Advisory Board and Faculty behind Setanta College
Over the past decade Setanta College has grown to be a world leading provider of Sport and Fitness education and our passion is to produce graduates and professionals that can play a pivotal role in improving the lives of others through the benefits of physical activity.
Behind Setanta College is a team of international specialists who lecture on both our online and full time programs. Our professors, who are qualified to MSc or PhD level, are former high level sports people, active coaches or both.
We have also appointed a world renowned Advisory Board to inform and oversee our Educational Programs and Research Strategy. This board, chaired by Padraig Harrington, and comprised of Professors, Doctors and Practitioners in Performance Science and Strength and Conditioning from around the world, keep Setanta College at the cutting edge in the latest thinking, research and technology.
Advisory Board That Oversees Our Programs and Research Strategy
He captured his first major championship in 2007 winning the Open Championship at Carnoustie. Undoubtedly, 2008 was his best year on the course. He retained The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale and became the first European golfer to retain the Claret Jug in over 100 years. This was followed by claiming the PGA Championship three weeks later and as a consequence beinghonored as PGA Tour Player of the Year.
Padraig has represented Europe six times at the Ryder Cup, being on the winning side on four occasions. He was vice-captain to Paul McGinley in 2014 and will act as vice-captain to Darren Clarke later this year.
Padraig has worked with Dr Liam Hennessy, Setanta College Founder and Academic Director, for almost 20 years. The principles, which our programmes are based on, are the same principles Liam has been applying with Padraig for his fitness, longevity in sport and general wellbeing.
Because of Padraig’s knowledge of and interest in sports performance he has taken on the role of Chairman to the Setanta College Advisory Board.
Dr. Liam Hennessy is the Founder and Academic Director of Setanta College. He is a qualified Physical Education teacher, Exercise Physiologist and Strength & Conditioning Coach. He has spent over 20 years working full-time in sport.
Liam was previously the Director of Fitness with the Irish Rugby Football Union, a position he commenced in 2000. At the IRFU he headed a staff of 24 full time coaches. His role was to develop a world class system of player support within the areas of Strength and Conditioning, Injury Rehabilitation, Sport Nutrition and Medical Care.
Liam is also Fitness Coach to Padraig Harrington having worked with Padraig for over a decade now.
He gained his undergraduate degree in Physical Education and English from Thomond College in 1981 and from there he completed his Master’s at Loughborough University before going on to complete a further Master’s in Clinical Physiology.
Liam was also an international athlete, competing over 50 times for Ireland at the Pole vault. After competing he became national jumps coach. Liam also had the distinction of being Irish team manager at the first world junior Athletic Championships in Athens in 1985.
In 1999/2000 the founder of Orreco, Dr Brian Moore, began his doctoral research (investigating patterns of red blood cell production-under the supervision of Professor Craig Sharp) with a small cohort of some of the best endurance athletes in the world. This information was utilised in their preparations for the Sydney Olympiad and two of the medallists (1G, 1S). This work attracted the attention of the worlds’ premier sports science research facility, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).
Dr Moore led an AIS funded research expedition to the home of Kenyan running, Eldoret, in the rift valley and to training and competition venues around the world (USA, South Africa, Athens and Australia).
Consultancy work continued with the UK Athletics World Class Performance Plan and athletes of the calibre of Paula Radcliffe and Kelly Holmes and led to an appointment as project leader of the UK Sport global haematological profiling initiative. This role extended to support the British Swimming, British Triathlon, British Rowing and UK Athletics squads from which 6 Olympic medallists emerged at the Athens games 2004. In 2005 Dr Moore began working with the Olympic Sailing Squad and developed a number of innovative solutions, incorporating his previous experiences to optimise performance and support athletes competing at the highest level which culminated in nine Olympic medallists at Beijing 2008.
ORRECO was incorporated in November 2009 by Dr Brian Moore and Dr Andrew Hodgson.
Des worked for the IRFU as fitness education manager and his responsibilities involved managing the Continued Professional Development (CPD) programme for IRFU strength and conditioning coaches and managing the fitness development structures for rugby players in under-19 sides and below. Before this, Des worked as head fitness advisor at Connacht Rugby from 1998 to 2008. During this time he had worked with the Ireland A rugby team for three years and assisted with the Ireland senior team.
