Meet the Council

Derville is  a Clinical Optometrist working in a community practice in the North Dublin suburbs.  She has a wide ranging practice with a particular interest in Paediatrics and intellectual disabilities.  Self employed for most of her career which she has enjoyed immensely. 

Passionate about the ongoing development and growth of the profession and its value to the Health care system as a whole.

Currently chair of the Optical Registration Board and treasurer of Optometry Ireland. 

Scout leader in her spare time as Derville is a believer in the value of community and volunteering. 

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Martin is currently the Education & CPD Committee Chair and a member of the Executive. He has also served as President, Vice-President, Chair of Professional Services and PR Committees and represents Optometry Ireland at the European Council of Optometry & Optics (ECCO) and sits on the Professional Services Committee and has served as a member of the ECOO Executive.

Martin is a passionate advocate for the profession of Optometry, and has presented and lectured at a number of national and international Optometry events. He has received a number of awards including – Doug Perkins Award for Clinical Excellence (2022), Fellowship of the College of Optometrists (UK), Fellowship of the European Academy of Optometry & Optics and Honorary Life Fellowship of Association of Optometrists Ireland.

Mary graduated from Cardiff University and qualified as an optometrist in 1996. She has experience in hospital, multiples, domiciliary and private practice. Mary started her own independent practice in 1999 in Carrick-on-Shannon and also now has a practice in Roscommon Town. She has been an examiner for OI. Mary is chair of professional services.

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Olivia Donegan graduated in 2012 from Dublin Institute of Technology. She then worked in the United Kingdom for both multiples and private Opticians for a number of years. She gained varied experience in different aspects of Optometry such as specialised contact lens fittings, colourimetry, Paediatric clinics, shared care scheme and punctal plug fittings. Olivia also has experience working for a Glaucoma and Cataract surgeon in Australia for a couple of years.

She returned back to Ireland and worked as a Refractive Optometrist providing pre-operative and post-operative assessments. Currently she has specialised as a Paediatric Clinical Optometrist in Ballincollig Primary Care Centre in Cork for the last five years and thoroughly enjoys working with children. She has been involved in organising waiting list initiatives that have dramatically reduced down the Children’s Community Ophthalmology waiting list in Cork.

She continued her education and was awarded a Masters in Primary Care Ophthalmology from the University of Edinburgh in 2020

Rena Elliott is a self employed private practice optometrist for many years in Athlone.

Rena has been a tutor on numerous occasions and have a keen interest in Myopia management.

Hannah graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Optometry from DIT in 2009. She worked as a locum in a variety of practices before starting in Colette Kelly Opticians in Longford in January 2010. Here she found her love for Optometry with the time and flexibility working in an independent practice allows.

In February 2022 she became Director of Colette Kelly Opticians and has invested a lot to bring the practice to a high clinical standard.

Hannah is passionate about myopia management and has completed many courses in it. Most recently she introduced Orthokeratology to her practice to work alongside the other myopia management options she offers her patients.

Hannah became a member of council in Nov 2023 and is excited to help shape the future of Optometry in Ireland.

Cian works at the Wellington Eye Clinic and the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital. He specialises in complex contact lens fitting. Cian holds fellowships with the British Contact Lens Association (FBCLA), the International Association of Contact Lens Educators (FIACLE) and the Scleral lens Education Society (FSLS). Cian lectures and gives workshops internationally on complex contact lens fitting.

Diana Giurgila qualified with an Honours degree in Optometry in 2022 from Technological University Dublin and holds the Early Career Optometrist seat on the AOI council.

She completed a Professional Certificate in Medical Retina from Ulster University in January 2024 and is currently the optometrist director at Patrick Moore Opticians in Dublin.

Declan Hovenden is an optometrist with over 30 years’ experience in optometric practice, management, and education. In 2009, Declan joined the Optometry Department at D.I.T. (now Technological University Dublin) and he is now Head of Optometry at the university with overall responsibility for the academic, clinical, and research activities of the discipline.   

Declan is passionate about the advancement of the science and practice of optometry and is committed to contributing to the development of the profession and to an improved, more integrated and patient-centric system of eyecare delivery in Ireland. 

While currently serving on Optometry Ireland’s Council, Declan also sits on the Optical Registration Board of CORU and on the Health and Social Care Professionals Council.

Barry is a long-serving member of the Council of Optometry Ireland, having served as Communications Officer, Vice-President, President and Honorary Secretary.

He was awarded Fellowship of the Association of Optometrists Ireland (F.A.O.I.) in 1993, after graduating from the Optometry programme of the Dublin Institute of Technology. He has worked in independent private practice for many years and continues to do so.

Edel McCann qualified In optometry 1993. Independent practice in Donegal.  She took up position HSE Paediatric Optometry clinic Sligo 1 day a week too broaden experience with children.

Mary O’ Loughlin F.A.O.I. Is the Council Representative for the Eastern Region. She ran a successful independent practice for 35 years in Arklow and is currently on a career break. Mary is passionate about every aspect of Optometry, has been on Council for many years and served as President in 2013 and 2014.

She has extensive experience in exit planning and selling/ buying a practice.