Pioneering Professional Women ‘Women in the Inspectorate before and after the establishment of the Irish Free State’
Introduction
Photograph by Declan Gilroy, School Classroom, 1970s. Scan copyright Photo Album of the Irish. Contributed by Kathy Gilroy-Barry. Courtesy of Photo Museum Ireland
This photo-essay was created by MNÁ100 in partnership with Frances Moss and Fintan O’Mahony, Post-Primary History Inspectors with the Department of Education.
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Introduction
As part of our daily work as inspectors, we are fortunate to work
possible by the generous contributions of former col-
acknowledged by scholars in Ireland and abroad for their
with so many incredible women across the education system
leagues whose institutional memories are woven between
contributions. It is timely with the marking of the formation
and it is hard to imagine a time when the work of inspectors or
the fabric of work carried out by inspectors every day to
of the Department of Education post-independence that
indeed school leaders was not considered a role for women.
support improvements across the education system..
their lives be celebrated and acknowledged. As you explore the photo essay there will also be
In the 21st Century, we take for granted and expect that women will be appointed to roles in education such as,
Marking Mná100, this photo-essay focuses on the period
opportunaties to hear from historian Patrick O’Donovan
principals and inspectors but this was not always the case.
leading up to independence in 1922 and identifies the first
on the history of women in the Inspectorate and from
From the establishment of the Primary Education system
female inspectors, the reason women joined the inspec-
former inspectors Maura Clancy, Emer Egan and Doreen
in 1831 women have always been central to the teaching
torate and why were there so few women inspectors
McMorris, all pioneers in their own right. This Mná100
profession. However, it was not until the latter end of the
throughout the period. The essay will also examine the
centenary photo-essay originated as an internal project
20th Century that women held positions in the Depart-
impact on the inspectorate of the establishment of the
within the Department of Education Inspectorate. Frances
ment of Education Inspectorate in any significant numbers.
Department of Education in 1924, and it explores the
Moss and Fintan O’Mahoney explored the history of the
Like other roles in the civil service, both systemic and
careers of several women inspectors before and after the
Inspectorate through the lens of women’s involvement
historical barriers hindered women from taking on certain
establishment of the Department. The latter half of the
particularly as the country moved through the turbulent
positions, particularly senior and managerial ones.
photo essay half gives an overview of the educational
period of independence, the establishment of the Free
In many ways, the history of women in the Inspectorate
developments in the new State and subsequently the
State in 1922 up to the introduction of 1998 Education Act.
mirrors progress made in wider society regarding equal
Republic up to the Education Act in 1998.
The framework for this work was provided by the scholarship of Patrick O’Donovan and John Coolahan, drawing
status. However, their story also embraces the development of the education system to include post-primary
Our work with Mná100 has yielded new insights, sources
on their work, ‘The Stanley Letter: The National School
and vocational sectors and developments in curriculum,
and links to the importance of Inspectors and their con-
System and Inspectors in Ireland, 1831 – 1922’, Patrick
particularly around the expansion of subjects available to
tributions to the evolution to the Irish Education system.
O’Donovan, and, ‘A history of Ireland’s school inspectorate,
girls. Many of the women we have chosen to explore have
In addition it also highlights contributions of inspectors
1831–2008’, John Coolahan and Patrick O’Donovan.
been central to these developments but we are conscious
to broader aspects of Irish life in the fields of politics, arts
that there are so many more stories to tell.
and crafts and contributions of inspectors to Irish society in We hope you find this photo-essay thought-provoking organisations, societies and charities.
and enjoyable.
pioneering women is part of the women’s strand of the
It has been important to note that we have discovered as
Frances Moss & Fintan O’Mahony
Decade of Centenaries Programme. It has been made
part of this exploration that these women are known and
This centenary photo-essay marking the contributions of
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Establishment of the Inspectorate
Women in the Inspectorate before and after the establishment of the Irish Free State In September 1831, Edward Stanley, Chief Secretary for Ireland, provided money to the Lord Lieutenant to establish a board to oversee the establishment of a system of national education that was responsible to government. This was, in retrospect, a seismic moment in Irish education. The following year, 1832, a state school Inspectorate system was established. The first four inspectors were recruited in May 1832, two Catholics and two Protestants, and each was assigned to the provinces of Munster, Ulster, Connacht and Leinster. All four were men. Hugh Hamill Robert Sullivan Thomas Jaffray Robertson John Fisher Murray
Letter from Chief Secretary for Ireland Edward Stanley to the Duke of Leinster to establish the National School system. Courtesy of Department of Education T
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Establishment of the Inspectorate
Stanley envisaged that an inspection process would
From the outset, recruitment reflected the view of inspec-
ensure the implementation of regulations:
tors as ‘gentlemen’ and they were not appointed by competition. The principles used were denominational bal-
It was accepted wisdom of the day that a state supported
ance and the patronage built into the education system.
education system should include a formal inspectorial di-
However, in 1854 the Northcote-Trevelyan Report turned
mension to ensure that regulations were fulfilled and that
the British Civil Service away from patronage and towards
teachers were accountable for their performance…
appointment of inspectors on merit through examination. The Trevelyan mentioned here, incidentally, is the same
In the context of the religious sensitivities in Ireland of that
person who earned infamy during the Famine and whose
time, the inspectors would help to uphold the foundation
infamy is perpetuated in The Fields of Athenry.
principle of the new system and act as guarantors against The first examination for entry to the Inspectorate was held
proselytism in the schools (O’Donovan, 2017).
in 1860 on a programme of subjects determined by the The newly formed inspectorate built on the work of the
Board of Education. Appointments were exclusively of men
Kildare Place Society set up in 1811 to explicitly cater to
in this period, and by 1868 there were sixty-four inspectors.
the demand for education among the Catholic poor. The Society had developed a model of school inspection after 1818 with government funding. O’Donovan (2017), highlights that another aspect inherited from the Kildare Place Society was the …conception of the inspector as a gentleman who could represent the Board and who would also have authority among schoolmasters.
