Extern Media Relations

Extern Experts
As the leading social justice charity working across the island of Ireland, Extern provides a service for journalists from the print, broadcast and online media who may need to seek expert comment or briefings from our staff in relation to the areas we work in, including:

Housing and Homelessness

Drugs and alcohol misuse (U18s and adults)

Mental Health and living with the impact of suicide (U18s and adults)

Refugee Support/Asylum Seekers (Families and individuals)

Traveller community

Justice services (U18s and adults)

Skills and employability

In Extern we appreciate that members of the media may benefit from an informal chat or face-to-face meeting in order to aid their knowledge when reporting on an issue. We are always more than happy to facilitate these, so please get in touch.

We also act as the main contact point for members of the media who may need to seek information about the organisation from time-to-time.

Get in touch

Extern’s communications team aims to be responsive, open and honest. Our office is staffed from Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm.

Please telephone +44 028 90 840555 or you can send us an email.

For urgent out-of-hours media inquiries please telephone +44(0)773 9977 095.

Communications & Marketing Manager
Lisa McElroy
Tel: +44 (0)28 90 840555
M: 07739977095
Email: [email protected] 

Matthew McCreary
External Communications Officer
Tel: +44 (0)28 90 840555
M: +44 (0) 
Email: [email protected]

Ian Dinsmore
Digital Communications Officer
Tel: +44 (0)28 90 840555
M: +44 (0) 7545488882
Email: [email protected] 

Extern Summary

Extern is the leading social justice charity transforming lives across the island of Ireland. Formed in 1978 and now operating in 22 counties, Extern works alongside children, young people, and families every day, to empower positive change and support family unity.

We also support people who are:

• homeless or facing homelessness
• refugees
• the Traveller community
• people living with an offending past
• those living with the impact of suicide
• those dealing with mental health and drug and alcohol issues, to change their lives.

As a charity, we strive for an inclusive and fair society; keeping children and their families together where possible; reducing offending and the impact of offending on victims and the community; that people have somewhere to live and that the people we work with are better equipped to live and make a contribution to their community. We are also the leading provider of placements for social work students in the voluntary sector.

Extern employs more than 560 staff and last year we supported over 19,500 people across the island of Ireland to change their lives.