Susanne Kirwan

Suzanne is our longest-serving member of staff and has been part of the Daisy Chain story through so many of its changes over the years. She holds a Level 6 qualification and brings a huge amount of experience to her work with the children. Suzanne has a real love for creativity, natural materials and the Reggio Emilia approach, and she enjoys creating opportunities where children can explore, investigate and discover things for themselves.

Suzanne is happiest when children are busy creating, experimenting and following their own ideas — even when the finished result looks nothing like what an adult might have expected! She understands that some of the best learning happens when we give children the time and freedom to work things out in their own way. Having watched so many little people grow up during her years at Daisy Chain, Suzanne carries a little piece of Daisy Chain’s history with her — and there are many families who will remember her from their own child’s time with us.

Megan joined Daisy Chain seven years ago, straight after finishing college, and holds a Level 6 qualification in childcare. Over the years she has worked with every age group in the crèche, giving her a wonderful understanding of children at all the different stages of their early years. Megan has a particularly warm approach and loves creating beautiful, child-led spaces using natural materials, sensory experiences and open-ended play.

Megan loves giving children the freedom to explore without always showing them what the “right” way is. She enjoys watching their personalities emerge through play and seeing them become more confident in their own ideas and abilities. For Megan, sometimes the simplest things — a collection of natural materials, something interesting to touch or an invitation to explore — can lead to the biggest adventures in a child’s imagination.

Geraldine Baxter Monaghan

Lisa Shevlin

 Lisa holds a Level 5 qualification in childcare and brings something very special to Daisy Chain — that naturally nurturing, comforting “mammy” presence that children seem to recognise immediately. As a mum herself, Lisa understands how important it is for parents to know that when they leave their child with us, there is someone there who will comfort them, play with them, laugh with them and care for them as an individual.

Lisa loves the freedom of a play-based environment and is always willing to get involved and try something new with the children. She strongly believes that parents are a child’s first educators, and that the best experiences happen when families and educators work closely together. Lisa loves creating those little experiences that children go home talking about — and she is never too worried about getting a little messy herself along the way!

Zoe Floyd

Zoe has been part of Daisy Chain for around ten years, joining us after finishing college, and holds a FETAC Level 5 qualification. She has found a very special home in our Baby Room, where her calm and intuitive way with our youngest children has earned her a bit of a reputation as our “baby whisperer.” Zoe seems to understand the little looks, sounds and signals that babies use long before they have the words to tell us what they need.

She loves creating sensory and movement experiences that allow babies to discover the world safely and at their own pace, but it is the little everyday moments that mean the most to her. A new smile, finally sitting independently, those first wobbly steps or simply discovering something for the very first time are all big achievements in Zoe’s eyes. She gets to know each baby's individual personality and takes genuine pride in celebrating those tiny milestones alongside their families.

Hannah Kirwan

Hannah joined Daisy Chain while completing her FETAC Level 6 qualification, beginning her career in childcare with us and growing into her role along the way. Hannah has a naturally calm, warm personality and a wonderfully gentle way with children. She takes the time to get down to their level, listen to their little stories and make them feel that what they have to say really matters. Her quiet warmth helps children feel comfortable around her, and she has a lovely ability to make even the quieter children feel included and noticed.

Hannah has developed a real love for Montessori and particularly appreciates the beauty, simplicity and purpose of the Montessori materials. She is currently continuing her training in Montessori and loves discovering how much creativity can exist within an approach that can sometimes appear very structured. Hannah enjoys thinking differently about how she presents the materials, combining the principles of Montessori with her own creativity and, most importantly, the interests and personalities of the children in front of her.

Jennifer Owens

Jennifer, or Jenny as we know her, is our AIM Assistant and holds a FETAC Level 6 qualification in Early Childhood Care and Education. Jenny believes that every child should be given the time and space to experience things at their own pace. She encourages children to explore, be creative and make their own choices, recognising that every child has their own individual way of learning and engaging with the world around them.

Through her AIM role, Jenny gets to know the children in her care very well and forms strong bonds with the children she supports. The children she works closely with very quickly become “her little people”, and she takes real pride in getting to know all the little things that make each of them who they are. She enjoys watching their confidence grow and celebrating the small achievements that can sometimes be the biggest ones. For Jenny, giving a child time, encouragement and the freedom to find their own way is an important part of helping them feel comfortable, capable and included.

Kristine Caffrey

Christine is our Early Years Assistant and AIM Assistant, holds a Level 5 qualification, and has experience working with children across a range of ages. There is a lovely quietness to the way Christine connects with children — she doesn’t need to be the loudest person in the room to become someone children naturally gravitate towards. She listens, observes and takes the time to discover the little individual things about each child: what makes them laugh, what interests them, when they need encouragement and when they simply need a little space.

Her calm and patient nature fits beautifully with her work as an AIM Assistant. Christine brings a steady positivity to the room and has a wonderful ability to simply be present with children, supporting without taking over and encouraging without rushing. Whether she is listening very seriously to an important story, joining a child in their play or quietly helping them through something they find difficult, Christine builds relationships through those small everyday moments. Her gentle, unhurried approach gives children the space to be themselves while knowing that someone is right there beside them.

Patricia Oliveira

Patricia may be the youngest member of our team, but she brings a lovely quiet confidence to her work with children. She holds a FETAC Level 6 qualification and is planning to continue her studies towards her degree in Early Childhood Education. Patricia works both as an AIM Assistant and with our Afterschool group, where her gentle personality and calm approach help her build lovely relationships with children of different ages.

