Philanthropy Ireland Podcast

Are young people in your community struggling to build resilience and find their direction after the disruption of recent years? Many secondary school students today face unprecedented challenges - from educational gaps to mental health concerns - leaving parents, educators, and community leaders searching for effective ways to support the next generation's development.
Imagine a community where every young person has access to the tools, mentorship, and opportunities they need to thrive. Picture teenagers who are not only academically supported but also equipped with life skills, resilience, and a sense of purpose - young people who understand their potential to make a positive impact and are empowered to become the changemakers and philanthropists of tomorrow.
Louise McElvaney and Sean McDaid, co-founders of the 5Ten Trust in Donegal, have created exactly this kind of transformative community program. Louise brings extensive HR expertise in organizational development, while Sean leverages deep community connections built over years of local engagement. 
Together, they've developed innovative approaches including peer tutoring, targeted workshops, and their groundbreaking "Pay It Forward" initiative that's turning young people into active contributors to their communities - even during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT
Why a global pandemic became the unexpected opportunity to transform youth mental health support in one Irish community
How two friends turned mutual respect into a powerful formula for launching successful community initiatives
The "Pay It Forward" strategy that transforms teenage bursary recipients into active community changemakers
Real examples: How former students are now running social media campaigns and funding community gardens
The proven framework for building resilience and life skills that you can adapt for your own community's young people
GUEST DETAILS
In 2020 we Co-founded 5Ten Trust, a charity set up to help young people further their education and development ambitions, by enabling them to remove barriers. 
The trust sponsors numerous education initiatives with education providers to develop resilience and address mental health challenges among children and young people in the North or Ireland.
QUOTES
We're trying to influence them to pay it forward, for a better word of the future, with their time, talent and perhaps funding. - Louise McElvaney
For the children, It's about giving them the confidence that they are enough, that they are capable of anything that they set their mind to. - Louise McElvaney
if we can change someone's life early on, and instill in them the power that small changes can make in their lives, hopefully it has long, lasting and huge consequences for the community.– Sean McDaid
We touch on hundreds of kids to help build resilience, to help them with life skills, to help them with what they're going to do next. – Louise McElvanery
If you're wanting to help children deal with anxiety, resilience and build them into better people, you have to start somewhere. So just just start small.. – Sean McDaid

KEYWORDS
#Philanthropy Ireland, #5Ten Trust, #bursaries, #mental health, #secondary school children, #Donegal

When Ed Dunne sold Nua Healthcare after 20+ years building it into a successful social care business, he didn't just write checks to charities he got into the weeds. 
The Síol Foundation (meaning "seed") provides business models teaching organizations self-sufficiency, like Sensational Kids charging half-price for therapy services instead of giving everything free, becoming sustainable from day one without needing donations. 
From Moldova institutional care reform to co-founding Dídean challenging direct provision by housing migrant children in communities (not hotels) with 70-year-old toilet cleaners at music festivals to proactive young fathers needing support, Ed's ADHD-driven passion focuses on karma, seeing people behind problems, raising four children to recognise others' struggles, and believing money without structure often fails while €10,000 teaching self-sufficiency beats €100,000 creating dependency—all while avoiding charity registration burdens by working through Community Foundation Ireland's donor-advised structure.
THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT
Gaisce President's Award sparked lifelong commitment to community development volunteering
Síol Foundation provides seed capital teaching organizations self-sufficiency over dependency
Sensational Kids became sustainable charging half-price rather than free services
Dídean challenges direct provision system humanely supporting migrant children families
Mountrath Bridgerdean Convent transformed into self-sustaining community hub gym workspace

GUEST DETAILS
Ed Dunne is a philanthropist, social entrepreneur, and successful businessman whose giving journey began through Gaisce (the President's Award) as a young person. 

After founding and building Nua Healthcare into a successful social care business over 20+ years (fully exiting in 2020), Ed established the Síol Foundation (Irish for "seed") to provide seed capital and business models helping organizations become self-sufficient rather than donation-dependent. 

His hands-on approach has supported projects ranging from €500 to over €1 million—from Sensational Kids (half-price therapy services sustainable from day one) to Moldova's institutional care reform, the Tala Fund supporting his hometown, and transforming Mountrath's Bridgerdean Convent into a €1 million self-sustaining community hub. 

In 2019, he co-founded Dídean (Irish for "shelter"), challenging Ireland's direct provision system by housing migrant children and families in community settings across four counties with social care support, achieving high integration rates. 