Des is also a tutor with the IRFU and a trainer with the International Rugby Board.
He has a keen interest in the area of long-term player development and has presented at many conferences around the world over the last few years.
Recently Des has become accredited with British association of sport and exercise science as a High Performance Sport accredited (HPSA) and also a chartered scientist (CSci).
Daniel is author of a number of articles in relation to strength and power testing using force platforms and isokinetic dynamometry in athletes and handgrip and jump testing in youth in relation to cardiometabolic health. He also works in a research and consultancy capacity at the High Performance Centre of Coldeportes (the Colombian Institute of Sport) and is Head of Sports Science for NMP ForceDecks, who are the official dual force platform suppliers to the English Institute of Sport and provide platforms and support to a number of professional teams in the EPL, La Liga, NHL and AFL amongst others.
He is a Professor of strength and conditioning at the University of South Wales, where he co-ordinates all of the University strength and conditioning activities, as well as managing the strength and conditioning programmes for Cardiff City Football Club’s Academy.
Ian has been a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) since 1989. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), and Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT) with the NSCA, and has been re-certified with Distinction (*D) in all categories. He is also an Emeritus Registered Coach (RSCC*E) and a fellow of the NSCA.
Ian was a founder member of the UKSCA and was a board member with the organisation from its inception in 2004 through to 2013. He is a senior assessor and education tutor for the UKSCA and in 2015 was made an honorary fellow of the Association.
Ian is editor of Professional Strength and Conditioning the UKSCA Journal, and Associate Editor of the Strength and Conditioning Journal and Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning.
He has authored six books and numerous book chapters, and is a frequent presenter and coach around the world.
Loren has trained thousands of athletes of all ages and abilities, including over 400 professional athletes in the NFL, NHL, MLB, UFC, WNBA and Olympic medalist.
Coach Landow served as the Strength and Speed coach during the NFL lockout for over 20 Denver Bronco players and had over 45 professional NFL athletes train with him. He has worked with over 30 NFL All-Pro’s and over 20 first round draft selections in the NFL.
Coach Landow has been a National and International presenter for the leading organizations in the performance field, and also serves as a consultant for many professional and collegiate teams across the country.
Mike has over 30 years of experience in the health and human performance field. His athletic career and success date back to age group swimming where he was a nationally ranked swimmer, collegiate conference champion, and ranked in the top 200 in the world in the 50 freestyle.
After his undergraduate career at Furman University he took a sales position in mid-range computer products and services and gained valuable experience in marketing and sales.
After receiving the opportunity to work with world class athletes at the University of Alabama while completing his Masters and Doctoral degrees he began his career in academia.
From 1990 to 2000 he worked with Olympic athletes including several national and world champions, world record holders, and Olympic champions.
He has been teaching at University level for over 20 years and currently hold the rank of Full Professor at Georgia College in Milledgeville. He is also one of three partners in Bodyplex Milledgeville, a 38,000 square foot facility with over 4,000 members, 12 personal trainers on staff, and 30 employees.
Mike has presented on various topics ranging from human performance to the business of personal training and profitable club management around the world.
Guest Lecturers
An international speaker and university lecturer, Dr. Cannavan served in the British Army for 13 years as a physical training instructor. He believes in putting theory into practice and owned a personal training business in London. He has worked with many organizations, including the British Olympic Medical Center, the Washington State Patrol Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT), professional boxing, UK “Real-Tennis” Elite Squad, and British Weight Lifting.
Dave holds a PhD in Performing under Pressure from Loughborough University. A genuine pioneer in performance mindset and attitude, his approach optimises the abilities of sports and business people alike. He is the author of the acclaimed book, The Pressure Principle.
Also, he has worked individually with over 500 high school athletes that have gone on to NCAA D1 scholarships, over 100 professional athletes, and 3 Olympians.
Coach Linkul is an NSCA Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT *D) and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS *D) with distinction. He is the head personal trainer and the owner of Be STRONGER Fitness.
