When Roisin McManus returned to her native county from her New Year travels in Tanzania in East Africa, an exciting new role awaited her. The 41-year-old, from Enniskillen, who is actively involved in the life of the community, had been announced as the new Sheriff for Fermanagh 2013.

Roisin - who was formally sworn in last week - says she is "absolutely honoured" to take up the role in a special year for the county which is due to host the G8 Summit; it is also in a year, when she points to other major events taking place in Northern Ireland such as the World Police and Fire Games.

"It is an exciting time for the county," believes Roisin, who admits that she is still not sure exactly what duties she will be performing as Sheriff during the course of the year.

A former pupil of Mount Lourdes Grammar School, she studied at the University of Ulster at Jordanstown, where she gained a sociology degree, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in PR, Marketing and Communications.

She started her working life in Belfast with Coca Cola and then went to Voluntary Services Belfast, which marked the beginning of her career in community development. She spent a year as a long term volunteer, before taking up a one year post with them.

While she was there she had an opportunity to travel to India for six weeks to work in an orphanage for children with a background of leprosy. She was based in the foothills of the Himalayas where she says she got her first taste of travel, which has now become an annual pursuit as she heads off on holidays 'outside the norm'.

After working in the city, Roisin returned home where she took up a post with Fermanagh Volunteer Bureau as a Volunteer Coordinator in 1996 and remained there for three years. She also became an active volunteer with the Make A Wish Foundation - a role she continues to perform.

Her post with F.V.B. was followed by a position as Active Communities Worker in Armagh and Dungannon Volunteer Bureau and she remained there until taking up employment at Fermanagh Women's Network for six months; she subsequently took a career break and set off on a six months' round the world trip.

On her return, she worked as Community Development Officer for Fermanagh College providing learning opportunities for the communities around Fermanagh.

The subsequent eight years were spent as Communications Officer with ICBAN, when Roisin explains that she was able to marry her experience of community development with her training in communications.

In relation to her current job, she explained: "I had an opportunity to return to grass roots community development with a position arising as Programme Manager with West Cavan West Fermanagh Regeneration Project and took that up in June 2012." She points out that she is employed by Cavan County Enterprise Board through IFI funding to work on a project that targets the private, community/voluntary and business sectors. It aims to regenerate the area, through the delivery of a number of initiatives such as training; cross border networking, seminars, best practice trips and mentoring support. The project works with 15 active cross border cross community groups and 18 communities within the West Cavan/Fermanagh area.

"I particularly enjoy the cross border element to my work and am excited by the opportunities available to the region via the continuing development of the Geopark," indicated Roisin.

Aside from her working life, she has spent the past three years involved in a voluntary capacity with Project St. Patrick, which is behind St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Fermanagh. The initiative has proved successful and their work is now trying to improve on the arrangements every year. Work is underway for this year's celebrations, when Roisin (its Public Relations Officer) reveals that they are hoping to provide yet more entertainment.

The organisers are trying to organise details for St. Patrick's arrival at the 2013 event in Enniskillen "in a more spectacular fashion" than the previous years!

As well as her interest in community life, Roisin also has a background steeped in the business life of the county. A daughter of Maire McManus and the late Ignatius, her first childhood home was at High Street, Enniskillen, where the family lived above the family business, Hackett's drapery shop. They also later owned the Spinning Wheel, which was run by Roisin's mother Maire and her brother Niall, prior to Maire's retirement several years ago.

During her formative years, Roisin, who also has an older sister Grainne, recalls living above the Crow's Nest in Enniskillen town-centre (which she remembers being run by her grandmother, the late Kate McManus, and also by her uncle, the late Jim McManus). Her family subsequently moved to Sligo Road, Enniskillen.

Now greatly looking forward to serving as Sheriff over the next 12 months, Roisin admits that it gave her an exciting start to 2013 and she didn't mind returning from her travels. "This time I was even more excited than usual to be home," said Roisin.

She explained that she is looking forward to speaking with the Lord Lieutenant for Fermanagh about what she can expect. However she added: "I am looking forward to performing the role whatever it brings." She thanked Terry McCartney, of the Belmore Court Motel in Enniskillen, whom she acknowledges for thinking of her during his tenure when putting forward nominations for consideration by the Secretary of State.