Ballydrehid National School Inspectors book 1873-1921. Courtesy of Tipperary Studies
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Women’s earliest involvement with the Board of Commissioners as School Organisers
Prior to the introduction of examinations and the award of degrees to women, there were women who worked for the Board. Beginning in 1856, a special category of employee known as ‘organisers’ was established to assist schools in preparing timetables and curriculum arrangements. The ‘organiser’ positions were open to national schoolteachers. There were fifteen organising teachers appointed in 1856, and three of these were women. These were the first women appointed to a significant official role under the Commissioners of National Education. They played a very important role in supporting schools and it is very important to recognise their work and considerable contribution to the promotion of better schooling and standards of education. In essence, the establishment of this group of woman to support schools can be seen as one of the earliest forms of what we call today the ‘Department’s Support Services’.
Irish Educational Year Book 1914 pg 38, Educational Company of Ireland. Courtesy of National Library of Ireland
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Appointment of the first female Inspectors
While the national school system offered opportunities for women to train as teachers and become organisers, it was not until the end of the century did the chance for women to progress further begin to open up. With more universities beginning to open up to women and the change in recruitment practice based on examinations as the entry requirement for the Civil Service, it is from the early twentieth century that we see women being appointed as inspectors. The earliest identified female Inspector was Mary Prendergast, who was appointed ‘Directress of Needlework in National Schools’ in 1888 after many years of men inspecting needlework. A combined literacy and skillbased industrial programme was devised for senior girls at the time and special industry departments were established in national schools. Many convent national schools, some of which had already established such programmes for girls, joined the state funded system in 1888.
Example of Lace by Emily Anderson. Courtesy of National Museum of Ireland T
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Appointment of the first female Inspectors
In 1889, a new curriculum, with Needlework as a subject, was published and distributed to the 5,000 national schools in Ireland which had at least one female teacher and had senior girls. Needlework had long been a feature of the curriculum for girls; previously it replaced algebra, which was only taught to boys. Mary Prendergast believed that: …using their hands gave young women habits of neatness, perseverance and discipline, skills that would stand them in good stead in Ireland, or in America (O’Donovan, 2017). The Agricultural and Technical Instruction Act of 1899 established the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction [DATI], which began work in 1900 and a Faculty of Education was established as part of its work. DATI began to appoint agricultural instructors around the country under the Local Government Act of 1898, to both teach and demonstrate the science of food production. As part of the work in technical instruction in schools, a small group of female inspectors, which included Emily Anderson, Inspectress of Home Industries and Margaret Lough, Inspectress of Domestic Economy, worked for the DATI. The earliest women in the Inspectorate were referred to as ‘Miss’ in reports. Example of Lace by Emily Anderson. Courtesy of National Museum of Ireland T
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Donegal cottage industries, lace making school by Robert French. Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland, L_ROY_09178 T
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Appointment of the first female Inspectors
In the annual report of DATI for 1909-10, Miss Anderson,
inspectorate throughout the revolutionary period between
Inspectress of Home Industries, is named in the sections
1916 and 1923.
which outline the quality of provisions of the lace industry, crochet, needlepoint and sprigging (the decoration of
Miss Lough, Inspectress in Domestic Economy was a
pottery with small, separately moulded designs). She
Methodist born in Co Galway, was also recorded as
makes the vocational nature of teaching and learning, and
an Inspector in the census of 1911, when staying on the
indeed of the inspections, clear in her report on needle-
evening in question in Antrim, probably prior to a school
work and sewing:
visit the following day.
This work is educational rather than commercial. Girls
Even though Miss Lough and Miss Anderson were each
are trained in cutting-out and fitting; making and mend-
known as an ‘Inspectress’ they were employed specifically
ing; shirt-making generally forms an important part of the
to inspect Home Industries as part of the work of the
Course. The garments produced are mainly intended for
Department of Agriculture (DATI). This was a separate
home use, or for charitable distribution. In some instances,
independent entity. It was not directly linked to either the
pupils have gone direct from these classes to situations
National Board or the Intermediate Board that were in
with dressmakers as ‘improvers’, and orders are occasion-
charge of primary and secondary education provision at
ally executed for local drapers; but the main object of the
the time. In the primary and secondary systems, school
instruction is to train girls in household sewing, and habits
inspection remained solely the domain of male inspectors
of thrift and economy. Efficiently conducted, these classes
until 1909.
are of much service to a district. Miss Anderson, from Co. Cork, began her career in the Cork School of Art (now ‘the Crawford’) before teaching in
Work from Molly-Claire Gillett
Cork. Expert in lace, some of her work included templates Miss Anderson continued in this position for a number
which were often used in schools. These were produced
of years and is listed on the 1911 Census. She, like many
before she began working for the DATI in 1900 and now
Inspectors since, was on the road, visiting Letterkenny,
reside in the Victoria and Albert Museum and in the
Donegal, on that night. Miss Anderson remained in the
National Gallery Decorative Arts Division.
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Portrait of Emily Anderson. Used with permission of Rev Matsuura of St Barnsabas’ Church, Diocese Kitakanto of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, Kusatsu, Japan.
