About Us

Dr. Valerie Flood, Dr. Anne Flanagan, Dr. Kevin Boner & Dr. Sarah Short.jpg

Portmarnock Family Practice is a modern, computerised surgery and is a recognised teaching practice for UCD undergraduate and graduate entry medical students. It is also a training practice for postgraduate GP training affiliated with the UCD / Dublin Mid Leinster GP training programme so we have a GP Registrar working as part of the team.

The practice has recently been renovated. The surgery is wheelchair and buggy friendly. The waiting room has a play area for children and has cool filtered water on tap. There are baby changing facilities on site and there is free car parking facilities to the rear of the practice.

Our Story

The practice was set up by Dr. Flanagan in 1991 and was originally located at the Stables office park. In 1996, as the practice expanded, it moved to the centre of Portmarnock opposite the church.

In 2001 Dr. Valerie Flood joined the practice and in 2004 the partnership became known as Portmarnock Family Practice.

Dr. Sarah Short joined the practice in 2017 and has become partner of the practice. She is GP trainer affiliated with the UCD / Dublin Mid Leinster GP training scheme.

Dr Keara Clarke joined the partnership in 2024.

Meet The Team

Dr Valerie Flood

MB BCh BAO DCH GDipDerm MICGP

Dr. Valerie Flood is a University College Dublin graduate and and completed her GP vocational training in Ireland. She is a member of the Irish College of General Practitioners and is currently on the Specialist Register with the medical council. She holds diplomas in Child Health, Dermatology and has family planning qualifications. Her Special interests include Dermatology, Women's Health, Maternity Care, Paediatrics and Preventative Medicine. She is also trained in long acting contraceptive device insertion.

Dr Sarah Short

MB BCh BAO DCP DRCOG DCP Dip ISORM MICGP

Dr Sarah Short is from Portmarnock and graduated from Trinity College Dublin. She completed the RCSI Dublin North East GP Training Scheme in 2017. She is a member of the Irish College of General Practitioners. She has postgraduate qualifications in Women's Health, Psychiatry and Musculoskeletal Medicine. Special interests include breast feeding and musculoskeletal medicine including joint injection. She is enjoying the opportunity to serve her own community in Portmarnock

Dr Keara Clarke

MB BCh BAO DRCOG BSc Hum Nut MRCS MICGP

Dr Keara Clarke is currently on maternity leave. She joined the partnership in 2024.

Dr. Keara is a graduate of UCD School of Medicine with a special interest in women's health. She initially completed Core Surgical Training before completing the Dublin Mid Leinster GP Training Scheme (UCD), working in paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, emergency medicine, medicine for the elderly, psychiatry and endocrinology during her training. Dr. Keara holds extra qualifications in women's health, contraception, cervical smear taking, STI checks and in palliative care. She has a keen interest in health and wellbeing and holds a first class honours degree in Nutrition & Dietetics from Trinity College Dublin.

Dr Anne Flanagan

MB BCh BAO DCH DObs MRCGP MICGP

Dr Anne Flanagan Has been a GP serving the people of Portmarnock and beyond for 33 years, initially as a sole practitioner and then in Portmarnock Family Practice. She has recently retired and we wish her the very best of health and happiness in her retirement.

Dr Rory Breslin

Dr Rory will work with us until July 2024. He is a 3rd year GP registrar on the UCD GP Postgraduate GP training scheme. Since graduating he has worked in various hospital posts including general medicine, psychiatry, emergency medicine, obs and gynae and paediatrics. .

Dr Jenny Russell

Dr Jenny Russell is our newest addition to the team at Portmarnock Family Practice. She will cover for Dr Keara Clarke during part of her maternity leave.

Practice Nurse, Ms. Shona O'Rourke RGN

Ms. Shona O'Rourke is our practice nurse. After training in the London Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Shona worked in St. James Hospital and in women's health in the Family Planning Clinic. She runs a phlebotomy (blood testing) service on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and holds childhood immunisation clinics on Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

She carries out regular check ups for the Asthma and Diabetic cycle of care programmes.

Other services include: Cervical smear testing, travel vaccinations, flu vaccinations, depo and vitamin B12 injections, wound dressings, Chicken Pox vaccination, Meningitis B vaccinations, blood pressure checks, 24 hour blood pressure monitoring.

Mrs Susan Hopkins

Susan Hopkins is our Practice Manager and keeps everything working smoothly.

Practice Nurse, Ms. Clara Burke RGN

Ms Clara Burke has joined us as part of the practice team. She has extensive nursing experience working for many years in Beaumont Hospital endoscopy department as clinical nurse manager. She left the busy hospital lifestyle and gained GP practice nursing experience in a city centre practice before joining us here.

She provides assistance with antenatal maternity care in the practice and is interested in cryotherapy. She is available on Mondays and Thursdays, providing a full range of nursing services including phlebotomy clinics, baby vaccinations, smear testing , chronic disease management , blood pressure monitoring and more.

Our Administrative Staff

Mrs Caroline Mulhern

Ms. Aisling Neville

Mrs Catherine McCourt

Mrs Marie Burnett