Dr. Ita Richardson, Senior Lecturer, Department of Computer Science and Information Systems
and Lero – Irish Software Engineering Research Centre University of Limerick:
“Niall Heenan’s involvement in the Science Foundation Ireland funded Gender Audit was to set up and facilitate focus groups consisting of researchers and academics, including those at senior level, and to work with other researchers on the project to integrate outcomes into a final report. We were delighted to have Niall on our team as he approached this task with professionalism and enthusiasm and ensured that views were represented accurately in the reporting phase.”
Jim Power coordinator Mayo County Childcare Committee:
“Niall Heenan has facilitated ‘Review Days‘ and ‘Strategic Planning Days ‘ for Mayo CCC on a consistent basis since 2004. The reasons Mayo CCC have continued to ask Niall to work with us is because Niall has a very effective yet enjoyable way of working. At our planning or review days we get through difficult decisions, and topics through different exercises and procedures that Niall leads us through. Niall leaves time for people to say their piece, but also balances this with getting decisions made. We don’t spend all day talking around difficult issues. Also, Niall has a very gentle way of helping us reflect on our own work, as individuals and as an organization, so we are not allowed the luxury to criticise and blame all our woes on ‘others’, rather Niall helps us identify the issues and challenges us to decide what we can and will do to address them. At Mayo CCC we like to call Niall our ‘Critical Friend’. To us it sums up what he does for us, he provides a very friendly humorous and energy giving service which also and most importantly helps us to be more effective by examining our own practice.”
Mary Wallace, Lecturer, Dept of Economics, ,Kemmy Business School University of Limerick:
’’Niall Heenan has been invited on an annual basis as a guest lecturer to the University of Limerick’s postgraduate programme, MA in International Tourism for over ten years. His primary inputs relate to the delivery of guest lectures and the organisation of an associated 2-day field-trip to tourism-related businesses, primarily in the mid-west region. Niall is very professional and well-respected in his field, by both UL’s tourism faculty and its past MA graduates, and local business owner/managers. He is always very willing to share his expertise and his wealth of industry experience with our students, and particularly to those doing related research. His enthusiasm and discerning perceptions of the tourism industry is very well received by students. Through his successful entrepreneurial activities, his consultancy and training background along with his involvement in third-level education, Niall manages to maintain an independent analysis and comprehensive knowledge of key tourism-related matters, both local and national.’’