Antonio specialises in the application of technology in sport performance and focuses on data integration from advanced technologies. He has developed a unique system and approach to functional assessment and monitoring of athletes neuromuscular function, recovery, stress and fatigue.
Today, Craig continues to mentor Sports Coaches in all areas of development on a professional and personal basis. He also works as a Men’s Life Coach and continues to consult for developing Rugby Nations.
Philip joined Saracens at the conclusion of the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand having been Head of Fitness with Ireland. He is now the Performance Director at Saracens Rugby Club and was an S&C Coach on the Lions Tour to New Zealand in 2017.
Stephen took up a position with Conor O’Shea and the FIR having served as Head of Technical Direction in the IRFU for 7 years. He provided a common Technical vision for Coach Development, Elite Player Development and IRFU Technical staff. In the twenty-three years he worked in Irish Rugby, Stephen also Managed the IRFU Elite Player Development and National Coach Development programmes. As a Rugby coach, Stephen had been Backline Coach/Technical Advisor to all National teams from U18 XVs through to Senior XV. As a tutor, he has presented in most major Rugby Unions around the world and is one of the founding and current facilitators of the 6 Nations Elite Coaches Conference.
Meet Our Lecturers
Liam was previously the Director of Fitness with the Irish Rugby Football Union, a position he commenced in 2000. At the IRFU he headed a staff of 24 full time coaches. His role was to develop a world class system of player support within the areas of Strength and Conditioning, Injury Rehabilitation, Sport Nutrition and Medical Care.
Liam is also Fitness Coach to Padraig Harrington having worked with Padraig for over a decade now.
He gained his undergraduate degree in Physical Education and English from Thomond College in 1981 and from there he completed his Master’s at Loughborough University before going on to complete a further Master’s in Clinical Physiology.
Liam was also an international athlete, competing over 50 times for Ireland at the Pole vault. After competing he became national jumps coach. Liam also had the distinction of being Irish team manager at the first world junior Athletic Championships in Athens in 1985.
Prior to his current role, Des worked for the IRFU as fitness education manager and his responsibilities were managing the Continued Professional Development (CPD) programme for IRFU Strength and Conditioning Coaches. His role included managing the fitness development structures for rugby players at Under 19 years of age and below. His responsibilities also included managing the Strength and Conditioning staff with the age grade international teams, Ireland women’s, club and A team. Previous to this Des worked for Connacht Rugby for 10 years as Head Fitness Advisor from 2000 to 2008. During this time Des has worked with the Ireland A rugby team for 3 years and assisted with the Ireland senior team.
Des has presented at many conferences over the past few years in Ireland and abroad including conferences run by the International Rugby Board (IRB) and the GAA’s national coaching development conference.
Joe is an elite athlete, coach, and scientist. He specialises in research methods, biomechanics, and performance physiology.
Joe comes from a Sports Science background, with extensive practical experience in the S&C setting working with DCU Athletics and GAA Academy teams for a number of years. He spent some time as a high-performance coach in DCU Sport, and was the Sports Science Author for Irish Runner Magazine for over 6 years. He has also worked in physiological testing services for DCU athletics, international athletes, and Athletics Ireland in the past. His focus is very much on high performance, where he has coached and currently coaches several international athletes, working as an advisor to many more.
Academically, Joe has numerous publications in the area of running biomechanics and physiology of footwear. He has become recognised as one of the leading experts in the transition to minimalist footwear with respect to performance and injury as a result of his PhD research. He has been the Keynote speaker at a number of international and national events, and has been featured on RTE television and RTE radio talking about his work. Joe continues to develop this area of research today and is also a reviewer for numerous academic journals.
As well as being a graduate of Setanta College, Ciarán holds a BSc from Tralee Institute of Technology and has just completed his Masters of Science in Exercise Physiology at Trinity College Dublin.
Ciarán is currently lecturing on the BSc in Sports Strength & Conditioning programme in LIT-Tipperary in partnership with Setanta College.
