PRESS RELEASE: Pioneering members recognised at AOTI 60th anniversary celebrations
Dr Clodagh Nolan delivered inaugural Anna King lecture
Genevieve O'Halloran, AOTI Chairperson, Anna King, Dr Clodagh Nolan, Odhrán Allen, AOTI CEO
A pioneering initiative providing Occupational Therapy services for students with disabilities in higher education is just one of the career highlights of Dr Clodagh Nolan, who was chosen to deliver the inaugural Anna King Annual Lecture as part of the Association of Occupational Therapists Ireland (AOTI) 60th anniversary celebrations.
Attending the lecture with her family, Anna King said: “It’s a huge honour to have the new annual AOTI lecture named after me as part of the 60th anniversary of AOTI, a body of which I’m so proud for its achievements as the voice for Occupational Therapy. I’m also delighted to hear Dr Nolan’s reflections on her own journey through the profession, in which I played a part as her lecturer at Trinity College Dublin and someone whose research and learnings I greatly respect. “I want to extend my very best wishes to all AOTI members for the future of the profession."
Dr Clodagh Nolan said: “It’s an incredible honour to be chosen as the first recipient of the Anna King Lectureship. It gave me the opportunity to reflect on the evolution of Occupational Therapy in Ireland from its early foundations to its role today in supporting people’s lives in meaningful and life-changing ways.
“I was fortunate to have Anna King as one of my lecturers at Trinity College and I hope that she can recognise some of her teachings in my lecture, which continue to be relevant to today’s practitioners.”
Commenting on the lectureship, AOTI CEO, Odhrán Allen said, “I want to congratulate Anna King and Clodagh Nolan on their outstanding contributions to the Occupational Therapy profession.
“Anna, whose teachings I remember from my own days as a student, enabled Occupational Therapy to become the respected profession it is today, created an enormous legacy and we’re delighted she was able to attend this inaugural lecture, a key part of our 60th anniversary celebrations.
“Clodagh, who herself was lectured by Anna, has her own wonderful legacy to celebrate, including the establishment of the 'Unilink Service’ which originated in Trinity College, Dublin, and is now offered to two other Universities within the Greater Dublin Region. Attendees were delighted to hear her lecture on the Past, Present, and Future of Occupational Therapy in Ireland.”
AOTI Chairperson, Genevieve O’Halloran, said: “The Anna King Lecture is an important new addition to how we recognise leadership and contribution within the profession. It reflects both the strong foundations laid by pioneers like Anna King and the ongoing innovation demonstrated by members such as Dr Clodagh Nolan. We are proud to mark our 60th anniversary by establishing an event that will continue to inspire the profession into the future.”
Further information about AOTI and the programme of events to celebrate the 60th anniversary is available at www.aoti.ie/about-us/AOTI-60th-Anniversary.
The 2026 Anna King Award is kindly supported by Seating Matters.
Contact: Meadbh Whelan/Julie Sherlock, Alice Public Relations. Phone: 085 2039693 / +44 7834 776519 Email: [email protected]
ENDS
A selection of photos from the 60th anniversary celebrations
Genevieve O'Halloran, AOTI Chairperson, welcoming attendees
Dr Clodagh Nolan delivering the inaugural Anna King Lecture
Dr Clodagh Nolan being presented with the Anna King Award by Martina Tierney, Clinical Director at Seating Matters
Anna King being presented with a certificate of recognition for her foundational role in AOTI by Genevieve O'Halloran, AOTI Chairperson
Anna King and Dr Clodagh Nolan
Anna King cutting the cake with Genevieve O'Halloran
Past AOTI Chairpersons in attendance with Genevieve O'Halloran, current Chairperson, and Anna King, the first Chairperson of AOTI. Pictured from L to R, Frances Weir, Andrew Semple, Bryan Boyle, Pauline Burke, Patricia Regan and Mary McGrath (centre)
AOTI 60th Anniversary Committee members in attendance with Anna King and Nicola Costigan (Committee Chairperson). Pictured from L to R Roisin Cronin, Patricia Regan, Mairead Dempsey, Laura Conway and Veronica McKenna (centre)
Dearbhaile Mulholland, Head of Clinical Marketing at Seating Matters, Odhrán Allen, AOTI CEO, Martina Tierney, Clinical Director at Seating Matters, and Anna King
Note to editors:
Spokespeople
- Odhrán
Allen, CEO of AOTI, is available for media interview on request.
About AOTI
The Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland (AOTI) is the professional body serving, promoting and representing Occupational Therapists in the Republic of Ireland. It is the voice for the Occupational Therapy profession. AOTI provides national leadership to its members and works on their behalf with the best interest of the profession and service users in mind. AOTI promotes the value of Occupational Therapy as a critical means of improving the occupational performance, health and wellbeing of the people of Ireland. AOTI considers current practice in Ireland and abroad, working at both a strategic and operational level to advance the profession in Ireland, to ensure appropriate governance and to optimise communication with the public and its members.
About Anna King
An Occupational Therapist and educator, Anna King began her career in psychiatry in 1956 at St John of God Hospital, Stillorgan, with a formative year at the Maudsley Hospital in London, and later returned to the profession after a period caring for elderly parents. She joined St Joseph’s College of Occupational Therapy in its early years, invited by founder Joy Rook, and developed a lifelong commitment to teaching and clinical education.
She served as the first Chairperson of the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland (AOTI) when it was established in December 1965, and went on to play a central role in curriculum development, student clinical placements, and the School’s progression from externally moderated programmes to an Irish diploma and ultimately the BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy at Trinity College Dublin.
Supported by the National Rehabilitation Board, she completed a Master of Education at TCD and later became Director of the School of Occupational Therapy as it moved into the Faculty of Health Sciences. Her career also included work as an external examiner internationally, notably in Zimbabwe, and she credits the clinicians, administrators, visiting lecturers, and colleagues who helped build and sustain occupational therapy education in Ireland.
About Dr Clodagh Nolan
Dr Clodagh Nolan qualified in the early 80s with a Diploma in Occupational Therapy from the College of Occupational Therapists, London. She worked for a while in the area of Paediatrics before joining the Mental Health Team at St. James Community Mental Health Day Hospital. She joined the Discipline of Occupational Therapy at Trinity College, Dublin, in November 1988 and has taught both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels within the Discipline. Her Masters and Ph.D. studies were in the areas of community mental health and the development of a self report measure for students with disabilities. She was a member of the Board of Occupational Therapists in the mid to late 1990s.
From 2009-2012 she held the role of Head of Discipline and is the founder of the 'Unilink Approach’ to the provision of Occupational Therapy Services for students with disabilities in higher education which originated in Trinity College, Dublin and is now offered to two other Universities within the Greater Dublin Region. Clodagh was a board member of the Government of Ireland’s Occupational Therapy Registration Board (OTRB 2013-2017) and its first Chairperson. Clodagh has always been a champion and advocate for student mental health. Dr Nolan’s research activities and interests are primarily within the area of mental health, disability and ASD.
Tuesday 21st April 2026
