Meet Our Vets
John Quinn
John qualified from UCD Veterinary College in 1999 and began working in a mixed practice in Cootehill, Co. Cavan. In 2001 he had the opportunity to return to Leitrim and purchased this practice
John has a special interest in cattle reproduction and medicine. He spends a great deal of time speaking to agricultural groups and enjoys educating farmers on herd health and preventative medicine. In his spare time, John enjoys farming, cycling and GAA.
Paula Bergeson-Quinn
Paula is originally from the United States, but came to Ireland in 1994 to continue her education in Veterinary Medicine. She and John qualified together in 1999, and went on to work in two small animal practices in Dublin before moving to Leitrim in 2002. Paula has always been an animal lover and was the driving force behind the development of the Small Animal side of the business.
She is a busy mom but enjoys walking, gardening and horse-riding in her spare time.
Brian Hansberry
Brian graduated from UCD in June 2025. Having grown up on a Dairy farm, Brian is passionate about calf health, reproduction and both large & small animal preventative healthcare.
Brian is from a strong hurling club in East Galway, so you won’t find him on a Leitrim football field.
Joe Collins
Joe qualified from Glasgow in 2000 and worked in mixed practice until 2009. Since then, he has been working primarily as our Small Animal surgeon. He has a keen interest in small animal surgery and veterinary dentistry.
Joe enjoys having time off to look after his herd of purebred Limousin cattle and spending time with his family. He also loves all things chocolate!
Phil McGovern
Phil McGovern qualified from UCD in 2025. Phil has a keen interest in companion & large animals alike.
Outside of Veterinary Phil likes farming and fishing. Phil also enjoys football and Gaeilge.
Allison Smith MVB EM&S
After qualifying from UCD in 2019, Allison worked in Ballymahon for a year in a predominantly large animal suckler practice. Allison did most of her training in Ashwood during her college years and we were delighted to have her join the Ashwood team in September 2020. She is looking forward to developing her skills in all aspects of the practice, as she has a keen interest in both large and small animal surgery, and especially calf health.
In her spare time, Allison enjoys tending to her cows and lambs at home.
Tom Finch
Tom comes from the City of Liverpool and graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2024. He has previously worked in Derry & Tyrone in mainly equine/large animal practice and emergency small animal medicine.
Tom has a keen interest in equine medicine & reproduction. Outside of work Tom is a number 6 for Carrick rugby team and enjoys metalworking in his shed.
Karen Ward DVM, BA (Mod.) Microbiology
Karen graduated from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Budapest in 2020 having previously graduated from Trinity College Dublin with her degree in Microbiology.
She joined our Ashwood team in October 2022 after working for two years in a mixed practice in Glenamaddy Co. Galway. Karen loves the mixed variety in veterinary and splits her time between large and small animal medicine. When she is not working, she is a busy Mum spending her time with her young family and meeting friends.