Damien is currently lecturing on the full-time BSc Sports Strength and Conditioning course at LIT Thurles and has also been lecturing with Setanta College for the previous eight years. His main subject area is on Growth, Movement and Development. He has developed activities to improve a person’s fundamental and rudimentary movement skills, which are currently being used in a number of Primary Schools around Ireland. As a result of these activities, Primary school teachers have commented on the student’s improvement in their overall physical movement ability and their academic performance.
Damien completed a research Masters and Ph.D on the Physiological Demands of Inter-County and Inter-Club hurling using GPS technology. His main research areas involve GPS technology.
Damien is currently involved in a number of research studies:
- Investigating the physical and technical demands of hurling.
- Quantifying the duration demands of team sports.
He also has qualified as a Level 2 Coaching Ireland Tutor and over the previous 15 years has delivered GAA sports specific coaching courses and a wide range of CPD courses to tutors, coaches, and players.
Ben graduated with a first class honours BSc in Sports Science and Health from DCU in 2011, He then went on to complete his MSc in Strength and Conditioning at the University of Edinburgh in 2012. Ben worked providing strength and conditioning support to rugby and hurling teams before taking up a lecturing role on the BSc in Sports Science and Human Performance at University Centre Farnborough in the UK. While in the UK Ben was also the lead strength and conditioning coach for the Netball Superleague national champions Surrey Storm. Ben is a UKSCA qualified strength and conditioning coach and also a NSCA certified personal trainer.
Claire is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and her main areas of interest are human movement, injury prevention and performance. She is a strength and conditioning consultant in Sport Ireland Institute, coaching Irish Olympic and Paralympic athletes from athletics, badminton and hockey.
Previously, Claire taught Anatomy & Physiology and Speed & Endurance Development modules on the BSc Sports Strength and Conditioning programme in LIT and currently, is a tutor for the Speed Development and Functional Screening modules with Setanta College. Claire has numerous peer-reviewed publications in the area of strength and power diagnostics, sprint acceleration and focus of attention.
Through his role with Setanta College Luke has specialised in the area of sports technology. He has a vast amount of experience working in many sports from underage up to adult, at all levels. Luke also works in the private sector catering for people looking to improve their general health and fitness. Currently Luke is the strength and conditioning coach to Thurles Sarsfields GAA club and also consults with other clubs around the country. Luke is the module tutor for the Fitness Testing Module and he is also the programme leader for the Diploma in Personal Training.
Will also heads up the strength and conditioning programmes of Shannon RFC and Ard Scoil Rís Senior Cup Rugby Team, while bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience from his own athletics career.
Whilst his playing background was rugby, Dave has mainly worked within the GAA with a variety of hurling and Gaelic football clubs teams in Limerick, Tipperary Clare and Cork, winning numerous county titles. Dave has also experience working with inter-county teams, being the Head S&C and Skills Coach with the Limerick Senior Footballers, Limerick Senior Hurlers, Tipperary Senior Footballers, and is currently with Laois Senior Hurlers.
Dave holds an MSc in Strength and Conditioning from Limerick Institute of Technology along with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Strength and Conditioning from Setanta College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sport Recreation and Leisure Management from Waterford Institute of Technology. Dave is presently studying for an MSc in Education.
World Masters Sprint Finalist 2012.
Clients Include – Professional Rugby, Irish Sailing Association Development & Olympic Academy, Irish Race- walking,Track Sprints, GAA, Hockey, Rugby.
Amy is currently undertaking a PhD in the area of Sport & Exercise Nutrition, where she is investigating the incidence and associations of low energy availability in male endurance athletes. She also holds an ISAK accreditation in anthropometry and is a trained phlebotomist.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Amy is Performance Nutritionist to the Tipperary Senior Footballers and consults with a number of GAA clubs to help their players to optimise their fuelling and recovery strategies.
Antoine worked for Connacht Rugby and the IRFU for a number of years. He was the Strength & Conditioning coach to a number of Irish International such as Robbie Henshaw, Tiernan O’Halloran, Finlay Bealham, Kiernan Marmion and Ultan Dillane. He worked with numerous representative teams including the Ireland U18.
