Posted 08 February 2013
UCD Professor appointed Chairman of Horse Sport Ireland
Professor Patrick Wall has been appointed Chairman of Horse Sport Ireland, the governing body for equestrian sport in Ireland. Qualified both as a veterinary surgeon and a medical doctor, Professor Wall was nominated for the role by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar TD.
Professor Wall, UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Performance Science, was the first Chief Executive of Food Safety Authority of Ireland and also served as Chairman of the European Food Safety Authority.
“Patrick Wall brings a wealth of experience and expertise which will enable Horse Sport Ireland to develop further in the years ahead, building on the very solid foundation which has been laid for the organisation by outgoing Chairman Joe Walsh,” said Minister Varadkar.
“His previous experience as a chairman and a chief executive will be useful in this role, along with his ongoing participation in equestrian sports.”
A keen horseman, Professor Wall said he was honoured by the appointment and looked forward to building on the work of his predecessor Joe Walsh, the former Minister of Agriculture, who successfully managed to fuse 22 equestrian bodies into one organisation.
He outlined that equestrianism is different from the other sports under the Sports Council’s umbrella in that it is also an industry. He considers that UCD’s expertise in Equine Science, Veterinary, Sports Science and Business should be able to make a valuable contribution to both the industry and the sport.
Professor Wall’s academic research interests include studies in the areas of food borne disease, lifestyle related diseases in humans, health damaging consumer behaviour and equine husbandry and performance related research topics.
He is the principal investigator on the FP7 funded Foodrisc project which among other areas is looking at the communication of food related issues in online social media. He was co-author of the 2010 UCD report on Horse Welfare in Ireland commissioned by World Horse Welfare. He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel of the Chinese National Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment.
Professor Wall is a co-director of the UCD/Redmills Advanced programme in Applied Equine Husbandry and Management, a new course being developed for individuals from the fledgling Chinese sports horse industry, a potential emerging market for Irish horses and UCD graduates.
Horse Sport Ireland is the Governing Body for equestrian sport in Ireland.
(Produced by UCD University Relations)
