About Us – Coeliac Society Of Ireland

To make Ireland the best country in the world to live gluten free

Supporting, empowering, educating and inspiring those living a gluten free life every day

There are an estimated 50,000 people living with coeliac disease in Ireland, and a further 400,000 who are gluten intolerant. The Coeliac Society of Ireland is determined to make sure that every one of them has the support and help they need to make living with their condition as easy and as normal as is possible. We empower the entire coeliac and gluten intolerant community by providing them with information, advice and practical solutions as they navigate a gluten-free lifestyle.
The Coeliac Society also represents your interests by advocating to government health agencies for improved resources and services, so that you and your families can access the care that you need. Together we can make Ireland the best country in the world to live gluten free.

Who We Are

Founded in 1970, the Coeliac Society of Ireland is a national charity representing the 1% of the population (and their families) who live with coeliac disease, and the estimated additional 400,000 gluten intolerant sufferers living in Ireland today.

The Coeliac Society of Ireland is a registered charity CHY7484 and Registered Charity Number 20016548. It is the national charity supporting people affected by coeliac disease and gluten intolerance.

The Board

Niall Kavanagh

Chairperson

Niall joined the Board of the Coeliac Society in 2018. He is a Chartered Secretary (FCIS), Barrister and Non-executive Director. He is also a member of the ICSA Ireland Company Law and Regulatory Sub-Committee chaired by the ICSAs representative on the Company Law Review Group, where the Committee’s role is to review the activities and proposals of governments, legislators and regulators which affect the governance of Irish companies. Niall is a coeliac for over ten years also has a first class honours degree in Physiology from Trinity College Dublin.

Dr. Nick Kennedy

President

Dr. Nick Kennedy is a registered medical practitioner (since 1981) and has been an active member of board of the Coeliac Society since his since his election as Honorary President in 2008.  He is an Associate Professor in Clinical Medicine (Nutrition) in Trinity College Dublin and has contributed to the multidisciplinary coeliac clinic at St James’s Hospital since 1995. He has taught medicine at undergraduate level since 1984 and clinical nutrition at undergraduate and postgraduate level also. He has been a member of the CORU Dietitians’ Registration Board since its establishment in 2013, as an academic involved in the education of dietitians.

Richelle Flanagan

Clinical Advisory Group

Richelle joined the Board of the Coeliac Society in February 2016. She is a state registered Dietitian with CORU. She was president and interim CEO of the of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI), the professional body for Dietitians in Ireland. Richelle was a founding member of the Healthy Ireland Council and a past member of the Irish Institute of Sport Panel of Nutrition Advisors. Richelle runs her own nutrition consultancy, Be Nutrition Wise. Driven by her own knowledge as a Dietitian, Richelle was diagnosed with coeliac disease in her early forties after noticing less recognised symptoms of joint pain and secondary infertility. This made her acutely aware of the lack of proper and timely diagnosis, which led her to become involved with the Society to help raise the profile of coeliac disease. She is the current chair of the Clinical Advisory Board.

Darren Harris

Food Advisory Group

Darren is Technological University Dublin’s bakery programme chair (culinary arts) & fourth programme tutor. Darren drafts & consults on research & development grants/ tax credits. He lectures in functional foods & allergens, test baking & analysis & bakery technology. In addition, Darren has worked in fine dining, world class hotels, high volume catering and various artisan bakeries.  In addition to being a former R&D lead in a state of the art production site he specialises in product reformulation, new product development & innovation.

Mattie O' Grady

Strategy Group

Mattie joined the board of Directors in May 2016 and brings with him nearly 20 years experience in many senior leadership positions in the food, retail and services industries. Mattie a Coeliac himself was diagnosed in 2006 and is well aware of the needs and requirements of people suffering from coeliac disease and of the improvements required for the betterment of sufferers.

Office Team

Gill Brennan

CEO

Andrea Murray

Sponsorhip & Advertising Manager

Trish Ledwidge

Head Of Finance

Jennifer Morrow

Marketing & Communications Manager

David Cooney

IT Manager

Janice Boylan

Membership Manager

Barron O' Rourke

Cloud Security Specialist

Sarah Kiernan

Research Nutritionist

Frances Buckley

Technical Food Consultant

Financial Statements & Annual Reports

* All Financial Statements Are Available From The Chariries Regulator Website.

Services Provided To Members

The following provides an overview of services provided by the Coeliac Society of Ireland for our members and service providers. This list is always changing as we find more solutions to help you live gluten free.

Online and phone support for members and all those who benefit from a gluten free diet for medical reasons and have an interest in coeliac disease.
Provide a link between members and manufacturers of gluten free products.
Work closely with the food industry to improve existing and provide new gluten free products on the Irish market and distribution to food stores.
Advice for new companies introducing gluten free products into the Irish market in areas of sourcing of ingredients, labelling, cross contamination issues, product testing, etc.
Catering & Foodservice Manual to assist those working in the catering and hospitality industries with catering for gluten-free diets.
Events at national and branch level, including cookery demonstrations, presentations by medical experts and Food Fairs.
Annual Food List booklet of gluten free products.
Coeliac Handbook – general medical information on Coeliac disease and other related conditions
News and information through coeliac.ie plus a monthly ‘Coeliac News Online’ email
Publish tried and tested recipes and information on suitable non-contaminated natural flours for gluten free cooking.
An online training programme for the catering industry, detailing steps required to provide safe gluten free meals.
Publish travel information including Eating Out language cards and information about a gluten free diet and availability of products in other countries.

Why Was The Coeliac Society Set Up?

For most of the 20^th Century, there was no support or recognition of coeliac disease or gluten intolerance in Ireland – no one knew that at around 1% of the population was suffering from this lifelong incurable autoimmune condition. A group of coeliac sufferers and other volunteers sought to address this shortcoming and, in 1970, they founded the Coeliac Society with one person with a phone in a Dublin. The Society has grown since then to become an organisation with thousands of members, which represents sufferers throughout Ireland and collaborates with peer coeliac organisations around the world.

The Coeliac Society has developed best-in-class educational programmes and services to ensure that people suffering from coeliac disease and gluten intolerance can access the services and support they need. Our full-time staff are available to provide advice and support online or over the phone.

We are a national organisation representing all coeliacs and gluten intolerant people in Ireland. We are also a European organisation which, as part of the Association of European Coeliac Societies, works towards Europea-wide legislation and research. We are everywhere!