Joanne Sweeney
@JSTweetsDigital
Followers
16K
Following
64K
Media
7K
Statuses
44K
Author of 3 books 📚 Speaker 🎤 CEO @dti_ie & founder @publicsectorpro 🎙️ Podcast Host 📱 Social Media & Digital Marketing For Govt 👩⚖️Radio Sector 📻
Galway, Ireland
Joined January 2010
🆕 Introducing my new podcast: AI Six.A six-minute daily podcast tailored for marketers looking to understand and use AI effectively. The Long-Listen on Saturdays is a 20-minute interview featuring experts and professionals sharing their experiences with AI in marketing.
1
0
3
5 years 5 houses. That’s what divorce & domestic abuse does. This week me and my son move into my new home, my home, no more renting. It’s been a struggle and a slog. But make mo mistake, my own roof, safety & security will take away all my stress and worry. Peace now. 🙌.
505
248
9K
When she was born the nurse asked where her clothes were. I had nothing. I was 17.Of course the hospital provided. Today @Sophsweeneyy passed her final Accounting exam. Chartered Accountant & Chartered Tax Advisor. We are some team ❤️❤️ .Who said it…. “All you need is love”
125
59
4K
Christmas Day 3 years ago I got the support of @Womens_Aid & sought the support of @gardainfo .It’s a very lonely place. If you need help please ask. Best thing I’ve ever done. I’ve been that voice on the phone that couldn’t speak. Now I’m here. ❤️
50
103
2K
Today she passed her exams with @KPMG_Ireland and is now a Chartered Accountant. Here we were in 2001 in the grounds of @nuigalway. It’s where I sowed the seeds of the power of education. I was a teenage Mammy, but she always looked up to me. So proud we kept walking the path. ❤️
40
27
2K
I met my grandson Henry on FaceTime this morning after my daughter called me and told me to pull in (I was driving). He was only 30 minute old. My heart 💙 for her and baby Henry named after his late grandad, Sophie’s Dad. Love & legacy & life-changing day. 👌
77
15
2K
At 24 she bought her own car. I convinced her, independence was important. She grew up fearing driving. At 5 months her dad died in a road traffic accident. He was 23. She’s outlived him now. We can’t live our lives based on fear. Wish her safe motoring. My Sophie. ❤️
38
12
2K
I got divorced today. It’s a spectacular transition in my life. More than any of the previous adversities, teenage mother, teenage widow, failed entrepreneur. This one has taught me so many lessons. That my friends, is life. Nobody is immune & there is no vaccine for challenge.
96
12
1K
Today Frank died. 😢 He was one of the country’s best disability advocates and Donegal’s best. Please please praise Frank’s life work to improve services for people with the ability to contribute and their deserved recognition. Give Frank a ❤️ and RT.
Baffled that Northern Ireland schools are still open. COVID19 knows no borders and it’s high time common sense prevailed. #Angry.
32
267
1K
Yesterday I got news I wanted for 5 years! I worked for this news every day since losing everything. Yesterday I was approved for a mortgage. 45, self-employed & divorced. House hunting begins in a very tricky market but I have faith. 🙏 I’m so proud & happy. Tips welcome! 😅.
62
2
713
Can’t do anything but pray. Lonely today being away from home. Many a trip to and through Creeslough from Downings where the Lafferty’s had goods you couldn’t get in Downings or Carrigart. I was holding my son tight today. Our hearts are with everyone at home. 💔
5
13
626
I went for a job with @rtenews at 23 (20 years-ago) & they didn’t like my ‘regional’ accent. They wanted a more national voice. I had a Master’s in Journalism & had covered the Morris Tribunal & Saville Enquiry. Safe to say their loss, but it was a childhood dream ended.
19
42
543
This photo appeared in @IrishTimes 20 years ago today. A story about being “underage” to qualify for Third Level Allowance. I was 19 but 23 was the age to qualify. Today that 5 year old is a chartered accountant and I run my own business.