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The first ‘Woman Inspector’ of National Schools
Another inspector noted:
As part of the reorganisation of the Inspectorate at the turn
Under the new recruitment regime in place she was
of the twentieth century there was a substantial reduction
appointed in an open competition in 1909. Although she
of salary payable to new inspectors. In line with develop-
was appointed as a junior inspector the ‘treasury insisted, to
… that she bore the fatigue of travelling quite well but
ments in Britain, the Commissioners invited applications
her chagrin, that she be described as a ‘Woman Inspector’
hastened to add that unfavourable weather conditions
from women for the first time in 1908 for ‘junior inspector-
and subject to civil service regulations that appointment
in winter might test her powers of endurance… however
ships’. It may have been the case that a reduction in salary
would end on marriage. This was an example of what
she was a thoroughly competent judge alike of the
for junior inspectors, justified and facilitated the way for a
later became known as ‘the marriage bar’, which became
general merit of a teacher and the educational worth
new group of appointees.
one of the main barriers to female participation in the civil
of a school
service. Dr Starkie (Resident Commissioner in Ireland 1899-1920) was responsible for the reorganisation of the primary
It must be noted that the Commissioners continued to
curriculum, restructuring of teachers pay and the inspec-
employ a substantial number of women as ‘organisers’ and
torate at the turn of the century. While that is a different
they too were subject to the regulation of the civil service
story and the implications of these reforms there is plenty
that their appointment would terminate on marriage.
written about this period and images are available online
As part of her training, Mary Bell Pye worked under the
of Starkie, such as, The Dictionary of Irish Biography.
stewardship of senor inspectors, one of whom noted that he found her;
The first woman appointed as a National School Inspector was Mary Bell Pye from Galway. She was an honours
Rather diffident about the making of notings in the Obser-
graduate of the Royal University with a teaching diploma
vation Books … I am afraid that ladies are ill fitted to stand
from Cambridge. At the time of her appointment she
the physical strain of an inspector’s life
had been lecturing in Dominican College, Eccles Street. Further information on the history of the Dominican Sisters, the schools they established and specifically on the school formerly situate on Eccles St in Dublin can be found at the link below: Further Information
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The first ‘Woman Inspector’ of National Schools
Another woman appointed the following year was Margaret Mary Josephine Bourke from Charleville, who was staying in Maryborough (now Portlaoise) on the night of the 1911 Census. A former science mistress, Margaret Bourke remained in the Inspectorate for a considerable time and reports made of her by senior inspectors indicated that she was ‘to bear up remarkably well when travelling in ‘rough weather’ and was always able for her duty. ’She was also reported to ‘display skill, sympathy, courtesy and sound judgement’.
Clips of Patrick O’Donovan describe the appointment of Mary Bell Pye and Mary Bourke, and the period of the women’s suffrage campaign
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The first ‘Woman Inspector’ of National Schools
As well as those mentioned above, the following inspectors
While we have identified these pioneering women as the first
appear on the 1911 Census, along with a number of women
‘Woman Inspectors’, very few women were actually in the
who served as Inspectors of School Attendance: Mary
service of the Commissioners in the period up to 1922.
McConnell (School Inspector), Mary (later Miriam) Roche
The decade from 1912 up to 1922 was one of deep divisions,
Kelly (School Inspector), Mary Gynn (Assistant Inspector of
bitterness and war in Ireland. The period witnessed some
Sewing Work) and Grace Austin (Kindergarten Organiser).
of the most significant events in Ireland’s history, a period of unprecedented violence, death, destruction and forced resettlement but it also resulted in major changes in government and political boundaries. Throughout this turbulent period however, for the national school system inspections continued. Albeit though inspectors faced increasing danger and difficulty in travelling, particularly at night to continue with their inspections of schools (O’Donovan, 2017).
Ballydrehid National School Inspectors book 1873-1921. Courtesy of Tipperary Studies.
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Independence 1920, Ireland was effectively partitioned, and the state of Northern Ireland was created. Despite the civil disturbance and the and conflict that continued both in the North and South went ahead for the division of the country’s Establishment arrangements civil service. Most inspectors made arrangements suitable to themselves and a large number of transfers took effect of the Irish from the beginning of January 1922 (O’Donovan, 2017). Like other civil servants, some inspectors retired and accepted Free State pensions under the terms of the Treaty (Maguire, 2008). With the passing of the Government of Ireland Act in
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Entrance to Offices, Primary Branch, Department of Education, Marlborough St, Dublin. Illustrations from drawings by Séan O’Sullivan (RHA) featured in Saorstat Eireann.
Ballydrehid National School Inspectors book 1873-1921. Courtesy of National Library of Ireland, POOLEWP 4467
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education, the new Free State saw its purpose were employed within the Inspectorate during this period, Chapter III, The Investigation into the System of Inspection Post-Independence Concerning as being to undo the centuries of Anglicisation, counterand those few were aligned with Domestic Science almost of Primary Schools, describes the setting up of a Commit1922- 1970, balanced by the promotion of Irish language and culture. tee of Enquiry by the Minister for Education to investigate exclusively. the system of inspection, and to make recommendations Primary Inspectorate The Department of Education was male-dominated and reflected the inherent conservatism of the Church and
The Department’s report for 1925-26-27 gives us great
society at the time. Even though there were thousands of
insight into the provision of education at all levels, primary,
women employed as teachers in primary schools, only a
secondary, vocational and training, and reformatory and
few were appointed to the role of ‘inspector.’ Some of the
industrial schools. It outlines the quality of the provision
‘Woman Inspectors,’ namely, Miss Anderson, Miss Lough,
and the challenges the education system faced such
and Miss Bourke, did transfer to the new Free State De-
as the difficulties with the supply of teachers for certain
partment of Education after 1922, but very few women
subjects like woodworking crafts.
for reform.
Construction of comprehensive school, Co. Donegal. 1923-2010. By Denis Tynan. Courtesy of National Library of Ireland, NPA TYN1433
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Post-Independence 1922- 1970, Primary Inspectorate
The Committee consisted of three representatives of the Managers of National Schools, a representative of the Christian Brothers, three representatives of the Irish Annual Statistical Reports from 1923 to the present are available on the Department of Education website https://www.education. ie/en/publications/statistics/ statistical-reports/
National Teachers’ Organisation and three inspectors nominated by the Minister for Education. The images above outline some of the recommendations which were to come into force from 1928 onwards.
