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by State of the Nation
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- 1 weeks ago41 min
A look at Catholic education in Northern Ireland w/ Fintan Murphy
Our guest on Education Nation this week is Fintan Murphy, CEO of the Catholic Schools Trustee Service (CSTS)—the sectoral body supporting the trustees of the approximately 450 Catholic schools across Northern Ireland. In this episode Fintan offers valuable insights into the context of Catholic education within the Northern Ireland education system—one that mirrors the experience in the Republic in many respects but which differs significantly not only in language but also in terms of structure, funding and governance.
- Apr 15, 20261h 41m
Admission Act 2018: a major stumbling block for divestment - w/ Alan Hynes
The Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 has undoubtedly improved fairness and transparency. The Act for the first time required that every school publish a clear, nondiscriminatory admissions policy and that they follow an agreed common national timeline. There is no doubt that parents now have greater confidence in how places are allocated.But one unintended consequence means that Catholic schools can no longer give priority to children of Catholic families. In the opinion of Alan Hynes this is the decisive factor that has prevented communities from supporting divestment. Parents are reluctant to relinquish a denominational school if they cannot be assured that their children will have priority access to the remaining Catholic option.
- Mar 25, 202635 min
Seamus Mulconry: School management and the ‘new normal’ in Irish schools
This week’s guest on the Education Nation podcast is Seamus Mulconry, the CEO of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA), a key stakeholder in Irish education and the national body supporting the Boards of Management and leaders of almost 3,000 Catholic primary schools across the country.Originally from Kilkee, Co. Clare, Seamus fondly recalls his early school days in “the school around the corner,” where inspirational educators like principal Martin Boland and teacher Tom Lillis sparked his lifelong passion for Celtic mythology and ancient history.He summarises the core role of CPSMA concisely, “We represent schools and help schools stay out of trouble — or help them reverse out of it as quickly as possible.”
- Mar 11, 202654 min
Simon Lewis: Ireland’s only primary school principal from an ethnic minority
With First Communion and Confirmation season in full swing, the Education Nation podcast is turning its attention to the primary sector for a while. Next week’s guest is Seamus Mulconry, CEO of the Catholic Primary School Managers Association. This week, in the first of our ‘focus on primary education’ series, the spotlight falls on someone from outside the majority Catholic nationalschool tradition: Simon Lewis, principal of Carlow Educate Together National School.Simon brings something rare to the national conversation on education: the lived experience of growing up in Ireland as part of a minority community, combined with the professional insight gained as both teacher and principal. He demonstrates tremendous energy, confidence, a willingness to listen, to dialogue, to challenge, and the courage to say some of the quiet things out loud.
- Feb 25, 202631 min
Rachel O'Connor on School leadership – ‘the backbone of the school’
On this week’s Education Nation podcast, we turned our attention to one of the pinch points of our education system, perhaps the most pressurised and least understood roles in Irish education: school leadership. More specifically, the conversation focused on the lived reality of principals and deputy principals in post-primary schools.Our guest, Rachel O’Connor, a long-standing advocate for school leaders, painted a picture of a profession that is deeply committed, increasingly complex, and now facing challenges that would have been unimaginable even a decade ago.In her current role as Deputy Director of the National Association of Principals and Deputies, Rachel certainly has her finger on the pulse.
- Feb 11, 202648 min
Use It or Lose It - Breda O’Brien on the Future of Catholic Education
In words that resonate strongly with those of other contributors to the Podcast, O’Brien sees the key challenges facing Catholic education as stemming not from a lack of goodwill or talent, but from a lack of formation. Ultimately this leads to a gap in confidence around leadership and the articulation of the Christian message that underpins the entire tradition of Catholic education.
- Jan 27, 202636 min
The future of Catholic schools with Jonathan Tiernan
This week’s guest on EDUCATION NATION Jonathan Tiernan, CEO of the Jesuit Education Trust provides a clear-eyed assessment of what lies ahead for Catholic schools should we fail to capitalise on the opportunities before us or if we do not respond adequately to the challenges of the next ten years.
- Jan 19, 202658 min
A love of learning - An interview with Dr Eilis Humphreys
For our first episode, Nicholas Cuddihy interviews Dr Eilis Humphrey about her love of learning and the education system in Ireland.
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About Education Nation
Education Nation is a new podcast for 2026 brought to you by the Irish Catholic. Hosted by Nicky Cuddihy, we have lined up a host of fascinating guests who have intriguing stories to tell about their own career journeys and their role within the Irish education system. As we hear their stories, we hope that the podcast will help us develop a better understanding of the complexity and the richness and the diversity that make our education system so unique, and our schools and teachers so highly valued.
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