Barney Callaghan
Barney, born in Galway City to Mary and Barney, where he was reared with his brother Brian in a home that placed significant emphasis on personal ethics, community service and lifelong learning. Formal education took place in St. Joseph’s College (The Bish), University College Galway, Maynooth University, The Military College, The University of Brighton, The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the Kings Fund in the UK and University College Cork. Most of his working life has been devoted to developing and enabling people to find the best in themselves and then help them put it to good use.
He had a career as an officer in the Irish Defence Forces and served four tours of duty in Lebanon. Much of his military service was in the area of training and development. He subsequently joined the National Health Service as manager of a regional ambulance service where he also worked in emergency planning and personal and management development with middle and senior level managers. He served for seven years as CEO of Gaisce – The President’s Award and is now the Principal at Callaghan Associates specialising in Personal, Business and Executive Coaching and Training and Development. He has qualifications and experience in strategic and change management, organisational development, coaching, training and development, emergency planning and holds a 1st Class Honours MSc in Personal and Management Coaching from University College Cork and an MA in Change Management from the University of Brighton.
Barney worked in voluntary youth services from his mid teens as a frontline youth worker; he has worked with young people in conflict with the law and while so engaged he designed, managed and participated in community based alternative outdoor education programmes. Barney has also worked at a Board level in Kildare and Limerick youth services. He has served as Chairman of Ireland’s adventure sports organisation and in voluntary health organisations; the Irish Society of Immediate Care and the Irish Society for Quality and Safety in Healthcare. He is chairman of the Board of Salesian Secondary School, Limerick and a member of the interim board of the newly emerging Thomond Community College in Limerick. He has qualifications and experience in outdoor education and youth work.
He has experience as a University lecturer in Management, Change Management, Quality Management, Negotiation and Leadership and was a Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) external examiner to the Cadet School of the Military College. He is a fellow of the Irish Institute of Training and Development (IITD), an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), a member and the British Psychological society and the International Coaching Federation.
While serving as CEO with Gaisce – The President’s Award he represented Ireland as a member of the International Council of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Association, 2007-2010, as a representative from the European, Mediterranean and Arab States (EMAS) region of that association.
Barney, a Rotarian since 1996, served as District Governor of Rotary Ireland in 2011-2012. He served as President of Limerick Thomond Rotary Club in 2003-2004 and subsequently as an Assistant Governor. He was elected to serve on the Executive of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland from 2011 to 2013. In 2012 he joined the training team for Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI) to train Assistant Governors. He serves as an International Assistant Coordinator with Responsibility for Rotary in Ireland and Scotland. He was selected as a Training Leader to serve at the Rotary International Training Assembly in the USA which trains over 530 Governors to serve Rotary across the world in 2016-2017. Barney was recently appointed to the Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland Leadership, Training and Development Committee.