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Johanna Mary Power (Siobhan de Paor)
Johanna Power was one of four children born to Patrick
1897-1969
in November 1899. Their mother Catherine had died as a
and his wife Catherine (née Slattery). Her father was a farmer, a cattle and pig dealer in Tralee, County Kerry. In time he became one of the leading pig buyers in Munster. Jo’s had an older brother John (b. 13 February 1892) and an older sister Margaret Mary ‘Cis’ (b. 13 February 1893) and a younger sister Hannah who died 15 days after her birth result of the childbirth. Their aunt Johanna Power helped to raise the children until her own untimely death when Jo was just 13 years old. It is not documented where Jo was educated but it was likely to have been at the Presentation Covent Tralee where her mother’s sister, Sr. Dominic Slattery was a nun. In 1909 her brother John left Tralee to enter the Dominican order. He was ordained a priest in Rome in 1916, later known as Rev. John Hyacinth Power. Cis and Jo became National School Teachers. Jo also obtained a Master’s Degree.
Portrait of Johanna Power. Courtesy of Kilmainham Gaol KMGLM.20PC-1B54-13
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Birth Registration of Johanna Power 1897 Courtesy of Irishgeneology.ie
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Johanna Mary Power (Siobhan de Paor)
The Power home was a centre of political activity. Their
The women were brought to Kilmainham Jail. In May,
father and his older brother Mick were involved were part
the Power sisters were moved to the North Dublin Union
of the revolutionary organisation known as the Fenian
(NDU), a disused workhouse. The first couple of days, due
Brotherhood who advocated freedom by use of arms,
to overcrowding they slept outside, as they later wrote:
were also active in the Land League and had set up the
‘beds were made up outside, so out we went with only
Gaelic Athletic Association in Tralee against considerable
God’s sky and stars as our canopy!’ Later they shared a
opposition. Later, as President of Tralee Sinn Féin, Paddy
small dormitory with Grace Plunkett, who made watercol-
Power’s home became a centre of activities for those
ours for the Power sisters, one entitled ‘If Winter Comes’
1897-1969
opposing British rule. Another of his sisters Mary married
and ‘When the Girls Come Home.’ [Private Collection,
Maurice Moynihan who was active in the Irish Republican
reproduced with permission].
Brotherhood. During their imprisonment at the request of the HonourIn their 20s the Power sisters were members of Cumann
able Albinia Brodrick (who was also one of the County
na mBan, and were listed in the organisation at the time of
Kerry prisoners) producing a magazine entitled the ‘NDU
the Truce. Along with their father they opposed the terms
Invincible’ with items to amuse and inform their fellow
of the Treaty and became active in the Irish Civil War.
prisoners, each copy was handwritten.
On 14 March 1923 Jo Power and Cis (Mairead de Paor) were arrested and held in Tralee Jail along with their cousin Han Moynihan, who they later described as a ‘danger to the state’. They were arrested in Tralee because they were producing a privately typed newssheet ‘The Invincible.’ They had been using a typewriter making each copy individually. It was hidden in the priory of the Dominican Church. Tralee Cumann na mBan Battilion 1st July 1922 Courtesy of Courtesy of Military Archives MA-MSPC-CMB-110 T
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Johanna Mary Power (Siobhan de Paor) 1897-1969
In October, 1923, Jo was released from prison on compassionate leave to visit a dying school friend Josephine Daly. When she returned she smuggled in her camera. Two days after her return to NDU she was released with her unique record, photographs of her fellow prisoners. In the 1920s Paddy Power supported Fianna Fáil, and was president of the Roger Casement Cumann. Jo and Cis’s cousin Maurice Moynihan became private secretary to Eamon de Valera in 1932. In 1937 he became Secretary to the Government. Their father died the following year. In 1930s Jo Power joined the inspectorate. On 3 March 1956 it was reported in the Southern Star that Miss J Power National School Inspector from the Bandon District of County Cork was being transferred to Limerick. That year her brother Rev. John Power was killed in a cycling accident. In December 1968 and January 1969 The Kerryman published excerpts from ‘Blaze Away With Your Little Gun’ the Power Sisters’ Jail Journal. Jo Power died on 7 February 1969 and is buried in Rath ’When the Girls Come Home’ by Grace Plunkett Courtesy of Kilmainham Gaol KMGLM.20PC-1B54-12
Cemetery joining her family members. Her sister Margaret had predeceased her, 28 February 1968.
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‘Students in home economics classroom in comprehensive school, Co. Donegal 1923-2010. By Denis Tynan Courtesy of National Library of Ireland, NPA TYN1406 T
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Post-Independence 1922- 1970, Primary Inspectorate
Domestic Science and Domestic Economy (known
There was a relatively small number of women appointed
elsewhere by then as Home Economics) are mentioned
as primary inspectors after independence in 1922. These
frequently in the Annual Reports of the Department of
included Bríd Ní Mhurchadha (served 1923-59), Siobhán
Education. These inspectors were not confined to visiting
de Paor (no official dates on record) and Nora Bastabal
schools; two Inspectors Catherine Donovan and Catherine
(1932-64). It seems extraordinary that forty years passed
Beveridge attended the 1939 International Federation of
before Cristíne Ní Nualláin was appointed in 1975 (Cristíne
Home Economics (IFHE), which was held in Copenhagen
retired in 2006).
Denmark August 21—22, 1939. In 1958 Maura Bonfil, who served from 1944 to 1981, was instrumental in encouraging
Máire Ní Mhaolthuille (1957-1987) and Siobhán Piogóid
Irish teachers of Home Economics to become involved
(1951-1989) were initially employed as School Organisers
with the IFHE after she attended the 1958 Congress
(Cigire Timerach) looking after either music or sewing and
in Maryland, USA. Subsequently, sixty Irish teachers
handcrafts. Listen to Patrick O’Donovan on School Organ-
attended the 1963 Congress, giving them international
isers (CLIP A), with the introduction of the new Primary
links and cultural exchanges.
Curriculum in 1971, they were re-designated as primary inspectors.