18
13
528
Twitter can you help? . There’s a student who got a place in @UniOfGalway after achieving 625 points but has nowhere to live 🥲. Desperate. I’ve offered for a few nights but can anyone help, or interested in the Rent a Room scheme? . She’s from Donegal so guaranteed brilliant!.
15
294
321
24 years ago .The news that changes your life forever .I didn’t get into the car .I said I’d wait until Henry gave them a lift home .I was 18, we had a baby @Sophsweeneyy .Unfortunately Henry didn’t come back for me .Tonight we light up for Henry, Neil & Garret 🕯#WDoR2020
19
8
310
25 years ago terrified and completely out of my depth I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. At 17, I had nothing but me. And a quarter of a century later I know that was more than enough. Happy birthday Sophie. I love with you. X
14
1
301
This is for Creeslough 💔🇮🇪 @amberbarrett09 dedicates her winning & qualifying @FAIreland Women’s World Cup goal to her neighbours, wearing the Donegal GAA flag. 🙌 😭
4
45
290
I hope somebody is minding Fr John Joe too. The weight of the past week must be so heavy. 😪.
Father John Joe Duffy was the first person I spoke to in Creeslough and last person I spoke to in Creeslough. Standing with his people during the search, he went on officiate at 8/10 funerals and did numerous media interviews. The epitome of pastoral ministry.
3
6
275
She’s home! After a 15-hour galavanting trip! 🙏🙏 Thank you @catlowry54 and Frank & @HelenORahilly for the advice and support. @Sophsweeneyy stayed up and heard her crying at the back door. Her litter tray and food were out! #DaisyisHome!
13
4
245
I got promoted yesterday! .Just call me Nana 💝.Meet Baby Maisie 💝 .So proud of Sophie 💝
29
1
228
Emma O’Kelly has done the best PR damage limitation for RTE. Her voice on behalf of colleagues will be a watershed moment for @rte. We stand with you. 🙌.
‘We’re just as angry, frustrated, devastated as you at home’ – RTÉ journalists demand ‘truth’ over Tubridy top-up payments.
23
15
215
When she was 3 I took @Sophsweeneyy with me to English and Soc & Pol lectures @nuigalway. Now she’s a part-time lecturer in accounting here. We had nothing but each other. But we had dreams & a love of education. If you see it, you can be it. 🙌 #womenempowerment #bethechange
13
2
160
Imagine your friend answering this question in a glossy mag, and choosing you? @gazzachef did that for me! My first appearance in @RSVPMagazine too! 😅
8
3
153
This is unbelievably generous! Chaosheng’s photos of Galway are 🙌 He also takes his camera when he travels around Ireland. I’m certainly going to cover my walls in your prints, but can we make donations to a charity of your choosing?.
☘️Please RT☘️ .More than 1000 Ireland landscape photos are available to download for free. Follow the instructions and the link in my pinned (first) post. Feel free to have the photos printed and framed as a Christmas gift. New photos are under the folder 'NewPhotos_2022'.
6
14
149
@charliebird49 Happy to help Charlie, can’t DM you. Will look after the entire process without a glitch.
6
1
147
From the Archives! 🤗 My daughter found this photo of me and her Dad today while sifting through my old memory box. It warmed my heart. Henry died in a car crash when she was 5 months old and I was back at secondary school studying for my Leaving Cert. He was my first ❤️
2
2
146
This is Henry, killed at 23 years old in a car crash. He didn’t live to see our daughter grow up into a beautiful woman. I miss him every day & could often do with his help. It’s European Day without a Road Death. Take the #ProjectEdward pledge here:
10
7
139
This week I turn 46. And soon I’ll be Nan 2.0.Look at baby Maisie making the Christmas announcement. So proud of @Sophsweeneyy ❤️❤️.You know, being a Mammy at 17 worked out just fine, no, it turned out just wonderfully. 🥰 Raising generations is a gift. 🙌
8
2
131
Remembering Henry tonight on his 25th anniversary. He was killed with Neil & Garrett when he gave them a lift home after missing their bus. Our daughter @Sophsweeneyy was 5 months old on that fateful night. Today she’s 25, he was 23. #RIPHenry We wish you were here❤️
11
0
135
The @IrishTimes commentary piece ‘Donegal’s culture of speed and youth’ was poor timing, insensitive and unnecessary. Let’s remember Mícheál Roarty (24), John Harley (24), Shaun Harkin (22) and Daniel Scott (23) for their lives not their media statistics. #Donegal ❤️.
