A Ramble About Tallaght

Albert Perris was born in Tallaght in 1972. He has had a successful career in the community and voluntary sector for 25 years, managing and developing community, voluntary and social services throughout Ireland. He has served has National Manager of Specialist Services with the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, Interim Head of Services with the national charity Alone, and CEO of national service provider Respond Support. Albert started his career as Co-Founder of the Tallaght Homeless Advise Unit in 1994, which resulted in him become involved in Social Research, undertaking numerous Social Research assignments in Tallaght, Clondalkin and Blanchardstown. His work was published by the Forum on Youth Homelessness (2000), Blanchardstown Area Partnership (2000) and Clondalkin Partnership (1999). After being commissioned by Tallaght Welfare Society to undertake an “Oral History of Tallaght” in 1999, he became heavily involved in Reminiscence Work with older people in Ireland, for which he was awarded a Social Entrepreneurs Award in 2009 for establishing a national initiative Reminiscence Ireland. He has trained Reminiscence Practitioners throughout Ireland. Through his passion for Reminiscence Work and Oral History, he discovered an equally enduring passion for Local History and its role in Community Identity and development. This led him to undertake “A Ramble About Tallaght”.

He is very happily married with four ‘grown-up’ Children!