He coordinated the development of the new Carlow County Museum premises and exhibitions on College Street, Carlow town, opening in April 2012, and attracts twenty-six thousand visitors annually (pre Covid-19). In 2020, the Museum was awarded Interim Accreditation under the Heritage Council’s Museums Standards Programme for Ireland. In 2003, Dermot was ‘designated’ by the National Museum of Ireland, under the National Monuments Acts, to collect archaeological objects on its behalf for Co Carlow.

Over the years, Dermot has coordinated a variety of cultural, heritage, tourism and sporting events. He is co-coordinator of the award winning ‘Carlow Trails of the Saints’ project, first published in 2010 and updated in 2018. For twelve years he coordinated ‘Heritage Week’ in county Carlow (2004 – 2016), which is coordinated at a national level by the Heritage Council. 

Dermot was twice the Stage End Coordinator, 2013 & 2015, for the Rás Tailteann (An Post Rás), Ireland’s international bike race, for stage finishes in Carlow town. 

Dermot was the ‘Ireland 2016 County Coordinator’ for County Carlow, the only Museum Curator in the country appointed as a County Coordinator. During that year the county hosted over sixty events to mark the 100^th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, including the commissioning and unveiling of a piece of public art in each of the two county’s municipal districts. 

He coordinates the international multi agency project ‘Rediscovering St. Willibrord, Patron Saint of Luxembourg and first Apostle of the Netherlands, and his County Carlow Connection’, which saw celebrations in June 2017 in both County Carlow and Luxembourg where the Relic of St. Willibrord was installed permanently in the Cathedral of the Assumption, Carlow Town. In July 2018, Dermot co-wrote the book ‘Rediscovering St. Willibrord, Patron Saint of Luxembourg, First Apostle of the Netherlands and his County Carlow Connection’ with Professor Dáibhí Ó Cróinín, Department of History, NUI Galway and Pierre Kauthen, Willibrordus-Bauverein, Echternach. In August 2019, he oversaw the unveiling of the restored 7th century Cross of Rath Melsigi and the signing of a Friendship Agreement between Carlow County Council and Ville Echternach. 

In 2021, Dermot, through the Community Monument Fund, coordinated the conservation and relocation of the 16^th century effigy of Robert Hartpole, Constable of Carlow Castle, back to Carlow Town after nearly 200 years in Co Laois.   

For eight weeks between March and May 2020, Dermot was the Coordinator of the Carlow County Council/ Covid-19 County Carlow Community Response Forum Call Centre. The call centres were set up by all council's to assist in coordinating community groups and agencies providing assistance to individuals during the initial Covid-19 lockdown.

Why you signed up to the Programme / What you are most looking forward to: As a graduate of MU it provides an opportunity to ‘return’ and offer the benefit of my work experiences, to provide insights and guidance from the coalface of the heritage sector.  
I’m looking forward to discussing the mentee’s plans and ambitions, exploring the opportunities that they are considering and offering them advise based on my experiences. It’ll be interesting to hear what the mentee has studied, and to hear about the college and college life.