5
7
125
I’ve taught my daughter to raise herself. After I raised myself. Now we raise each other up. This is strength not status.
11
0
129
Another graduation for @Sophsweeneyy 😍😍.The wee girl that came to @nuigalway with me at 20 months old. I was 19. It’s so true what they say. If you see it you can be it. Join me in congratulating her as she’s admitted to Chartered Accountants Ireland. 🙌
20
2
121
Genuine Request for Accommodation in Galway for a Single Mother with a sick child. Please RT . There is a young woman with a newborn baby in emergency accommodation; the baby is sick with two holes in his heart. She is studying to be a nurse, a final year student here.
2
197
101
Being a Mammy is amazing. Being a Mammy of a Mammy is amazing .Being a Granny is a gift .My girls 💖
5
0
112
To mark becoming a Nana at 45 I’ve decided to gift my beautiful granddaughter Maisie with a book for each of her birthdays. And her first one is in the works. I combine my love of her for my love of writing. 💝 Made For Maisie 💝
8
1
110
I was on Lone Parent’s Allowance in Galway for 4 years (2 years In Donegal). I had 3 jobs & was a full time student at @nuigalway It was momentus to hand over my green book in the post office & be able to contribute and make my own way. Work saved us. #TommyTiernanShow
5
2
102
Being a parent is exhausting, being a single parent is exhausting, but being mum to this legend is a blessing. I’ve been her mum for 24 years and this week more than ever I needed her. Imagine if her Dad was alive? But his memory is immortalised in his signature, imprinted today.
6
2
97
Maisie Days 💝 she’s so tiny but her presence is so big!
9
1
99
My heart is full of love. And it’s been a real honour to be Sophie’s Mammy. So much to look forward to. Special day for us - a family of 3 now family of so much more. #MotherOfTheBride
14
0
95
Kevin Backhurst so transparent and open in his approach to RTE debacle. You have to hand it to him. Live on 9 o’clock news explaining his decision not to re-offer Ryan Tubridy a new contract.
7
5
91
My timeline is packed with remarkable stories of care, compassion & sheer determination from @HSELive staff. Can we please remember this day next time we "HSE bash" with a sweeping brush. These people are true lifesavers who don't seek praise or thanks. See #weareourvalues
1
29
82
I decided to wait. Henry gave Garret & Neil a lift home. They missed their bus. But he didn’t come back for me. Garret & Neil didn’t make it home. 3 lives lost. I was meant to live for Sophie. 27 yrs feel like yesterday. Soon he will be a granddad minding us from afar. #WDoR2022
6
1
81
Back out of quarantine and feeling 👍.Thanks to science for the vaccines 🙏.You never know how COVID is going to treat you. It eventually tracked me down, and it’s no joke. But I’m thankful I was boosted. Sleep came easy!
10
0
79
When I moved out of home (17) & a single parent my geography teacher & my principal took me to school. I was determined to do my Leaving Cert. I’ll never forget the extra mile @MulroyCollege & @DonegalETB went for me and @Sophsweeneyy Look at us now. Support for mums pays off. 🙌.
