Tipperary Educated Susan Quirke Wins Prestigious Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Award

Oola woman Susan Quirke  has joined Niall Breslin (Bressie) to receive a prestigious Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Impact award at a recent ceremony in the Mansion House in Dublin. Susan and Niall co-founded the A Lust For Life organisation just over a year ago as a pioneering new social enterprise that is rapidly going from strength to strength.

A Lust For Life runs a popular website at www.alustforlife.com and organises events and campaigns aimed at promoting mental health and wellbeing in Ireland and beyond. Since its launch last October the organisation has reached over one million people online and 13,000 people through events throughout the country. A Lust For Life also has one of the largest social media followings of any Irish non-profit and it has become a powerful voice in influencing change in health and education policy.

The Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Award provides Susan and Niall with funding and support worth €140,000 to allow them to develop and expand their reach through A Lust For Life.

Susan, 34, grew up in Oola Co. Limerick and is the daughter of Bertie and Mairead Quirke. She went to school in St. Anne’s Secondary School, Tipperary Town before attending university at Dublin City University. She later become an instrumental figure in the development of the SpunOut.ie youth organisation and the Soar Foundation.

Susan, sometimes known as ‘Susie Q’, is also a talented indie rock musician and is in the process of finishing her first album, which features some of Ireland’s leading musicians.

Speaking about the award, Susan Quirke said; “This award is a great honour and a testimony to the hard work and dedication of so many people who have got behind us. A Lust for Life is a movement for wellbeing. We are creating ripples of change that are spreading all over the world at a time when so many people are suffering from stress, anxiety, depression and the day to day challenges of life. We aim to inform, connect and uplift, to show people that they are not alone, to give them a space to get heard, to see that hope is always possible if we take action and join together as we all deserve to live a good life.”

Darren Ryan CEO of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland said “Social entrepreneurs are problem solvers. Whenever the current system is too slow, inadequate or missing, a social entrepreneur will roll up their sleeves and take action. The social entrepreneurs awarded today are all pioneering new solutions to some of society’s biggest challenges. With the ongoing commitment of DCC plc, we will back these entrepreneurs to take risks and be brave in pursuing ideas to solve Ireland’s social problems.”

The awards ceremony, which took place in the Mansion House, Dublin, was hosted by Joan Freeman, the founder of Pieta House, and John Evoy, the founder of the Irish Men’s Sheds Association, who are both former recipients of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Awards.

More information on A Lust For Life at www.alustforlife.com

Nial Breslin and Susan Quirke win prestigious award