Our History

Liberties Training Centre was founded in 1986 by the South Inner City Community Development Association and was originally based in Newmarket. We moved to our current site, the Good Counsel Centre, on Oliver Bond Street in 2002.

Leanne – General Manager

Leanne Young is manager since 2019. Originally from Cavan, but considers herself a local now.

Like many of our trainees, Leanne didn’t have a clue what she wanted to do leaving school, and did a degree & masters in Physics. However, soon after she realised that she preferred people to computers, she turned her attention to education and completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. Following a year teaching Mathematics, she found herself running a local training initiative in a Dublin Youth Centre and hasn’t looked back. She’s been working with young people in education or training since 2008, as teacher, instructor, co-ordinator, supervisor and now, manager.

In her free time, she enjoys photography, books, the Arts, yoga and hiking. 

Pamela

Pamela, Dublin born, joined the centre in May 2022. She’s the first person you will meet when you walk through our doors.

She is a woman of many talents with a career background in Office work, Childcare, Beauty, Catering, and Training and most recently she worked for Daughters of Charity.

She’s a big believer in life-long learning, and studied Childcare, Social Studies, as well as Drug and Alcohol awareness and has recently completed a course in Reception and Frontline Office Skills.

She’s putting her recent qualification to good use and delighted to be working with young people again and gets a great buzz seeing them reach their full potential.

Pamela enjoys keeping fit, music, spending time with friends and family and walking her dog.

Jonathan

Jonny joined Liberties Training Centre in March 2022. His background is in film making and photography and has worked as an instructor within the CDETB for 10 years.He is an enthusiastic and passionate facilitator with experience collaborating with early school leavers, marginalized groups, and mature students.

Jonny hopes to help a learner realise their full potential through positive emotional, and practical support. He believes that instilling positive values, teaching life skills, and being a good role model can allow young people the space to grow.

Jonny can empathise through his own experiences with dyslexia, a challenge many of our learners experience. He feels education is a journey that is not often straight forward and for some like himself a more scenic route is travelled. He believes that being determined and not giving up when things don’t go as planned is one of the best ways to achieve your goals.

Qualifications: BA Hons in Pluralistic Counselling and Psychotherapy, BA Hons in Film Production Film and Media, Dip in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy, Dip – Communications and Media Production, Certificate in Train the trainer.

He loves to be curious about the world, and enjoys photography, film, video games, cycling and BBQs with his family.  

Paul

Paul joined Liberties Training Centre in January 2023. Paul completed his Carpentry apprenticeship in 2008 and worked on many projects as a Carpenter until 2013. Paul decided to return to education and complete a 4-year honours degree in Applied Social Studies at TU Dublin (Blanchardstown).

Paul has worked across the social care sector with marginalised groups and young people in care. Paul believes that many young people can experience significant barriers to success, his experience working with young people helps to foster self-belief and a can-do attitude.

Paul loves listening to podcasts and music, and enjoys boxing, football and the gym.

Qualifications: Carpenter and Joiner, Health care assistant, social care worker and train the trainer. Paul is returning to college in September to complete a two-year higher diploma in professional education.

Barry

Barry has been an instructor here since 2008.

Similar to a lot of the young people in the centre Barry is an early school leaver. It was obvious that the classroom environment didn’t suit him and he took the decision to find an alternative pathway through education. He enrolled in a Catering course in Ballark CTC and quickly found his comfort zone lay firmly in the kitchen.

Barry completed his apprenticeship as a Chef in DIT Cathal Brugha St. through the Kildare St. and University Club and worked for a number of years in professional kitchens. He always liked with the  idea of working with young people who are in were the same position as he was, when he left school and was given the opportunity to do this with the Liberties Training Centre.

Barry has studied Training & Education and Community education as well as Mindfulness practices for the classroom. He volunteers on the board of a local school and also for a national youth charity.

He loves listening to podcasts, watching stand-up comedy, all things Aston Villa and has a strange obsession for Christmas.

Karl

Karl joined the Liberties Training Centre in 2003. He started his engineering career in 1982. He has worked in small general engineering workshops, precision tool rooms and high tech production facilities. During his time in industry he has trained many apprentices to a high professional standard.

Qualifications:  Honours BA in Training and Education. Irish National Craft certificate. Senior Trade certificate. JEB ICT teacher’s diploma. City & Guilds certification in Pneumatics, Analogue Electronics, Digital Electronics, Industrial Robotics and Maintenance of Automated Factory Systems. Manual Handling Instructor certificate. Abrasive wheels Instructor certificate. Infinity Project teacher’s certificate.

Mairead

Mairead has been our Maths teacher since 2016.

She has been working in education in a variety of roles as a teacher and supervisor. She loves maths and working with people.

Mairead enjoys reading, knitting, baking, water sports and the occasional monster movie. She likes the variety of every day at Liberties Training Centre and the food’s great also!

Carmel

Carmel has been working with us since 2005 as our cleaner. Carmel the heart of the centre and makes sure we’re all looked after.  A local woman, she’s lived in the Liberties most of her life. She’s a huge part of the community, having volunteered as a Dublin City Council Committee member and taking part in local events such as the Liberties Festival.