Finbarr graduated from the UCD Veterinary School in June 1993. After almost three years in the West of Ireland, he returned to Celbridge and opened the Beaufield Veterinary Centre in January 1996. He has long been an advocate for animal welfare and legislative change in that area and has worked extensively on the problem of Irish Greyhounds in Spain. He spent several years working as the ISPCA’s consultant veterinary surgeon during which he advised on Dog Control measures throughout the country and on countless cruelty cases that came before the courts.
In 2005, he was appointed by the then Minister for the Environment to chair a working group to look in to the area of Puppy Farms and dog production in Ireland. The report of this working group was the basis of the 2010 Dog Breeding Establishment Bill. He also was heavily involved in the drafting of the Microchipping of Dogs Regulations 2015. He continues to advocate passionately for animal welfare reform in many areas, both at National and European level and currently serves as the Secretary of EuroPetNet, a pan-European Animal Welfare Organisation involved in reunifying thousands of lost pets with their owners every year.
Originally from Glasnevin, he still wears the blue of Dublin to Croke Park, and is likely to be found crying with despair as he supports his beloved Arsenal and Bohemians. An avid cyclist and exercise-addict, a voracious reader and history buff, he has two gorgeous daughters, Sophie and Lucy, who keep him more than busy.
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