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1933 1934
1933 1934
T H E E V O L V I
1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948
1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948
N
1935
1930 1932
Ard Chigre Timerach 1932
Primary 1931
Cigire Timerach
1931
Class II Inspector
1930
Una Ní Cheallaigh
1929
Síle Nic Gahhann
1929
Siobhán de Paor (Jo Power)
1928
Nora Ní Shuilleabháin
1928
Nora Ní Mhaloid
1927
Nora Ní Maliod
1927
Nora Bastabal
1926
Mairín Ní Sheasnáin
1926
Máire F Ní Aodháin (Mary Mac Geehan)
1925
Helen M Ní Ríordáin
1925
Eibhlín Ní Ruadhagáin
1924
Eibhlín M Ní Eireamhain
1924
Bríd Ní Mhurchadha
1923
Annie Walsh
1923
Aingeal Una Ní Chuidithe
H S T O R Y W O M E ’
G I O F N
1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1963
1963
1970
1962
1962
1970
1961
1961
I
1969
1960
1960 C A T
U
1969
1959
1959 D
1968
1958
1958 E
1968
1957
1957 N
1967
1956
1956 I
1967
1955
1955 N
O
1966
1954
1954 I
1966
1953
1953 P A T
I
1965
1952
1952 C
I
1965
1951
1951
R T
1964
1950
1950
P A
1964
1949
1949
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Eileen Irvine
Interestingly, there were some inspectors in the early
Listen to Patrick O’Donovan describe the achievements of
years known as ‘kindergarten inspectors’. Grace Austin,
Eileen Irvine ‘one of the heroines of the system.’:
mentioned above, was an early example of a ‘kindergarten organiser.’ One of the most notable was Eileen Irvine, from Belfast, appointed in 1939: Eileen Irvine was tragically killed in a car accident on When one recalls the educational policy of the early
Christmas Day 1971. Her Irish Times obituary acknowl-
decades of independence, it is unwise to try to credit ed-
edged her contribution to the recently published Primary
ucational developments to any one particular influence.
Curriculum:
Yet, it was extensively acknowledged among contemporary inspectors, training college personnel and members
… much of what was embodied in its philosophical as
of the teaching profession that the pioneering work of
well as in its practical content had been foreshadowed
Eileen Irvine, Chief Organising Inspector from 1944 to
by her work and that of her colleagues, under her direc-
1971, contributed enormously to the evolution of the
tion, in the schools. She was responsible for changing
modern-day concept of the young child in this country.
the approach to teaching of young children and giving it a vitality and interest which made it unique.
Ideas like active learning, child-centred education, integrated learning, and mixed-ability teaching were some of the concepts first introduced by Eileen Irvine in infant education. Through demonstration of these methods for teachers by organisers, they were first introduced to
Eileen Irvine picture in The Irish Times, 1st April 1955 Courtesy of The Irish Times
infants and were gradually introduced to primary, and then post-primary schools. Her work with teachers of infants had a significant influence in shaping the new primary curriculum introduced in 1971.
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Eileen Irvine
The Irish Times. Thursday, December 30, 1971 Courtesy of The Irish Times
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Times of Change:
While societal norms which had dominated conservative
1960s and 1970s
change, particularly in post-primary schools. In 1962 the
Ireland throughout the period from the foundation of the State were not yet changing, they were starting to be challenged. Irish education was going through enormous secondary Inspectorate had seven recruits which brought the total number of secondary inspectors to twenty, including one woman. While the Inspectorate enjoyed high social status, newly recruited inspectors were inducted into ‘a sub-culture of not rocking the boat by raising awkward questions of policy or practice.’
1960 Irish lesson Dublin Courtesy of Enda O’Flaherty
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Times of Change:
After the introduction of a common Intermediate curricu-
1960s and 1970s
• Secondary Schools Inspectors were linked to the volun- With the removal of the marriage bar and a change in the
lum in 1965, Donogh O’Malley announced the provision of
tary schools sector. Much of their work throughout the
recruitment process in the mid-1970s to open competition,
free post-primary education in 1966, to begin in 1967, and
period concerned State examinations. Inspectors were
it became possible for women to apply for and be ap-
the number attending schools began to increase. From
fully responsible for every aspect of examinations from
pointed as inspectors. The number of women employed
then, curriculum, examinations and school re-organisation
developing papers, overseeing the hiring of examiners,
remained low and it took until the turn of the century for
became very prominent issues for the secondary school
running marking conferences and overseeing the
the number of female inspectors to rise significantly.
Inspectorate.
corrections.
Also, during this period, psychologists were appointed to
• Vocational Schools Inspectors were primarily charged with the inspection of practical subjects such as Home
the Inspectorate, linked to providing guidance counselling
Economics and technologies. With the expansion of
for the new comprehensive schools. There was a lack of
the provision of vocational and technical education
a clear job definition for psychologists and to fit within the
from the mid-sixties, the vocational inspectors viewed
career patterns which were related to the pay grade they
themselves as proactive agents in supporting such
were given the term ‘Inspectors of Guidance Services’.
developments and tended to see themselves in the
Ireland joined the EEC in 1973, the same year the marriage
vanguard of educational and social change. 
bar was abolished after a recommendation from the Commission on the Status of Women, but it still took some
Primary inspectors were based in Marlborough Street
time for the number of women in the civil service to rise.
along with the Chief Inspector. The Secondary and Vocational Inspectors were based in Hawkins House Floor
Until the late 1990s, the Inspectorate continued to exist as
3 and Floor 11 respectively, alongside two deputy Chief
three separate divisions.
Inspectors. Up until the 1990s, Floor 3 and Floor 11 had very little contact with each other. Though organised as a
• The Primary Inspectorate continued to be organised on
separate division, it was common for vocational Inspectors
a district basis. Their work was very much in schools,
to accompany secondary colleagues on evaluations to
undertaking school evaluations (tuairscí scoile) and
assist in the evaluation of practical subjects in the volun-
evaluating the work of probationary teachers.
tary secondary sector.
