Board Biographies

Elaine Coghill (B.A. LL.M) holds a Master’s Degree in Commercial Law and has developed considerable experience across many legal areas of expertise and represents clients in District, Circuit and High Court cases. She is greatly respected for her determination and persistence in court as well as her approachability and friendliness among clients and colleagues. The creation of the partnership of Hickey Coghill Solicitors is a tribute to both her knowledge and experience.

Elaine has a keen interest in the Arts and is a regular audience member at the Hawk’s Well. Dance being her first love of the Arts, having practiced classical ballet for many years in her hometown and even performing in the Dean Crowe Theatre as a Junior Ballerina.

Nichola MacEvilly trained as an actress at Rose Bruford College London, and holds an MA from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.She has worked extensively in theatre, TV and Film. Nichola also worked in casting with the famous Hubbard family in London, and as a film producer.  Musically, Nichola has recorded with Kieran Quinn, Indian, Bedlam Suitcase and Those Nervous Animals.

Favourite theatre credits include The Odd Couple (The Everyman) The Wake (Abbey Theatre) Constance (Hawks Well Theatre) The Only Jealousy of Emer, The Poor Mouth and Rhinoceros (Blue Raincoat Theatre Company)The Way of Water (English Theatre Berlin) Macbeth, Othello (Mill Theatre) Beseiged, Five Minutes Later, Ethica, and All Hell Lay Beneath (Sugarglass Theatre in Dublin and New York).  Favourite TV/Film include: Ripper St (BBC/Amazon) Seven Women (RTE) Sojourn, Runner (Paddy Slattery) The Lonely Tree (BAFTA Nominiated) Just One Thing (BAFTA nominated), Talk to me(BBC) The Bill (ThamesTelevision). Nichola is delighted to serve on the board of Hawks Well Theatre given it is where her love for drama was sparked and nurtured as a young girl growing up in Sligo.

Rosaleen O Grady is a Fianna Fáil Councillor for over twenty years.

Former Senior Clinical Nurse Manager HSE West. Presently Chairperson of the North West Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Force. Chairperson of Sligo Joint Policing Committee. Chairperson of Mayo Sligo Leitrim Education Training Board. Member of the Governing Authority of UCD. Director of the Strandhill Community Maritime Centre. Director Multiple Sclerosis North West Therapy Centre. Chairperson of Sligo County Council Town Twinning Committee. Founder member of Sligo Kidney Association.

She has served as Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Mayor of Sligo Borough And Mayor of Sligo Municipal District. Over many years she has been involved in numerous Voluntary and Cultural Organisations.

Des Power is a highly respected global business executive in the Consumer Electronics space. After many years working abroad, Des was delighted in 2016 to return home to become the SVP, MD Fitbit International, responsible for the Fitbit business in EMEA and APAC. A passion for Innovation and team building has taken Des on a leadership journey starting with Philips Electronics at a time when TV’s became flat, then joining Harman to run its global Consumer Audio business as music consumption habits evolved to smartphones and streaming. Finally joining Fitbit at a most exciting time where consumers are now empowered to take better charge of their own health and wellness. Des has worked in Europe, the Americas and most recently in Shenzhen, China. Des is passionate about the Arts in Ireland and especially Sligo and has been a supporter of the Hawks Well since the year it was opened.

Roddy Quinn is a Family doctor who has been interested in the theatre from a young age. Since coming to live and work in Sligo in 1984 he has been an active member of Coolera Dramatic Society which, as well as hosting the highly successful annual pantomime (he has directed the show on six occasions and filled many other backstage and acting roles), has been responsible for many award winning dramatic productions. Indeed, Roddy won the best supporting actor award at the All-Ireland open amateur drama finals in Athlone in 2003 for his playing of “Michael” in Frank McGuiness’s “Someone who’ll watch over me”. He has also acted with Sligo Drama Circle, Silver Apples theatre company and Splodar (Manorhamilton).

Roddy also brings experience of involvement with organisations at a local and national level. He is the immediate past chairperson of the Parenting Network, a high level body involved in influencing policy at a national level to support parents in their parenting role. He has also, on a regular basis, chaired committees of the Irish College of General Practitioners that are tasked with the training of young doctors who want to specialise in family practice. He has been the Director of the Sligo Specialist Training Programme for General Practice since 2001.

Philip is a native of Co. Sligo who left the area to pursue an international executive career in the technology sector which took him and his family to Clonmel and thence to Switzerland and the United States as Director with Digital Equipment Corporation (now HP). He returned to Dublin as VP with Visio Corporation (now Microsoft), Group COO with Orbiscom (now MasterCard) and subsequently as the founding CEO & Board member of the Digital Hub Development Agency (2002-2013).

He currently divides his time between Dublin and Sligo working on independent projects. He also holds a number of non-executive directorships.

 He served as Chairman of Ilex URC Ltd., which was established by the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of N.I, to promote the physical, economic and social regeneration of Derry-Londonderry. 

He is also a recent board member of The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) 2004-2019, Dublin Simon Community (Chair from 2004 – 2008), and LERO the Irish Software Research Centre at University of Limerick 2014-2020. Nowadays, as well as serving on the Hawk’s Well Board, Philip is also a board member of SligoMusicFest CLG (inaugural Chair 2005 – 2009), which produces the critically acclaimed annual Sligo Live Festival.

As a Friend/Patron of The Abbey Theatre, Rough Magic, The Performance Corporation, IMMA, RHA, and the National Gallery, Philip has been a lifelong supporter of the Arts.

In his younger years, before he embarked on his technology career, he co-founded Ireland’s first weekend music festival which successfully introduced the tented village concept to Ireland. A ‘green field’ start-up as he humorously describes it himself – The Boys of Ballisodare ran from 1977 – 1982 and attracted audiences of 20k.

He holds an MSc. (Mgt.) from Trinity College, Dublin and is a graduate of Stanford University´s advanced management programme. He is a member of the Marketing Institute of Ireland (MMII) and of The Institute of Directors (IoD).