A winding journey of faith and education from Tuam to Australia Prof. Eamonn Conway talks to Education Nation about integral human development, formation, and the future of Catholic education

The final episode of the 2026 season of Education Nation brings listeners a rich and compelling conversation with one of the most authoritative voices in the world of Catholic education: Prof. Eamonn Conway, a priest of the Archdiocese of Tuam was appointed as the inaugural Professor of Integral Human Development at the University of Notre…

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Looking to the future of Catholic education

Last week, I was delighted to join the National Association of Diocesan Advisors (Post Primary) at their annual Conference in Athlone. In my presentation, I invited the DAs to look to the future. I walked them along a familiar path, examining trends in secularisation, demographic shifts and the changing and growing demands and expectations placed…

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Changing patterns of Catholic practice: the rise of a new ‘evangelical’ Catholicism

Questions around an emerging trend and the rise of an ‘evangelical Catholicism’ emerged during a roundtable discussion on the changing patterns of Catholic practice across the island of Ireland. The event, hosted by the Marino Institute of Education on Monday on April 27, brought together representatives from Catholic school trusts, patrons, and management bodies and…

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‘Inclusive special classes’ and the holy grail of inclusion in Irish schools

The Minister of Education and Youth’s announcement of the opening of “Inclusive special classes” in September has sparked criticism from advocacy groups who say they were not consulted. The initiative, announced last week, represents the latest phase in the ongoing rapid expansion of provision for students with additional educational needs. Five postprimary schools have been…

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School management and the ‘new normal’ in Irish schools

Seamus Mulconry in conversation with Education Nation 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…

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Ireland’s only primary school principal from an ethnic minority A profile of Simon Lewis, Principal of Carlow Educate Together NS

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…

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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…

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