I am a Senior Lecturer in Education in the School of Education at University College Cork. My teaching brief is currently focused on Inclusive/Special Education. I am Co-Director of the Postgraduate Diploma in Special Educational Needs (PDSEN). Primarily, I teach on our Postgraduate Diploma in Special Educational Needs (PDSEN) as well as on other programmes across the school. My previous appointment within the school was with our B. Ed in Sports Studies and Physical Education (2014-2016). Prior to this, I taught English and SEN at second level for eighteen years. I spent fifteen years in Mayfield Community School(1999-2014) where I served as JCSP Co-ordinator, Year Head as well as taking a lead role in extra-curricular activities. I was a Learning Support/Resource teacher and co-ordinator whilst also working as an Associate for the Special Education Support Service (SESS). I bring this experience to bare in my roles here in the School of Education. I lecture in Inclusive/Special Education, Pedagogy (English), and Sociology of Education.
I supervise many postgraduate research students at Masters and doctoral level across a diversity of topics including: Inclusive Education, Educational Inequality, Alternative Education, and Teacher Professional Learning.

Research Interests

Education and Inequality
Inclusive Education
Teacher Education for Inclusion
School Choice and marginalised student populations
Social Class and Education
Literacy and Identity
The Pedagogy of English


A primary area of focus for my research is (in)equality in Education. This was the focus of my PhD study which focused upon intersections between social class, school choice and student identity. it has sparked some of my current research and writing. There are several peer-reviewed journal articles available that develop the themes of this research.

Teaching Interests

I teach on the following modules across the Postgraduate Diploma in Special Educational Needs, Professional Master of Education ad the Masters in Education (modular)
PDSEN
ED6201 Special Educational Needs - School Organisation and Practice
ED6202 Assessment for and of Individual Pupil Learning and Attainment
ED6203 Curriculum Provision and Teaching Methodologies for Pupils with Special Educational Needs
ED6204 Supporting Pupils with Additional Learning Needs
ED6205 Contemporary Issues in Special Educational Needs
ED6206 Developing Inclusive Practice and Provision

School Visits: Each of our teachers on the PDSEN receive three school practicum visits where I observe their work and provide feedback on their work. These are tremendous formative teaching and learning experiences. I currently undertake 50 school visits during the academic year.

M.Ed.(Modular)
ED6035 Dissertation in Education
ED6039 The Inclusion of Pupils with Special Educational Needs: Opportunities, Challenges, Dilemmas
ED6059: Intersections of Identity and Practice in Inclusive and Special Education
PME Modules
ED6302 Introduction to Psychology and Sociology of Education

ED6361 Specialist Subject Pedagogies 2 (The Teaching of English 2)
ED6330 School Placement Support Sessions

Molly O'Sullivan (Inclusive Education & Collaborative Practice): Co- Dr. Manolis Adamakis

Marcella Towler (Play/Work paradox in early childhood care and education): Co. Prof. Kathy Hall

Claire O'Neill ( Neurodiversity and Teachers): Co - Dr. Dan O'Sullivan

Caragh Bell ( TY, Extracurricular/co-curricular activities): Co - Dr Niamh Dennehy

David Moynihan ( Autism and the Transition to Higher Education): Co- Dr Craig Neville

Current Research Projects

Evaluation of the NCSE UDL Pilot Project ( 2024-2027)
The €189,000 grant, awarded by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), will be used to evaluate a pilot programme that uses Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a teaching approach designed to help all students succeed.UDL is an internationally recognised framework that brings together the process of how students learn with evidence-based strategies and helps to develop more inclusive practices.

This project is co-lead by Dr Kevin Cahill (UCC) and Professor Peter Hick (Edge Hill University), as well as collaborating with dual-site research teams ( Dr Dan O'Sullivan, Dr Kathleen Foley, UCC & Prof. Axel Kaehne, Dr Maria Reraki, Dr Oliver Hamer, Edge Hill).
This project is a large-scale evaluation incorporating mixed methods research to capture and evaluate the impact of this work across school leadership, teachers, students, and indeed TPL providers.

Inclusive Classrooms in School Settings ( INCLASS) 2024-2025 This research is connected to the NCSE near-to-practice research initiative. We are collaborating with 4 schools ( 2 primary and 2 post-primary) to generate observation data on moments of accomplished inclusive practice. The project involves providing teacher professional learning opportunities for our co-operating teachers in the area of school-based research.

The Pedagogy of English (2023-25)
In collaboration with Dr Niamh Dennehy, we are investigating the experiences of student teachers of English as they negotiate their first steps in their professional careers as teachers of English.

School Choice and Marginalised Students (2022-25)
This project is exploring the experiences and attitudes of parents towards second-level school choice in the context of children with specific diagnoses of SEN. The research deploys questionnaires, policy analysis, and individual interviews to explore extant issues for parents and families.

Year: 2025
Name: Kathleen Foley
Institution: University College Cork
Degree: PHD
Thesis: Approaches to adopt the principles of Cosán, the Irish national framework for teachers’ professional learning, into the professional practices of primary teachers while cultivating teacher agency through the process
Year: 2025
Name: Ciara Barry
Institution: University College Cork
Degree: PHD
Thesis: A qualitative case study of critically and collaboratively exploring literacy with pupils, parents and teachers in a designated disadvantaged primary school in Ireland

Year: 2024
Name: Linda Dennehy
Intitution: University College Cork
Degree: PHD
Thesis: Inclusionary Leadership: A Qualitative Study of Principals’ Experiences, Practices and Perceptions of Leading Autism classes in Irish Primary Schools

Year: 2023
Name: Stíofán Ó hUiginn
Intitution: University College Cork
Degree: M.Phil.
Thesis: A Desire to Succeed: Exploring Aspiration towards Higher Education Participation amongst Members of a Socio-economically Marginalised Community
Year: 2022
Name: Annemarie Kealy
Intitution: University College Cork
Degree: PHD
Thesis: Care in the Leaving Certificate Assemblage

Year: 2021
Name: Sinéad O'Flynn
Intitution: University College Cork
Degree: PHD
Thesis: Education welfare in Ireland: a study of the experiences of young people and families referred to the Statutory Education Welfare Service

Year: 2021
Name: Orlagh Farmer
Institution: University College Cork
Degree: PHD
Thesis: The design, development, implementation and evaluation of the Gaelic4Girls intervention