Working through Community Foundation Ireland's donor-advised structure, Ed deploys personal and family funds based on passion rather than distant check-writing, believing in karma, teaching self-sufficiency over dependency, and raising his four children to see people's struggles regardless of status—exemplified by his festival moment watching a 70-year-old toilet cleaner and wanting his legacy to be children who actually see people.
CONNECT WITH ED: 
Síol Foundation through Community Foundation Ireland
Dídean: Supporting migrant children and families
Mountrath Bridgerdean Convent community project

MORE INFORMATION
Looking to learn more about the power of strategic giving and effecting real change? Visit https://www.philanthropy.ie/ to learn more.
The Philanthropy Ireland Podcast is produced by DustPod.io.
QUOTES
That's where you'd have people saying, Look well, no, I'm sure look bad. Leave us alone. Go away. Just write a check. And that's not what I do. - Ed Dunne
I don't particularly like donating at a distance. I don't like just giving people money and then off they go. Money isn't always the answer in projects. It doesn't always fix things. - Ed Dunne
We sponsored all of the salaries for the year, but from day one, they were able to build those services out to people at half price. They never needed a penny to fund their salaries because the order book on the clinical services was just full. - Ed Dunne
Whatever everybody thinks a migrant is, a 19 year old boy from a particular place coming over here to take jobs—on the most part, a significant number of these people are children and children with complex needs.. If you ask any Irish person, do you think it's okay for a child to grow up in a hotel all their life, they will go, No, - Ed Dunne

KEYWORDS
#SocialEntrepreneurship #StrategicGiving #SelfSufficiency #DirectProvisionReform #CommunityDevelopment

In this episode, Vincent Wall speaks with Maeve Cavanagh, CEO of the Tomar Trust, about the remarkable philanthropic journey started by her late father, Tom Cavanagh. Maeve shares how the Trust was built on a simple vision of “levelling the playing field” in education, rural communities, integration, and the arts — and why Tomar’s funding was always intended to be the “icing on the cake,” complementing rather than replacing other supports.
As the Trust approaches its planned sunset in 2026/27, Maeve reflects on its impact, from transformative school initiatives to creative arts projects that changed young lives. She also offers candid insights on family dynamics, the challenges of governance, and the evolving culture of philanthropy in Ireland. Above all, Maeve emphasises that real legacy is found not in buildings, but in people — and in the opportunities philanthropy makes possible.
 
THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT
 The origins of the Tomar Trust and Tom Cavanagh’s vision of “levelling the playing field”
 Why the Trust always aimed to be the “icing on the cake,” not a replacement for other funding
 How family dynamics shaped Maeve’s path to chairing the Trust
 The four pillars of Tomar’s giving: education, rural communities, integration, and the arts
 What it means for a trust to enter “sunset mode” and plan its wind-down
 Memorable stories of impact, from school workshops to creative arts initiatives
 The challenges of governance, compliance, and balancing risk in philanthropy
 Why Maeve believes true legacy is about people, not buildings
 
GUEST DETAILS
 
The Tomar Trust is a philanthropic trust that aims to contribute to strengthening Irish society over 10 years 2016-2026. Established in 1994 the Tomar Trust has been supporting community and voluntary activity in rural Ireland, particularly North Cork, West Waterford, Clare and Donegal and disadvantaged communities in Cork City. The Trust aims to deepen its commitment to rural Ireland, to the building of strong communities and resilient young people, and aims to address some of the big issues facing Ireland today and investing in the solutions to solve them.
MORE INFORMATION

Looking to learn more about the power of strategic giving and effecting real change? Visit https://www.philanthropy.ie/ to learn more.
The Philanthropy Ireland Podcast is produced by DustPod.io.
 
QUOTES
We’ve always said there’s no room in philanthropy for any bit of ego. Everybody has to play their part. – Maeve Cavanagh
Tomar was never about replacing funding — we were always the icing on the cake. – Maeve Cavanagh
It’s often the projects where we’ve given the least amount of money that have had the most benefit. – Maeve Cavanagh
Real legacy isn’t in buildings — it’s in people, and in the opportunities they’re given. – Maeve Cavanagh
Never underestimate the impact you will have. Philanthropy enables transformation, and it does achieve that. – Maeve Cavanagh

How do you go from founding one of Europe’s most disruptive airlines to transforming Ireland’s approach to giving? 
In this episode, Dr. Dec Ryan—first CEO of Ryanair and founder of the One Foundation—talks candidly about what drove him to philanthropy, the lessons he learned from both failure and success, and why he believes Irish giving needs to be bolder, smarter, and less afraid to break a few eggs. 
From mental health to migrant rights to rural bookshops, Dec shares the stories behind his biggest projects, his no-nonsense philosophy on charity, and what really matters when you want to make an impact.
If you’ve ever wondered what real, purposeful giving looks like—or what’s holding it back—this is the episode for you.
THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT
What sparked Dec Ryan’s shift from Ryanair to philanthropy
Why the One Foundation chose a “spend-down” approach
How personal experience shaped their mental health giving
What Ireland gets wrong (and right) about supporting migrants
Lessons learned from failures, and how to actually make an impact