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1971 junior infants class Creggs National School, Co Galway Courtesy of Enda O’Flaherty
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Times of Change:
The recruitment process from 1962 to 1978 involved
1960s and 1970s
dates regardless of subject specialism.
1970 1975 1976
a short-listing of applicants, a one-hour interview, a two-hour assessment in Irish and an oral Irish examination. The language requirements were the same for all candi-
The following table shows the women appointed between 1970 and 1977. After 1978 using open competition, two further women were appointed.
Fionnghuala Uí Chathasaigh Secondary School
Christine Ní Nualláín Primary School
Máire Ní Luain Primary School
Sheelagh McDonagh Hickey Secondary School
1977 1978 1980 T
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Mary Burns Secondary School
Helen McIntyre Vocational School
Deirdre Lyddy Primary School
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Hawkins House Images. Niall Montgomery Slide Collection, Courtesy of Irish Architectural Archive.
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Towards a Culture of Innovation
One of the most influential reports on the need for future
1980s -2000s
were ‘the preparation of annual reports by the primary
planning of the Primary Inspectorate was published in April 1981, the Report of the Committee on Primary Schools
1981
A M Ní Dhúill Primary School
Clár Uí Bhreasláin
Inspection: The Collins Report. The committee studied many of the deeper issues that affected the Inspectorate
Primary School
and provided forty-six recommendations. Amongst these
Emer Egan
Inspectorate, criteria for the evaluation of teachers’ work
Primary School
and a more structured time pattern for school reports.’
Hilda Bn Mhic Aoidh
Owing to a shortage in personnel in the Inspectorate they
Primary School
were only able to report on 4% of schools in 1979-80, however, by the time the Collins report was published there had been a significant period of recruitment. With a full complement of primary inspectors by 1982 they could begin to implement the recommended changes in the early 1980s.
1982
Maura Clancy
1984
Mary Varilly
Secondary School – French
Emer Egan reflects on the integration of the different branches of the inspectorate and changes to recruitment in the 1990s
Maura Clancy reflects on the work of post-primary inspectors in the 1980s Department of Education, Marlborough Street, Dublin Courtesy of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Secondary School – German
Towards a Culture of Innovation
The economic recession of the 1980s then led to a recruitment freeze in the public service. As the decade progressed, the number of Primary Inspectors began to decline, impacting the intervals between inspections. Promotion to senior positions was by announcement rather than open competition, there were no interviews for
1980s -2000s
these positions throughout the 1980s. For secondary inspectors, time was still predominately spent on examinations and as representatives on several school boards. However, regardless of the issues, as documented, within the Inspectorate at the time, the financial difficulties faced at a national level meant there were no significant improvements in the mid-eighties. Nevertheless, despite the difficulties of the 1980s, the seeds of change were being laid.
Launch of the proposed organisation of Education Centres within Regional Education Boards, originally proposed in Charting Our Education Future (1998).
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Towards a Culture of Innovation
In 1988 the EEC commissioned a report from Dr Clive
1980s -2000s
report for Ireland. This report provided a very factual
Hopes of the German Institute for International Research on ‘The Contribution of Inspectors and Advisers to the Quality of Schooling in the European Communities. Seán Mac Gleannáin, Assistant Chief Inspector and Seán MacIonraic, a Post-Primary Inspector prepared the country account of the Inspectorate it did highlight several key areas that needed to be addressed: under-staffing, little prospect of promotion, and the gender imbalance within the Inspectorate, with only 6 women out of a total of 81 primary inspectors and only 7 out of a total of 54 senior and recruitment-level post-primary inspectors. Despite the broad analysis of the Inspectorate the Hope Report did not have the speedy results its author hoped for. Maura Clancy reflecting on promotion opportunities in the inspectorate in the 1980s
Doreen Mc Morris reflecting on the challenges faced when joining the inspectorate in the early 1990s
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Towards a Transformation in Education
The Ireland of the 1990s was one of significant economic,
From 1994, promotion was based on merit, though
Former inspectors interviewed expressed the view that
social, and cultural change. This change also extended to
separate competitions continued for recruitment of senior/
gender was not an issue when it came to the distribution
the education sector with significant developments in the
divisional primary, post-primary, and psychological service
of tasks or involvement in any aspect of their work. As
Irish education system. The changes and innovations were
levels. Competitions at the Assistant Chief Inspector level
with other professions, and reflective of society at the
conducted in a highly consultative manner with the organ-
continued on a sectoral basis until around 2000 when the
time, there were tacit barriers encountered. For example,
isation of a National Education Convention in 1993 and a
posts became open to all members of the Inspectorate.
women, in some cases relatively young on appointment
National Forum on Early Childhood Education in 1998. Two
Maura Clancy was the first woman to be promoted to the
to the Inspectorate, coming into a male-dominated
government green papers and three white papers paved
position of Assistant Chief Inspector in 1997.
department of colleagues who were significantly older, there was a sense that they needed to prove themselves.
the way for the Education Act of 1998.
In addition, some inspectors had to deal with being wives and mothers, and the challenges of the job which involve extensive travelling and extended periods away from home or their families at a time when homemaking was still seen as predominantly the role of women, whether they were
One of the most significant developments in the Inspec-
busy school inspectors or not.
torate in the 1990s was the process of bringing the three divisions together.
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Emer Egan
A native of Athlone, Emer Egan’s primary education began
In April 1994, Niamh Bhreathnach, Minister for Education,
in Our Lady’s Bower, Athlone and continued in Mercy
appointed Emer as Chair of the Expert Advisory Group on
Convent, Longford, St Louis College of Domestic Science,
Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE). At the same
Bundoran, the Froebel College of Primary Education, Sion
time, the first merit-based promotional competitions to
Hill, Dublin and the University of Dublin, Trinity College.
the roles of Divisional or Senior Inspector were organised, and Emer was successful in being appointed to a Senior
On graduating from the Froebel College in 1976, Emer
Inspector role in the newly-established In-Career Devel-
took up a position in Holy Rosary School, Wicklow Town,
opment Unit. Senior Inspectors from the Post-Primary
where she completed her two-year probationary period.
