John O'Shea
The founder and chief executive of GOAL, John O’Shea, was born in Limerick in 1944 and spent his formative years in Charleville and Westport. He is married to Judy (nee Gallagher) and they have two sons and two daughters - Stephen, Lisa, Karen and Johnny.
For 24 years he worked as a sports journalist with the Irish Press Group. In 1977, he established GOAL as a humanitarian organisation dedicated to helping the poorest of the poor in the developing world.
Until 1992, O’Shea combined his roles as journalist and volunteer Chief Executive of GOAL before quitting journalism to concentrate all his energies on GOAL.
Since its inception 34 years ago, GOAL has spent in excess of $1 billion on humanitarian programmes in more than 50 countries. Over 2,800 GOALies and many thousands of local staff have worked in the developing world on GOAL’s behalf and the organisation has responded to almost every major humanitarian disaster since 1977. It has done this while keeping administrative costs exceptionally low.
John O’Shea is scathingly outspoken against the often rampant corruption and human rights abuses of political leaders in the developing world. He lobbies constantly for donor governments to demand both fiscal efficacy and the upholding of basic human rights from their recipient counterparts.
He is equally scathing about what he sees as the often pathetic response from western governments and international institutions to humanitarian catastrophes.
O’Shea has for many years been calling for the establishment of a multi-national rapid response body, made up of experts in all of the requisite emergency response disciplines, which could be despatched immediately to the site of a disaster anywhere in the world.
Mr. O'Shea’s list of achievements and awards include the People of the Year 1987 and 1992; The Ballygowan Outstanding Achievement Award 1988; a Late Late Show Tribute 1995; Texaco Outstanding Achievement Award 1995; Tipperary International Peace Award 2004; Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2005; honorary doctorates from the Open University in May 2007 and Notre Dame University in May 2008; and the 2011 James Joyce Award from the University College of Dublin, Literary and Historical Society.