GUEST DETAILS
Dec founded The One Foundation in 2004. He was inspired by Dale Carnegie and Chuck Feeney, especially the latter’s concept of “giving while living”. The One Foundation was named after the U2 song “One” which contains the lyric “We carry each other”. Dr Ryan is also the founder and Managing Partner of Irelandia Aviation which has built 5 low-cost carriers to date incluidng Ryanair.
MORE INFORMATION
Looking to learn more about the power of strategic giving and effecting real change? Visit https://www.philanthropy.ie/ to learn more.
The Philanthropy Ireland Podcast is produced by DustPod.io
QUOTES
I’m not mad on the word philanthropy—love the word giving. – Dr Dec Ryan
Sometimes when you throw 50 grand at a charity, it floods them… You think they’re able for it, and sometimes they’re not. – Dr Dec Ryan
One of the best measures of success is that they don’t need us anymore. – Dr Dec Ryan
If people got 10% of the crack I got out of the crew, you’d do it every day. – Dr Dec Ryan
You have to break a few eggs along the way. Failure isn’t frustrating—it’s just part of the process. – Dr Dec Ryan

KEYWORDS
#Philanthropy #GivingBack #MentalHealth #IrishCharity #Impact #SocialChange #Leadership

Fresh from selling his business for €150 million, James Murphy faced a life-changing question: what do you do with wealth that feels like “too much to keep”? 
In this candid conversation, James shares how he and his family turned a business exit into the Life’s Too Good Foundation, a structured approach to giving that has supported projects from consent education in Irish universities to girls’ entrepreneurship in Malawi and climate action in the West of Ireland. 
Blending business discipline with deep social purpose, James reveals what he’s learned about impact, family, and why structured philanthropy matters more than ever.
THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT
Turning a €150m business exit into a force for good.
Why James Murphy believes structured giving matters more than one-off donations.
How family values and legacy shape the Life’s Too Good Foundation.
The business mindset Murphy brings to philanthropy — structure, due diligence, and strategy.
Stories from flagship projects: consent education in Galway, girls’ empowerment in Malawi, and climate action in the West of Ireland.
Balancing wealth, responsibility, and humility while keeping a low profile.
Advice for anyone considering philanthropy — from exits to everyday giving.

GUEST DETAILS
James Murphy is the Founder and CEO of Lifes2good, having set-up the company in 1997. Born in Galway, he attended St. Jarlath’s College in Tuam and then attained a B. Comm in NUIG before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 1986. James then moved to Brussels where he worked for Coopers & Lybrand. He returned to Ireland in 1991 to join BMR-Slendertone where he built the brand, and then he sold out his participation in 1997 to start up Lifes2good.
Under James leadership, Lifes2good has grown from a small distribution company to a global enterprise. James made the company’s first acquisition in the UK in 2003. In 2007 he acquired the Viviscal brand when this business had a turnover of €700k. The company continued to grow with further expansion throughout Europe and the US. Lifes2good grew the business worldwide with offices in Ireland, UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Portugal. The Viviscal business grew to €50m in 2016 and in January 2017, Lifes2good successfully sold the Viviscal brand to the US Conglomerate Church & Dwight for €150m.
James is a believer in lifelong learning. He has attended the Leadership 4 Growth programme at Stanford University in California and he continues to follow Business Development programmes in the IMI. He was one of the finalists in the Ernst &Young Entrepreneur of the Year programme in 2013.
James has supported worthy causes in Galway down through the years and visited Kenya in 2005 and supported small local businesses in Nairobi slums. He set up Lifes2good Foundation in 2017.  The main sectoral focus of the Foundation is on vulnerable women and children but he also has an interest in supporting organisations working in active and vibrant communities that can positively impact on the society around them. The main geographical focus of the Foundation is on Galway / West of Ireland and two developing countries.
MORE INFORMATION
Looking to learn more about the power of strategic giving and effecting real change? Visit https://www.philanthropy.ie/ to learn more.
The Philanthropy Ireland Podcast is produced by DustPod.io 

QUOTES
 "I just felt that that was far too much money for me personally to have and to keep and to invest." – James Murphy
 "Everybody talks about an overnight success. It was an overnight success in 10 years– James Murphy 
 "We've just far too much wealth and we need to start giving it away and doing something really different." – James Murphy
 "You want the best people, you have to pay them properly — charity is no different." – James Murphy
 "We don’t just bring funds, we bring structure, reporting, and due diligence — that comes from business." – James Murphy
 "It’s not all about passing wealth on. What matters is showing the next generation how to do good with it." – James Murphy

KEYWORDS
#Philanthropy #GivingBack #Impact #WealthWithPurpose #StructuredGiving #FamilyLegacy #SocialImpact #BusinessForGood #JamesMurphy #LifeTooGoodFoundation