One of Patricia’s strengths is her ability to find the compromise in a situation. Rather than simply stepping in with an answer, she listens to the children, hears their different points of view and helps them work things out together — something particularly valuable with our older afterschool children! Patricia has a lovely way of being gentle while still quietly standing her ground, and children know where they are with her. She brings patience, kindness and a little bit of fun to their day, while giving them the space to become increasingly independent and solve some of those everyday problems for themselves.

Kaitlin Healy

Kaitlin joined Daisy Chain after completing her Level 5 and Level 6 qualifications, and we have loved watching her continue to grow both personally and professionally ever since. She has now completed her Level 7 degree and is currently working towards her Honours Degree in Early Childhood Education. As both a Room Leader and our Afterschool Leader, Kaitlin brings a wonderfully calm, optimistic energy to the team — along with plenty of creativity, fun and new ideas.

Kaitlin is a naturally observant educator. She notices the little things about children — a new interest appearing, a change in confidence, a developing friendship or a skill that has quietly grown over time — while also seeing the bigger picture of each child’s development. She loves turning those observations into new ideas and experiences for the children. Kaitlin is very much a “there’s always something we can try” person, and her positive outlook, creativity and calm nature help create an environment where children can have fun, grow in confidence and feel genuinely understood.

Jessica Byrne

Jessica is one of our Afterschool Educators, and she brings a wonderful mix of fun, creativity and kindness to the group. Sweet-natured and genuinely caring, Jessica has a lovely ability to accept children exactly as they are and understand their different personalities. She is also a professional face painter, so creativity comes very naturally to her — and our afterschool children certainly benefit from having someone who is always ready with an artistic idea or something fun to try!

Jessica understands that after spending a full day in school, children sometimes simply need to chill out, laugh, create and enjoy being with their friends. And then there are Jessica’s pancakes! She is forever making pancakes, little treats and different creations with the children, and food has become another lovely way for them to spend time together. Whether she is painting faces, flipping pancakes, listening to the latest school story or joining in with something completely silly, Jessica makes Afterschool feel like a place where children can relax and completely be themselves — and the children absolutely love her for it.

Monta O'Neill

Monta has recently joined the Daisy Chain team as an AIM Assistant. She has completed her FETAC Level 5 and is currently studying towards her Level 6 qualification. Monta is fun, warm and very quick on her feet — she is great at thinking in the moment, adapting to what is happening around her and bringing fresh ideas into the classroom. She has plenty of experience with children, both professionally and as a mum herself, and has a natural ability to notice the individual child and what might help them feel comfortable, included and supported.

Originally from Latvia, Monta is also a native Latvian speaker and brings her own language, culture and experiences into Daisy Chain. She understands how important it is for children from different backgrounds to feel that their home, language and identity have a place in their classroom too. Although Monta is one of our newer team members, her warmth, energy and ideas have already made her feel very much a part of the Daisy Chain family.

Lisa Reay (Chef)

Lisa is the person behind all the lovely smells coming from our Daisy Chain kitchen! A qualified professional chef, she prepares fresh, homemade meals for the children every day, as well as putting her talents to good use with homemade cakes and treats. Lisa takes great pride in what comes out of her kitchen, and there is something very comforting about children sitting down together to a meal that has been freshly prepared for them right here in the crèche.

Although we work from a planned menu, feeding lots of little people sometimes requires a bit of imagination — and this is where Lisa is brilliant. She is fantastic at adapting meals, making the most of fresh ingredients and coming up with creative alternatives when needed, while still keeping food nutritious and child-friendly. Very little fazes Lisa in the kitchen, and somehow she always manages to make it work. For us, mealtimes are an important part of the children’s day, and having Lisa preparing their food with such care makes them feel that little bit more like home.

Siobhan Farrell

We often say that we’re not quite sure what we would do without Siobhan! As our Kitchen Assistant, she is a fantastic support to Lisa in the kitchen, but her helping hands certainly don’t stop there. Siobhan is one of those people who always seems to spot the little jobs that need doing — and before anyone has even asked, she is usually already getting on with them.

Siobhan genuinely loves being around the children and being part of life at Daisy Chain. Whether she is busy in the kitchen, helping somewhere around the crèche or stopping for a little chat with one of the children along the way, she is always willing to lend a hand. Every busy crèche needs a Siobhan, and we are very lucky that ours is part of the Daisy Chain family.

Geraldine Ward

 Geraldine is our afternoon Kitchen Assistant, arriving just as another busy part of the Daisy Chain day begins. She prepares the children’s healthy afternoon teas, making sure everything is ready for each room and helping to keep that busy teatime routine running smoothly. Once everyone is fed, Geraldine gets stuck into the big kitchen clean-up — washing, tidying, organising and getting everything back in order and ready to start all over again the following morning.

And Geraldine’s afternoon rarely stops at the kitchen door! Once everything there is under control, she is always looking to see where else she can lend a hand around the crèche. There is very little you can ask Geraldine that isn’t met with a cheerful “no problem.” Whether it is helping a room, sorting something out or tackling one of those countless little jobs that appear during a busy afternoon, she simply gets on with it. Reliable, hardworking and always willing to help, Geraldine is one of those people who makes everyone else’s day that little bit easier — and we genuinely don’t know what we would do without her.