Ríona Mac Eoin

Veterinary Surgeon & Practice Owner

Growing up in Kinvara, Ríona loved caring for the horses, dogs, and cats at home. That passion for animals has stayed with her throughout her life. Ríona graduated from University College Dublin as a veterinary surgeon in 2001. She later completed a further qualification, obtaining her Certificate in Small Animal Medicine in 2014. Ríona has a particular passion (some might say obsession!) for veterinary dentistry. She believes dental disease is an area where many pets suffer in silence, as signs of pain are often subtle and easily missed. Helping animals live more comfortable, pain-free lives through better dental care is one of the most rewarding parts of her work. At home, Ríona is kept busy by her two much-loved pets: Tiger, her magnificent 7.4kg ginger cat, and Sugar ( 2.2kg) , her tiny but spirited chihuahua. She also loves long distance sea swimming and has swam across Galway Bay a couple of times.

Ruth Harkin

Veterinary Surgeon & Practice owner

Ruth Harkin is a city girl who spent most of her school holidays on her grandparents’ farm in Portumna, Co Galway. Between that and James Herriot’s books she decided early in life that veterinary medicine was the job for her. After returning from working in small animal clinics in the UK Ruth opened Croí na Mara Vets Briarhill with Ríona Mac Eoin in 2009 and it’s sister clinic in Oranmore in 2026. Her interests include dermatology, dentistry and feline medicine. She particularly likes seeing her older patients - developing a relationship with pets and their owners over the years is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding parts of the job! Outside work she is kept busy by her children, Donagh and Cian, and her dogs, Oscar and Cooper. She loves travelling with her family, especially to places where they can hike and swim together. It’s even better when the dogs come too!

Fiona Comer

Veterinary Surgeon

Fiona always wanted to be a vet. She graduated from veterinary medicine at UCD in 2015 with first class honours and received scholarships for outstanding academic achievements. She spent two years working in Wales before coming home to her native Galway to join us in September 2017. Fiona has a keen interest in surgery and has completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Surgery. She also enjoys diagnostic imaging, ultrasound in particular. Her little sidekick Bailey is never far from her side. Bailey has come a long way since being rescued by MADRA. She now comes to work everyday with Fiona and has learned loads of cool tricks! Outside of work Fiona spends her time with her family and a menagerie of pets. She is an extremely talented artist (especially pet portraits) and also enjoys running, camogie and baking.

Hermnann Heyl

Orthopaedic Surgeon

Orla Ryan

Veterinary Nurse

Orla hails from Ballinderreen and qualified from UCD in 2017. After an internship in the UCD Veterinary Hospital she joined Briarhill Vets in September 2017. She is a real animal lover, with two horses, two dogs and a cat at home to mind. Orla is a keen and talented horse rider.  She competes on her beautiful horse,Domino. She also enjoys many sports including camogie and athletics.

Rebecca Brett

Veterinary Nurse

Rebecca (or as we call her, Becca) joined the practice in 2019 after completing her veterinary nursing degree in Letterkenny. Becca has a real love for her patients and never forgets a furry face! She is fur-mom to two amazing dogs -Pepper and Charlie – and enjoys teaching them new tricks! Becca has a keen interest in nutrition and weight management as well as general nursing and provides free of charge weight clinics to pets. Outside work Becca is a top class soccer play and has captained her local club team many times. She also enjoys walking her dogs, sea swimming and meeting up with friends. Becca loves working on the family farm when time permits.

Amy Stagg

Veterinary Nurse

Feline fanatic Amy joined our team in 2022 after graduating from University College Dublin with a Veterinary Nursing degree in 2019. As the proud owner of eight cats and two dogs, Amy has earned the affectionate title of “resident cat lady” within the clinic! After a long day’s work, she is often found taking home sickly kittens and nursing them back to health. With such a strong love for cats, it’s no surprise that Amy has a particular interest in feline medicine. She also has a keen interest in anesthesia and ultrasonography, and enjoys expanding her skills across different areas of veterinary nursing 

Outside of work, Amy enjoys socialising with her friends, watching true crime & baking.