Antoine is a World Rugby educator and he is leading the Strength and conditioning education programme for World Rugby across in Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America. Antoine is currently the Head of the Athletic Performance department for the German Rugby National Team.
Antoine is currently lecturing on the BSc in Sports Strength & Conditioning and Masters programme in LIT-Tipperary in partnership with Setanta College.
She works as a GPS and Video Analyst with both senior and intermediate Tipperary Camogie teams, along with the Tipperary Minor Hurling panel as a Video Analysis.
Previously, Maggie has worked with the 2019 U20 All Ireland Hurling champions. Currently, Maggie is a Personal Trainer in Setanta Wellness and has a keen interest in Olympic Lifting.
From 2012 to 2016 he worked for Munster Rugby while completing an MSc of Science in Strength and Conditioning with Setanta College.
Gordon has worked with Limerick FC, Irish U19’s rugby team, GAA squads, individual sporting athletes and the Irish Ladies 15’s and 7’s teams both as an S&C and as a Skills Coach. He is an educator for World Rugby, delivering courses in Japan, UAE, Georgia and Ireland.
Prior to working with Arsenal, Paudie was the Irish U-20 Rugby Team Strength & Conditioning Coach.
Past experience includes: Academy & Age Grade Fitness Coach for the Munster Rugby Academy, during which time he also held the role of Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach to the Irish Rugby Team during the 2010 RBS 6 Nations and 2011 Rugby World Cup.
He has worked with a range of sports at National and International Level.
Paudie is currently completing an MSc in Sports Science (Strength & Conditioning) through Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. He is also UKSCA and NSCA Qualified. He is an avid strength sports fan and a competitive Olympic Weightlifter.
Adam currently works for Apple Inc. as a fitness consultant and is also working with Intercounty GAA teams and individual athletes to help them better their performance.
Adam’s previous experience includes youth rugby and GAA teams and working in the private gym sector catering for general health and fitness enthusiasts.
She has an extensive background within Gaelic Games and currently coaches in a full-time capacity at all levels from underage through to senior at schools, club and inter-county level. In addition, Teresa is qualified as a Level 2 Sport Ireland Coach Tutor with the LGFA & GAA and has assisted in the development of the LGFA Level 2 coaching course and Athletic Development course.
Greg has completed the PFCS and BA in Strength & Conditioning with Setanta College and has worked as an intern with NADA (National Athlete Development Academy) based in Dublin.
Greg has worked with several underage hurling teams including the Dublin Colleges Hurling team and is still playing senior hurling with his own club, Raheny. He also played Inter county hurling with Dublin for 4 years from 2006-2010.
Greg is currently completing an MSc in Sports Science (Strength & Conditioning) through St.Mary’s University in London. He is also UKSCA and FMS qualified coach.
He is a graduate member of the UK based Sports and Exercise Nutrition Register (SENr).
Over the past fifteen years, Kieran has been involved in the physical training of teams in a variety of sports including Soccer, Rugby and Hurling, as well as a community based physical training programme.
Currently, Kieran is the strength and conditioning coach to the Munster Cricket Union, which also involves the Munster Reds interprovincial team. In this role, Kieran also supports the Union’s squads as sports nutritional advisor.
Currently lecturing on the Coaching Skills module at Setanta College.
Fionn founded LUCID Nutrition Consultancy in 2015 – a consultancy business, which provides clear and educative nutrition and lifestyle coaching. Since establishing the company, Fionn has worked with 350+ clients, ranging from sedentary persons to national track and field athletes. In addition to his roles with Setanta and LUCID, Fionn is currently completing postdoctoral research at Dublin City University. His research is examining a novel form of creatine delivered through microencapsulation effects on muscle health and performance.
To date, Fionn has published nine times within the peer-reviewed literature.
Fionn previously represented Leinster Rugby at grade level, was a Gold Scholarship athlete at Waterford Institute of Technology, and represented Cork Constitution F.C – winning two Munster Senior Cups.
