and a consultant for the Croatian Ministry of Science and Education as well as for Školska knjiga, one of the largest publishing companies in Croatia. A versatile person, she worked in various fields of education, working with all age groups. Petra decided to broaden her knowledge and skills by working on ESF projects as a Project Program Coordinator in the Association of People with Disabilities TOMS, improving employment and education opportunities for long-term unemployed and socially excluded people. As soon as she moved to Cork, Ireland, she started to work as a Student Welfare Officer, providing support assistance to students and ensuring that services are delivered to the highest standard.

Petra speaks Croatian, English, Polish and is currently learning Portuguese. Besides, she uses every opportunity to discover other languages and cultures. Petra is exceptionally passionate about traveling, cooking, ethnic music, traditional dances, and photography. Visiting family and friends bring her immense joy, so she uses every opportunity to spend time with them and enjoy the sun and endless coffees.”

Valeria is originally from the vibrant city of São Paulo, Brazil, and she joined EIL in 2023 as a Programme Administrator. She arrived in Ireland in 2018 for an intercultural internship and has proudly called Cork her home ever since.

With a bachelor’s degree in Business, she has a background in social impact through public policy initiatives related to education, data transparency, and anti-corruption election campaigns. Throughout her career, Valeria has worked on projects in collaboration with governments and international educational institutions, gaining insights into the significance of active citizenship and its impact on society. She is passionate about her mission to contribute to creating a better and fairer society and feels fortunate to have found a career that aligns with her personal beliefs. In Brazil, she also volunteered as a career coach for a non-profit organization that seeks to provide educational opportunities for economic vulnerable youth.

Outside of work, Valeria loves to travel, express her artistic side, and explore the charming city of Cork. She has a deep passion for Japanese culture and enjoys watching classic anime, with a special place in her heart for Studio Ghibli animations. Valeria maintains a list of everything she wants to do in life, which she takes very seriously. Each year, she commits to engaging in two different activities from her list. This year, she has embarked on learning to play the piano and exploring the art of painting mandalas.

Andrew  joined EIL in June 2022 as a Finance Intern during his studies at Accounting Technician Ireland.

He travelled to Europe more than a decade ago and was working in sales and distribution, restaurants and pubs in Singapore, Malaysia and Ireland before he became an Accounting Technician. He is originally from Malaysia and enjoys living with his spouse and two children in Cork by exploring Irish culture and natural habitat in his spare time.