Our team
Janie Lazar
Communication, connection, collaboration combined with a strong sense of social justice is what underpin all that Janie does publicly, including leading TEDx Dun Laoghaire and privately as a Specialist Speaker, Life Coach and Celebrant. The direct impact of chronic pain and terminal illness on people and their families that she sees as a secular, non-religious celebrant has highlighted the changing attitude towards assisted dying. Listening to Gaynor French in 2017 made Janie realise how much this legislation for Voluntary Assisted Dying is needed, Gaynor campaigned tirelessly right up to her death.
Justin McKenna
Justin has over 40 years continuous experience as a solicitor practising in the area of end of life. He is a former chairperson of the Law Society Committee on Probate Administration and Trusts and a former President of the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association. He is one of the founding partners of Partners at Law Solicitors, a law firm based in Dun Laoghaire.
Alan Tuffery, PhD
Dr Alan Tuffery is a former university lecturer in physiology and was involved in student services in various roles: personal tutor, developing disability services and managing the College’s tutorial service.
After ‘retirement’ Alan taught on the Trinity Access Programmes.in a volunteer capacity, helping to provide academic advice to students. Among his current interests are the individual in society and improving the quality of life for all. He is committed to end of life choice and supporting the campaign for Voluntary Assisted Dying.
Niamh Phelan, MSc.
Niamh is a technologist specialising in analytics and digital transformation in large multinationals. As a Volunteer Technologist she has lent her expertise to charities working with migrants, older people, people experiencing homelessness, people with addiction issues and people working in the sex industry. Niamh was a Volunteer Solution Architect with the Irish Red Cross for 7 years, managing volunteers that created the Irish Red Cross pledging platform. Niamh is a founding member of Dublin 8 Refugee Community Sponsorship Group and Dublin City of Sanctuary Business & Enterprise Program.
Linked In: Niamh Phelan Twitter: @niamhmphelan TedX Talk 2018
Judith Ashton
Judith has been a body orientated psychotherapist and massage therapist for 35+ years and she has supported many terminally ill clients and their families,. She is also a fully qualified funeral celebrant and a recent Tedx speaker. During the recent pandemic, Judith put her energy into producing an end of life planning guide www.beprepared.ie which draws on her extensive experience in helping families through emotional times.
Helen O’Shaughnessy
Since graduating in 1981, Helen’s nursing experience extended to working in Scotland before working in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Yemen and on to Australia and New Zealand for 28 years. Helen loves the outdoors, sport, hiking, cycling .and swimming and as a keen triathelete, participates in marathons and Ironman events. Helen moved back to Ireland in 2017 to care for her sister who was terminally Ill. Assisted Dying is, she feels is a fundamental human right something not afforded to her sister, or many others. Now back in NZ, Helen continues to work with us, bringing her experience of working with End of Life Choice NZ where Assisted Dying is now available to us here in Ireland
Noel Byrne
Noel is a retired Civil Servant. His principal interest is in Philosophy with particular interests in Ethics and Morality. Working closely with Alan Tuffery our research lead and Justin McKenna our legal eagle, Noel is an invaluable member of our team.
May Sivertsen
May is a brand identity designer. Originally from Norway she has lived in Ireland for more than twenty years. When Janie asked May for some help with the visual communication for the End of Life Ireland, a volunteer led advocacy group, well of course she answered that call. May outlined, “I remember the Marie Fleming case very well and what she, her husband and her family had to go through seemed beyond awful. That her husband could risk being accused of murdering his wife if he stopped her horrid suffering… well it seemed inhuman…. I want to see legislation for Assisted Dying.”
www.trumpet.ie Linked In – May Sivertsen
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Jude Wainwright
The experience of watching her father die from Motor Neurone Disease (MND) left a lasting impression on Judith Wainwright who is now an advocate for voluntary assisted dying. Judith has been an active volunteer with End of Life Ireland since 2020 and advocates for End of Life Choice in memory of her father.