Inspectorate and the then Psychological Service were
An enquiry from the then District Inspector, Seån Mac-
also appointed to this administrative and professional
Conmara, as to ‘what next’ influenced Emer’s decision to
unit which was funded under the European Union’s
enrol in Trinity College to undertake the newly-established Human Resources Operational Programme and Regional part-time 4th year B .Ed. (Hons.) course. This necessitated
Development Fund with a remit to make provision for the
relocation to a Dublin school, All Saints’ National School, a
professional development of teachers and the expansion
two-teacher Church of Ireland school in Blackrock County
of the Education Centre network.
Dublin, where she worked for three years. A visit from the District Inspector at the time highlighted that the Public
The 1990s saw major changes in the post-primary senior
Appointments Service had) advertised positions in the
cycle structure and the range and content of subjects on
Inspectorate and this resulted in Emer making an applica-
offer. Innovative in-career development models were ini-
tion. She was appointed as a District Inspector, Primary,
tiated, with a strong focus on the involvement of teachers
together with 17 others, in 1981.
in the professional development of their peers. In parallel, the rollout of Relationships and Sexuality Education
Portrait of Emer Egan, Directory on the Inspectorate 2001 Courtesy of Emer Egan
During the early 1980s, a significant element of primary inspectors’
professional development programmes for both primary
work was completing probationary reports on newly qualified
and post-primary teachers was initiated.
teachers. Emer assisted with this work in the South -East, Dublin and the West before being appointed to the Carlow district and then a number of Dublin districts where she worked until May 1994.
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The focus of activities in the late 1990s was on supporting the introduction of the 1999 Primary School Curriculum (PSC) which replaced the 1971 version. In an effort to inform the policy direction of this major change, Emer completed an M. Sc. In Educational Management (1998), focusing on the development of a strategy to support the implementation of the PSC. The establishment of the Primary Curriculum Support Programme and ongoing work with the RSE Support Service, was the major focus of Emer’s work for the ensuing years and coincided with her involvement in the management of Schools IT 2000, the School Development Planning Initiative, as well as the ‘Breaking the Cycle’, a programme for primary schools in disadvantaged areas, FÍS, the AIB-sponsored millennium film project for primary schools. At this time Emer was appointed by the Ministerial for Education, Micheál Martin, to the Council of the President’s Award, Gaisce.
Members of the Council of the President’s Award, Gaisce. Circa 2001 Courtesy of Emer Egan
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Primary Curriculum Support Programme team, 2000. Courtesy of Emer Egan
In the early 2000s, Emer became involved, as
appointment as a Regional Manager, overseeing the work
A return to the management of a region followed in
Emer’s final position was as the first female Deputy
Ireland’s national co-ordinator, for the OECD activity
of primary and post-primary inspectors in the north-east
2010 and during this time Emer was appointed as
Chief Inspector, a post she took up in December 2015.
Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers
and north-west. A period providing policy advice in the
Ireland’s representative on the Board of Governors of the
Her primary roles in this post were the management
(2005), a project which provided significant policy
area of teacher education followed, working with the
European Schools, a post she held for 5 years. She was
of the national programme of inspection at primary
examples for consideration in the context of ongoing
Teacher Education Section of the Department. Preparation
subsequently appointed to lead the development of an
and post-primary levels and, working with the Chief
research and development in initial teacher educa-
for and the establishment of the Teaching Council (2006)
inspection framework for the Early Years sector and the
Inspector, Dr. Harold Hislop, the development of the
tion, induction and continuing professional develop-
was a significant activity at this time. Emer was appointed
recruitment in the modern age of the first group of Early
Inspectorate’s Strategic Plan (2017-19). Emer’s final
ment in Ireland. Promotion to the role of Assistant
as a Ministerial nominee on the first Council and also
Years Inspectors.
position was as the first female Deputy Chief Inspector,
Chief Inspector in April 2001 resulted in Emer joining the
served on the second Council.
she retired in September 2019 after three decades of change in her profession.
Senior Management Team of the Inspectorate and her
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Women in the Inspectorate:
Maura sat the Primary Certificate Examination at age
demands of the French Teachers’ Association and of the
twelve and was subsequently sent as a boarder to Mount
teacher unions for oral and aural examinations in Modern
Sackville convent school, Chapelizod, County Dublin.
Languages were becoming more insistent and the
In 1962 aged sixteen she sat the Leaving Certificate Ex-
Department of Education began to listen to these calls for
amination. Maura entered the novitiate of the sisters of St.
change. These committees were chaired by the Inspector
Joseph of Cluny in Ferbane, County Offaly, in September
of French in the Department at that time. Maura had by
Maura Clancy
of that year. From there she was sent to do a degree at
this time joined a small group of practising teachers of
the University of Glasgow in 1967. She graduated with an
French who were invited to serve on the summer in-ser-
M.A. in 1972, having left religious life in 1969. Following
vice courses for teachers of French. On these courses, she
her Higher Diploma in Education, which she completed
worked alongside the inspectorate.
at Trinity College, Dublin. In 1973, she was appointed as a teacher of French and English to Alexandra College,
In 1982, when a post of Inspector of French was adver-
Milltown, where she remained until 1982.
tised, she applied. She said that she was very happy in teaching, and had made excellent friendships among the
Maura Clancy Courtesy of Maura Clancy
Born on the thirteenth of April, 1946, in Ballinaglera, County Leitrim, Maura Clancy was the only child of Eileen and Peter Clancy, both national school Principals in the parish of Ballinaglera.
