I became a Customs Officer after school. then did a Degree in French in Paris, and then lived in the Basque country for 11 years. I married there and we had two children.

I swim, podcast, write and visit prisoners.

Recently , I was doing a local radio show and podcast show, at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558253092466;

Instagram: thatslifeireland That’s Life

Podcast: soundcloud.com/storiesfromireland;

Twitter: That’s Life @gerardcounihan

Short stories: https://gerardcounihan.substack.com/

Testimonial

I have had the pleasure of volunteering with Gerard in the SVP Prison Conference for over 10 years. Gerard has been a very dedicated committee member for those ten years. Gerard’s role was to visit prisoners in Dublin prisons over these years. He has brought comfort and solace to a great number of vulnerable men over that time.
Gerard has a great way of listening to prisoners and conversing with them on a wide variety of topics. Gerard is always interested in listening to other people’s views and has a great manner in making people feel at ease. He offers the prisoners a non-judgemental ear.
Gerard is always willing to give helpful advice to new members in our Conference on how to approach the task of visiting vulnerable people in prison. This can be a daunting experience for new members but he shares his own experience on what works well in given situations within the prison. He makes them feel at ease and always encourages them.
Gerard interacts within the prison, with the various prison personnel like Prison Officers, Prison Chaplains in seeking out vulnerable prisoners to visit. He engages with them in determining who the most vulnerable are and what their physical requirements may be. He endeavours to ensure that these needs are met by resources within SVP where possible.
Gerard is also engaged in a local radio station which involves going out and chatting with people listening to their personal stories . This involves people telling of their lived experiences in their local communities and the history associated with the relevant areas. He has interviewed a diverse cross section of people from all walks in life. He makes people feel at ease in all situations.
Gerard is a very good listener and communicator with a very friendly manner. He will give his full commitment to any role he pursues as demonstrated in our SVP Conference.

Yours Sincerely ,
John O’ Riordan (Treasurer)
SVP Prison Visitation Conference
Tel: 087 4131990