Dr Ivan Gibbons was formerly Director of Irish Studies at St Mary's University, Twickenham and is a member of the Board of Directors of Hammersmith Irish Cultural Centre, West London. He lectures in Irish and British history and is author of "The British Labour Party and the Establishment of the Irish Free State 1918-1924" and "Drawing the Line- The Irish Border in British Politics". Ivan has been strongly involved with the content and coordination of all the TTT conferences to date.

Born and raised in Whitecross, Co. Armagh, Michael has experienced first-hand the harsh reality of the Troubles. His sister, Majella, was tragically killed in 1976 and from this, Michael's dedication to promoting peace and reconciliation was realised. Ireland's history has always been a great passion of Michael's and he has recently graduated from St. Mary's University, Twickenham, with a master’s degree in Irish Studies. Michael's vision for Troubles, Tragedy and Trauma is that through compassion, understanding and kindness, we can begin to heal the hurt of the past and work towards a peaceful future.

Collette from Co. Armagh graduated from St Mary's University, Twickenham, London with a degree in Sociology with Drama and Irish Studies. When working as General Manager for the Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith, Collette oversaw three conferences held at the ICC. Growing up in Northern Ireland and with a close understanding of the impact the troubles has had on its people, Collette feels very closely linked to this project and passionate about advancing its aims and objectives. 

I left Newry Co. Down in 1969, just at the start of the Troubles. I worked as a nurse and then a midwife for many years before moving into management and professional regulation. I embarked on a range of legal studies and was called to the Bar in 2000. I later completed a Master’s degree in Medical Law and Ethics at Kings College London.

I have maintained a close interest in the impact of the Troubles over the last 50 years. The TTT conferences (set up by Michael O’Hare and colleagues) were very impressive in their content and in the sensitive approach taken to this difficult subject. The speakers have been excellent. The conferences revealed that there is a continuing legacy of trauma for very many people in Ireland and across the UK. This initiative seeks to build on the work of the conferences by exploring ways to assist those who continue to suffer emotional trauma as a result of the Troubles.

Our Treasurer, Norah O’Hare, has had an extensive career in the financial sector with over 20 years with Lloyd’s Bank and 12 years with Tesco working in Personal Finance. Norah currently works for the Diocese of Westminster in a pastoral role and is passionate about peace and reconcilliation. She is proud to be part of the TTT team and looks forward to a brighter future, whilst helping to ease the pain of Northern Ireland’s traumatic past for all.

Peter Finn was born in Omagh and brought up in the 1970s and 1980s in County Fermanagh. He moved to London and worked in teaching and the therapeutic community movement for many years. Having trained as a Group Analyst and Psychoanalytic psychotherapist in the early 2000's Peter has developed professional expertise in trauma, recovery and reconciliation through work in a wide variety of settings including the NHS and within the Irish community in London. 

More recently Peter has worked with young asylum seekers to the UK who have experienced trauma and political violence. Peter has professional interests in trauma recovery, racism, the social unconscious and understanding the social determinants of illness and wellbeing. Peter is looking forward to contributing to the core aims of TTTNIUK and building a community of concern around the themes of reconciliation, reparation, recovery and healing for all parts of our shared community of concern.

Padhraic Sloan was born in Omagh. He  graduated from Queens University Belfast with a BSC in Computing. He started his career path in London as a consultant for TCS and went on to earn his Teaching qualifications. He now supports TTT NI UK in their online and technical endeavours.