Colin has undergraduate degrees from University of Limerick and Setanta College, and a Master’s degree from University College Dublin. He is a UKSCA accredited coach and a Strength and Conditioning provider with the Sport Ireland Institute. He is also a certified IAAF Level 4 coach and a coach education tutor with Athletics Ireland.
Colin is an Academic Tutor on the Endurance Development module with Setanta College and a regular guest lecturer on the BSc in Sports Strength & Conditioning programme in LIT-Tipperary.
With 17+ years of applied experience in coaching, S&C and sports science, Paul works with a range of teams and clubs in Ireland and across the EU to help them achieve higher performance and preparation readiness. This need is met by creating training and coaching programs that integrate all the key performance elements that mirror the demands of on-field performance and being focused on the holistic development of the person as a performer.
Paul tutors the Long-Term Athlete/Player Development module in Setanta College and looks to share insights from the intersection of applied and scientific knowledge towards helping students develop a great understanding of the vital child, youth and adult aspects of an athlete’s development through the lens of how S&C coaches can lead the way in this vital process.
Paul also operates as General Manager for the EU territory for athlete-monitoring solution VX SPORT®.
Darragh is a Setanta College graduate and now a tutor with the college since 2014. He also holds a degree in Physical Therapy.
He works in both the Physical Therapy & Strength and Conditioning fields. Main areas of experience include Fitness and Athletic Testing, Program Design, Player Conditioning, Injury Risk Reduction and Injury Treatment and Rehabilitation.
Along with working with private clients, he was worked across a wide variety of sports, such as Adult Senior, Adult Junior and Schools Rugby, Club, Schools and Colleges GAA, Underage And Senior Intercounty GAA, Underage International Basketball and Intercounty Soccer.
He is the current tutor of the Health, Injuries and Rehabilitation module on the Level 7 degree, and was previously the tutor for the Anatomy, Physiology and Biomechanics module.
Academically, Eoin has numerous publications in the area of functional screening, biomechanics and reliability of testing. He has become recognised as one of the world’s leading experts in functional screening tests as a result of his PhD research. He has been the Keynote speaker at a number of international and national events and has been featured on RTE television talking about his work. Eoin continues to develop this area of research today and is also a reviewer for several different academic journals.
He wrote an Amazon bestseller ‘The Functional Screening Solution‘ and continues to research in this area.
Currently, Keith is the tutor for Sport Psychology and Coaching Philosophy, Methods & Ethics. Previously, he has tutored on Coaching Skills, Resistance Training, Sports Nutrition, Fitness Conditioning, Anatomy & Physiology, Fitness Testing and Programme Management.
Keith’s background is from the Health & Fitness industry and then progressed into the Strength & Conditioning industry over the past ten years.
He has extensive coaching experience within Gaelic Games, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Athletics, Hockey and Australian Rules Football.
His academic achievements are from an undergraduate degree in Recreation & Leisure to a Masters degree in Sport & Exercise Psychology. His areas of sporting and conditioning interests include: Sport & Exercise Psychology, Anti-Doping Regulations, Coaching Behaviours & Pedagogy, Monitoring & Recovery Science along with Underage Sporting Structures.
Currently lecturing on the Sport Specific Studies module at Setanta College.
In 2009, Michael captained the team to a record-equalling fourth All-Ireland title.
Michael has a number of personal achievements. In addition to winning two All-Star awards, in 2011 he made a clean sweep of all the top individual awards, winning the All-Star and Texaco Hurler of the Year awards.
At club level, Michael Fennelly is a triple All-Ireland medalist with Ballyhale Shamrocks. He also has four Leinster and seven county club championship medals.
Through the course, Darren took a keen interest in weightlifting both as a competitor himself and as a coach.
Darren is currently working as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the Laois Senior Hurling team.
He has an extensive background within Gaelic Games and currently plays Senior Football with the Lucan Sarsfields Club in Dublin. Noel has represented Dublin from underage to Minor and Junior Level.
He has been actively involved in the the delivery of Strength and Conditioning for a number of clubs and athletes in Dublin and Kildare as well as the Dublin Senior Hurling development panel. He has coached Gaelic Games (with male and female teams) at a number of levels from Nursery to Secondary School through to Senior Adult level.