Martin O’Neill
Cardiff University
Welsh Crucible 2011
Martin spent the earliest and some of the happiest years of his life growing up on the Gurnos Estate in Merthyr Tydfil which today is one of the poorest areas of Europe and the sickest part of the UK. Having left school with few qualifications and following a varied career which included periods working as a roadie, bus driver and ambulance man he entered higher education in his late thirties. After completing a B.Sc in sociology and social anthropology and then a Ph.D he embarked on a research career where his interests developed in the areas of action and participatory research and the way I.C.T and digital media can be used to help facilitate this. Much of his research has involved working with the Gurnos community to develop solutions to the problems they face. Martin’s research interests include social and economic regeneration, health, aging and elderly care