5
4
77
I’m in New York and we are catching sunsets on the Hudson, eating gelato in Little Italy and buying shoes in Soho. Blessed beyond words. When I got my liberty I got myself back. Bobby is a great companion. I stand by my executive decision to take him with me & miss school. ❣️
5
1
77
From teenage Mammy to Mother-of-the-Bride-to-Be. So many milestones for me this year. Nana is the best!
7
0
77
Photos arrived in the post today. A cousin of @Sophsweeneyy’s late Dad was doing a clear out. This one stopped me in my tracks. If I was to offer you a caption from that split second & 17-year old me….“How will I raise you?” I was so terrified and smitten 🥰 All I had was love.
9
1
75
Studying for my #LeavingCert 1995 Yeats, Heaney, bottles & baby Sophie was my daily routine at 17 🍼
1
2
75
Bringing home bronze 🥉 #irishpodawards .Thanks so much to all my guests 🙌 in @PublicSectorPro
14
0
77
My heart is bursting for ‘mazing-Maisie. You never forget how to nurture a baby. Mammy or Nana. 💝
3
0
73
Woke up this morning to 44. If anyone can find the last two years for me, that would be great! #NYEbirthday
22
0
71
@MattNavarra That’s what happens when you don’t listen to your community in favour of spending too much time watching the competition.
0
1
62
6
25
67
Already a chartered accountant, today Sophie finished exams to be a Chartered Tax Advisor. At 17 I had nothing but the example I would show her. Her dad died 5 months later. 4 weeks ago I was reported to Tusla for being a shit mum. I’ll always defend the truth. I’m the best mum.
7
0
65
Winning at life now - it was a testing 6 months on the Gruaige 💇♀️
7
1
69
@FrankGreaney I'm so sorry for this woman, but I hope that she gains strength from speaking out. I don't want to comment on the sentence only to say, until we have zero tolerance at all levels of our justice system, this heinous crime will continue & go under the radar. #coervicecontrol.
0
0
66
6 whole months, but today I got to see my hairdresser 💇♀️ It was a glorious experience #hairdressers are 🙏❤️
11
2
67
I raised my daughter to stand on her own two feet, because I led by example. Today we celebrated our new cars. 🙏🚗 Thank you @TonyBurkeMotors
6
1
67
This is worth reading twice. Often you speak but aren’t heard. Don’t underestimate the feeling of being unheard. #ripcarolineflack 💔
0
15
65
I’m delighted to share with you that we have been awarded Best Online Social Media Training Provider 2021 in Ireland by EU Business News. I’ve been providing social media training since 2008 and online since 2013. A big thank you to all our customers and students! .#socialmedia
9
3
66
So when are we actually going to talk about domestic violence? Because nobody wants to talk about it. Anna should not be DEAD. She should be here with her children. My heart is broken. 😔.
Anna Mooney, née Shupikova (46), who was murdered in her home on Kilbarrack Rd, Dublin 5, on Thursday. She was a mother of 2 children and was originally from Ukraine but had been living in Ireland for many years. Her husband, Stephen Mooney (51), is charged with her murder. RIP
2
9
65
“I only dropped in to see you all, and I’ll only stay a while…there’s no place like on earth like the homes of Donegal.” 💔. - Bridie Gallagher from Creeslough sings ‘The Homes of Donegal’ .
0
2
65
She’s home @Sophsweeneyy & in quarantine in her own apartment. Thanks to everyone over the past week that helped & shared. Covid is alive and well and we need to heed its prowess. We live in such uncertainty that normal activity is punishable. Credit @RTE_PrimeTime
13
1
64
Walking into my two weeks off like a boss cause I am the boss and it’s been a long year! #holidaytime #bossbabe
6
0
62
A little bit of good news amidst the bad lately. wish me luck in tonight’s @BizBookAwardUK #BBA2020 @PublicSectorPro is a finalist for Best International Business Book
9
7
59
I’ve written speeches for others for 20 years but this is my biggest one yet. And I tell you, I have the fear. I don’t feel equipped in any way. I mean I’m recently divorced. But I’ve been a mother to her since I was 17. The trigger and the tension I feel is crazy. Send prayers.
