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.
Owen Hand
Owen qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 2009 and has been working in the practice ever since. Owen has a strong farming background and is passionate about large animal medicine and is a true animal lover. You may even see him with his 2 little terriers, Lucy and Lily, or at the mart with his prize Limousin cattle.
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!
Grace Kenny
Having previously trained as a physiotherapist, Grace qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 2015. She joined the practice in July 2015.
Grace has a keen interest in all aspects of mixed practice and enjoys the diversity of small and farm animal work. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her new family and working on the family farm.
Allison Smith MVB
After qualifying from UCD in 2019, Allison worked in Ballymahon for a year in a predominantly large animal suckler practice. Allison did a great deal of 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.
Ciara O’Neill
Ciara is our newest small animal vet. She graduated from Bristol in 2021. Ciara spent a lot of time seeing practice at Ashwood throughout her studies, and enjoyed it so much that she came back to work here. Ciara enjoys all aspects of small animal practice.
In her spare time she enjoys surfing, camping and baking (often for our staff!)
Jenny Moloney
Jenny graduated from UCD in June 2021, keen to kickstart her career as a large animal vet she joined Ashwood the same month. Jenny has worked on a suckler and sheep farm for the past 8 years and has ample experience in large animal work.
She is looking forward to developing her skills even further and has an interest in multiple areas, especially surgery and ovine medicine.