Get to know the Speakers
Mary Mulvey
Mary Mulvey has a long history in Community & Heritage Tourism since the early 1990s. She was responsible for Ireland’s first Globally recognised Ecotourism Certification Programme in 2012 one first 12 in the World Ecotourism Ireland. She has worked for Fáilte ireland and English Tourism Board. Mary is freelance and works in Sustainability, Destination management and NGO sectors. She was Lead Consultant in 2019 on Sustainable Tourism Principles for Ireland with Earthcheck for Dept Tourism, Fáilte ireland and Tourism Ireland. She has volunteered for Leave no Trace, Community Wetlands Forum, Founder Toastmasters Sustainable Speakers Club online and one of 100 Climate Reality Leaders in Ireland. She chaired a sustainability subcommittee on the Board of Tourism Ireland as a director .
Beth Cobo
Beth Cobo is the founder of Trescàlia, a hiking and nature travel agency. She is an Environmental educator and guide in the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park and a Consultant in sustainable tourism and creation of ecotourism experiences. She was trained in environmental education and official group guide in Natural Parks, with more than 25 years of experience as a guide. Always in accordance with the principles of promoting sustainable tourism, Trescalia becomes the 1st agency accredited with the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (ECST) in Spain. Mentor in different European projects of Sustainable Tourism: Destimed+, MedPearls, Eurocluster Rural Tourism, and trainer of trainers in sustainability applied to tourism. She is a member of the Ecotourism Board of Catalonia (Directorate General of Tourism of Catalonia, Generalitat of Catalonia), representing the destination of La Garrotxa and travel agency accredited by ECST. She coordinated the first catalogue of ecotourism experiences at national level, with the Ecotourism Club of Spain.
Fiona Monaghan
Fiona Monaghan is the Head of Product Development for Outdoor Activities & Infrastructure, Fáilte Ireland. A native of Galway City, Ireland, Fiona has 25 years’ experience in the tourism industry in the private and public sector. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Diploma in Marketing Practice from the University of Galway and a Masters of Business Studies from the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business at University College Dublin. While living and working in the United States, Fiona attained a diploma in Sports Marketing from New York University (NYU) School of Continuing & Professional Education. Her early career included the role of Director of Sales for North America with the Doyle Hotel Group in Washington DC before she relocated to New York to work with the Irish Tourist Board. In 2007, Fiona returned to Ireland to take up the role of Head of Operations for the West with Fáilte Ireland. She went on to be part of the team that developed the Wild Atlantic Way tourism brand and led the team in the early years of implementation of the destination brand. She is currently responsible for leading the Product Development team for Outdoor Activities and Infrastructure in Fáilte Ireland and is striving to support Fáilte Ireland’s ambition of Ireland being recognised internationally as a world class year round activity destination. In her spare time Fiona can be found embracing the Wild Atlantic Way of life. She is a year round open water sea swimmer and is a proud Connacht Rugby and Galway Hurling supporter.
Michèle O’Dea
Michèle O’Dea is a Senior Conservation Architect with the Office of Public Works. Michèle worked in the private sector in Ireland, the US and Germany before returning to Ireland to complete her post graduate studies in urban and building conservation. She is currently responsible for the care and presentation of National Monuments in the west of Ireland. This includes a number of offshore sites.