16
0
61
I cycled the greenway in Mayo today for the first time. Westport to Mulranny. Stunning weather and an amazing route. Accessible and got lost in the nature around us. I might not be able to tackle the stairs tomorrow but I cycled 60km for the first time in 42 years.
7
0
54
In an expression of hope, I post a face of determination. This is the month that gives me the legal right to apply for a divorce. I will always thank @FineGael for having the understanding that living in a marriage for longer than is right is wrong. Happy divorce month to me!
3
0
58
Wouldn’t he be so proud of Sophie and I now? 😌 The scandal of being 16 and pregnant is far outweighed by the love and life lessons this women has brought me. 👩❤️👩 Remember the dark days always pass. 🙏.
5
0
56
My sister Martina has lived in Brisbane for 25 years. Today she picked me up at Brisbane Airport and here’s the moment we were reunited. This trip down under had been more than amazing for me after a tough year. #jstalksdigital 🇮🇪🇦🇺
5
1
50
When your business book turns into a story about you. Thanks to the Irish Daily Star for the write-up. ☺️. #PR
4
1
56
My ‘twins’ .27 & 13 today .And Baby Sophie on the way 🥰 .My life’s work right there .#birthday #SeptemberWish
2
1
58
Thank you to you all for the messages of support! Yesterday was special and I’ll remember it forever! #PublicSectorDMS #publicsectormarketingpro
6
5
53
[BREAKING NEWS] 50,000 words, 235 pages, 9 months of writing and it's here! It arrived through my letterbox this morning and I was so nervous opening it! A FREE Copy for everyone attending the @PublicSectorPro Digital Summit on Weds! #publicsectormarketingpro MEDIA DM FOR A COPY
11
11
55
[REACTION] My book @PublicSectorPro has been shortlisted in the British Business Book Awards in the category .BEST INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS BOOK .😊#BBA2020 👏🇨🇮🙏
10
6
52
As we jump into another week I think about the rising wave of anxiety of uncertainty. It’s everywhere, everyone doesn’t know what’s happening next. If the last two years have taught me anything it’s .1) don’t try and control what you can’t control .2) your goodness always wins.
3
8
52
My book is now launched! I’ll now be signing books out in the reception area. Thanks to everyone for your support . #PublicSectorDMS
9
4
55
I’m so upset 😭 I’m so tired of listening to the platitudes. Open the nation’s airwaves to hear the reality of violence against women in public and private and keep the lines open until the end of January. The system protects violent men. That’s the reality. #ViolenceAgainstWomen.
3
8
51
After 6 months I’m in a wet pub, it is quite exciting
6
0
53
The voice of home - @highlandradio delivering exceptional public service broadcasting. We trust our local station, they give voice to the community. @GregHughes2 putting words on the tragedy in #Creeslough this morning. It’s not easy. 💔.
1
3
55
There’s a lot of humanity in the fumbling with the paper with the new guidelines. I think @LeoVaradkar interview on #LateLateShow shows there’s so much change and it’s an evolving situation we are trying to keep up. Anyway, thanks Gov 👏.
4
1
49
She did it again!🎓 .So proud of @Sophsweeneyy who adds Chartered Tax Adviser @TaxInstituteIrl to her Chartered Accountant title. So much hard work. I made lots of cups of tea! It’s a prestigious accolade & adds great value to the family business. A role model to her bro also.
2
1
51
Four generations of strong women .🥰 Mammies and Maisie.@WestburyDublin after celebrating the new Mr & Mrs @Sophsweeneyy
1
0
52
😅 Finisher! .Great running event in Salthill today. The atmosphere 🙌 people cheering and running and clapping and so happy! Glad I got to sweat out the 10km @RunGalwayBay #rungalwaybay
6
0
47