OUR TEAM

Meet Your Facilitators

Meet the Team

  • Simon Courtney is a psychotherapist and facilitator working at the intersections of trauma, ancestry, and cultural identity. He founded the Initiative for Irish Integration & Emergence to create spaces for healing inherited wounds and fostering cultural renewal.

    FOUNDER

  • Úna Ní Chiosáin grew up in an Irish-speaking family and now lives in the west of Ireland. She is dedicated to healing through land, language, and ancestry, and has worked in community education for 30 years.

    Land & Language

  • Erica O'Reilly is an Irish-Canadian storyteller, theatre artist, and spiritual counsellor trained in Depth Hypnosis. Through Irish mythology, folklore, and sacred storytelling, she explores ancestral memory, cultural belonging, and the wisdom traditions of Ireland, inviting participants into a deeper relationship with story, identity, and the living threads between past and present.

    Mythology & Mysticism

  • Karen McAllister is an Irish-born meditation teacher, money coach, and Co-Executive Director of Clear Sky Meditation Centre in Canada. With over 26 years of contemplative practice and community leadership, she explores power, leadership, and the inherited patterns that continue to shape Irish identity and collective life.

    Power & Authority

  • David Young is Co-Executive Director of Somatic Experiencing International and a facilitator of collective trauma integration. With over 20 years’ experience, he helps communities and organizations heal from trauma, navigate complexity, and foster resilience.

    Polarisation, Othering & Difference

  • Bill McCart is a Collective Trauma Integration Process facilitator, certified practice leader, and long-term student of Thomas Hübl. He co-led the year-long exploration The Legacy of the Great Famine in Ireland and the Irish Diaspora alongside Simon Courtney. Bill brings decades of experience in relational practice and collective trauma work, with a particular passion for healing the enduring impacts of colonialism across Ireland and the Irish diaspora.

    Diaspora and Displacement

Beyond the Irish Question is guided by a team of seven facilitators, each bringing a unique constellation of skills, life experience, and deep commitment to this work. The team has been gathered with great care and intention, grounded in trauma-informed principles and a shared dedication to holding this exploration with integrity.

Every member brings a particular expertise and passion: from psychology, somatic practice, and ancestral healing to language, culture, and collective processes. Together they offer different perspectives that enrich the field, bringing depth, nuance, and care to themes that no single lens could illuminate alone. Their presence and commitment form the backbone of this program, ensuring that each session is held with both rigour and compassion.