About Joanne

Joanne has been based in Galway since 2004, the former professional fundraiser turned professional speaker spent 11 years working in the charity sector with Enable Ireland and the Irish Cancer Society before taking the plunge in 2016 to follow her passion for sport and work full time in the industry. Coupling her interest in marketing with her love of sport she worked with RunIreland.com across their portfolio of events and activities whilst simultaneously building the Tri Talking Sport brand and developing her reputation as one of the most sought after race announcers in Ireland and beyond. 

Joanne is a native of Cork who now lives and works from Galway. She holds a 2:1 Bachelor of Commerce Degree from University College Cork and a First Class Diploma in Event Management and PR from The Fitzwilliam Institute in Dublin.

The Passion

A keen triathlete and cyclist she is member of Galway Triathlon Club and Galway Bay Cycling Club.  Joanne has been heavily involved in the sport of triathlon in Galway since 2009, she held a variety of roles on the GTC Executive Committee from 2010 – 2015 including; Beginners Officer, PRO and Club Chairperson. 

An amateur endurance athlete Joanne has raced at all distances and levels of triathlon since dipping her toes into the sport in 2009, she has completed the New York Marathon on two occasions and the 6k Warrior Swim in Sligo. She completed a full distance triathlon in 2013 and also raced at the AG World Championships in London in the same year.

She is co-founder and captain of the Galway Baybes female cycling team who hold the Irish Record for the 2,250k Race Around Ireland (2017) and the Race Record for the Donegal Ultra 555k (2018). The Galway Baybes won the Outsider Magazine Audience Choice Award in 2018 for their Race Around Ireland performance.

Taking time out from structured training in 2018 and 2019 she embraced the opportunity to get back to sport in 2020 and 2021, a silver lining in an otherwise difficult time during the pandemic.

Joanne took to the sea in the Summer of 2020 and completed a winter of daily sea swimming in skins from November 2020 to March 2021 covering over 30km of sea swimming in Galway Bay as part of a Walrus Winter Swimming Challenge.

In addition to this Joanne, in partnership with triathlon coach Oliver Harkin and Team RWB set up a weekly Monday Social Spin on Zwift which has seen hundreds of keen cyclists and triathletes from across Ireland and beyond enjoy an hour of turbo training, chat and connection every Monday night since mid September 2020.

Joanne continues to train for fun, friendship and fitness, embracing her mantra of ‘finding fun and adventure in every day’. 

The Influence

A keen and passionate advocate for Women in Sport and Women in Business, Joanne is one of four Global Ambassadors for the IRONMAN Foundation’s Women for Tri Initiative and is past President of the Business and Professional Women’s Club, (BPW) Galway  and former National Vice President of BPW Ireland.

Joanne has delivered keynote presentations on her role as a female in sport and business to a diverse range of people from corporate audiences to sports teams and schools.   With a focus on effective communication, finding your voice and overcoming challenges the cornerstone of her experience she motivates and inspires  people of all ages to follow their passion for sport,  encouraging them to take the first step on a sporting journey and seize every opportunity to embrace an active lifestyle.