Meet The Team
Rory Halpin - Executive Director
Short Bio
My name is Rory Halpin and I am the Executive Director of Spirasi, having taken up this role in 2017. I’m from Drogheda and currently living there with my wife and two children. I first started in Spirasi back in 2009 as an outreach psychosocial worker in Mosney Accommodation Centre, an experience which grounded me in the work and the needs of our client group and which I draw on to this day.
Fun Fact
I am a fan of Star Trek – the original series – yes, with Kirk, Spock , Bones and Scotty!
What attracted you to your role at Spirasi?
Working with and for those on the margins of society has been close to my heart from an early age. Refugees and Asylum Seekers, and especially those who are victims of torture are a particularly vulnerable group who, I believe, require special care. I feel that viewing our world from the perspective of those who are ‘left out’ and then encouraging that voice to be heard shows society, if it is listening, what the priorities really are and what needs to be done. Being in touch with this amazing group of people, listening to them, constantly learning from them, continues to remind me what is important and what I continue to want to do with my life.
What are the challenges and rewards of your job?
The challenges at work are different from my days as a frontline worker. Now the challenge is to find adequate resources for the organisation and staff to do the work that needs to be done. It is then to ensure that best use is made of what is available and that Spirasi responds with a level of excellence across the organisation. It is making ordinary people, corporations, and government aware of the huge need and asking/persuading them to respond generously. It is ensuring that mechanisms and structures are in place so that the organisation makes good strategic decisions that ultimately serve our client group.
The job is likewise rewarding when clients are happy and concretely helped by our service, when staff feel valued and satisfied in their work, when the work of Spirasi is recognised by an ever larger group of supporters at all levels of society.