school to those in which her parents taught. Her schooling was at Urbal National School, the closest to her homeplace. When she was ten her father died. Two years later
H
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staff of Alexandra College, but felt that being an inspector
encountered the Inspectorate of the Department of
would give her a greater possibility of influencing syllabus
Education in a number of contexts. She had inspections
development in French. She believed passionately in the
in her teaching of both English and French over her nine
need for students of French to acquire oral and listening
years in the classroom. She was secretary of the Dublin
skills, as well as the skills of reading and writing. When she
branch of the French Teachers’ Association for a number of was offered the post of inspector, she had no hesitation in years. This was a time of change in the teaching of Modern accepting it. Languages and she found herself representing the French
Maura was sent at the age of four to a different national
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While she was teaching in Alexandra College, she
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Teachers’ Association on the Intermediate and Leaving
She entered the Department of Education in September,
Certificate Syllabus Committees. The function of these
1982. Her first impressions were of a welcoming and
committees was to decide on the syllabuses in Modern
courteous working environment. She already knew the
Languages. They had been dormant for years, but the
other French Inspector, which was a big help in integrating
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Women in the Inspectorate:
into the inspectorate. At that time, the main task of the
languages. Sure enough, within weeks of her appointment, all in-service courses with enthusiasm. The French
post-primary inspectorate was the management of the
Minister Gemma Hussey began creating the infrastructure
Government doubled the numbers of courses available in
public examinations. The inspectors produced the exam-
for the reforms that she envisaged. Maura remembers.
France. Groups of teachers took the initiative themselves
ination papers in their own subject areas, ran the marking conferences in Athlone, inspected the examination centres
“the welcome cacophony of the aged Gestetner photocop-
and managed the marking of the scripts
iers running off notices to issue to schools! I saw nothing
Maura Clancy
strange in being called to meetings with the Minister and Maura recalls that her hopes for change in the teaching
was amazed to hear from the other French inspector that
of French seemed destined for what she described as
in the seven years he had been in the inspectorate, this was
‘a disappointing outcome.’ A high level of resistance ‘to
a first for him”.
change of any kind’ existed in the Department, ‘especially of changes that cost money, which oral and aural exam-
It was during the period 1984-1986, that aural and then
inations certainly would. The most frequently expressed
oral examinations commenced. Maura remembers being
argument at that time against reform was that the teachers
part of these historic times, and the day the Minister
would not have adequate spoken French to prepare
announced these changes, “I had the privilege of contrib-
students for an oral or an aural test.’
uting to the information used in the speech for the Minister when she announced these changes”.
Undaunted, Maura worked at her office, which was at this
Maura and her colleagues spoke at several meetings of
time located on Floor 3, Hawkins House, on the possible
the French Teachers’ Association. Their task was to allay
format of the revised examinations. She remembers that it
fears of the changes ahead and to offer support. Speaking
was ‘Just before Christmas, 1982, as she was beginning to
of this time Maura said “I kept a set of speaking notes
doubt the wisdom of leaving the classroom’ that Gemma
which I had used fourteen times over the year before the
Hussey was appointed as Minister for Education. By
examinations were due to change.” Maura, along with the
coincidence, she had taught French to Gemma’s daugh-
other French inspector, interviewed hundreds of teachers
ters at Alexandra College, and she knew that the new
for the post of oral examiner. She recalled that the
Minister would be interested in promoting the teaching of
response of the teachers was magnificent; they attended
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Maura Clancy Courtesy of Maura Clancy
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Women in the Inspectorate:
and found courses in inviting places like Nice, where the
Principal Officer, three Senior Inspectors, one from each of
available in the Post-Primary sector. Maura made history
morning would be spent on intensive improvement of
the three divisions, the Psychological Service, the Primary
by being the first woman to be appointed at that level. Her
French, and the afternoon on the beach!
Inspectorate and the Post-Primary Inspectorate, a Higher
appointment coincided with the breaking-down of the
Executive Officer and a team of Executive Officers and
divisions within the inspectorate. She was PCC, as the post
These were also the years in which reform of the syllabus
Clerical Officers. It was an innovative structure in that no
was known at the time, of a region of the inspectorate,
for the Intermediate Certificate Examinations in Modern
distinction was made between inspectorate and adminis-
including psychologists, primary and post-primary inspec-
Maura Clancy
Languages took place. Maura was given the task of
trative grades. For the three inspectors, the major change
tors. She recalls,
chairing the Intermediate French Syllabus Committee.
was that they were reporting to a Principal Officer, rather
With generous support from the expertise of the Centre
than to an Assistant Chief Inspector. By this stage, a great
“My budding leadership skills were put to the test! I will
for Language and Communication Studies, Trinity College,
deal of syllabus development was happening right across
never forget the kindness and cooperation of the pri-
a defined-content, also known at that time as a notion-
the post-primary curriculum. Their first task was to assemble
mary inspectors who found themselves answerable to a
al-functional syllabus was introduced. The basic philos-
regional groups of Post-Primary Principals to inform them
post-primary inspector…….and a woman to boot!”
ophy underlying this type of syllabus allowed students
of the implications of all these changes. Maura remembers
to see exactly what they would be able to do with their
how in a very short time, Principals were becoming angry
When Maura was appointed PCC, one of the tasks
language acquisition, for example, “I can ask someone
at the disruption of teaching caused by all the in-service
assigned to her was the professional development of the
what their name is and tell them my name.” This syllabus
courses they were running. As she recalled: ‘I had experience inspectorate. She designed and led an induction pro-
was taken on board by the German syllabus committee. It
of another model of in-service from my position as chair of
gramme for a large group of newly appointed inspectors
was also adopted some years later by the National Council
the Transition Year In-Service team, where a small group of
who were appointed in 1998.
for Curriculum and Assessment and became the blueprint
teachers was seconded to in-service work for a number of
for syllabuses in other languages.
years, and where most of the in-service took place within the In addition, she was given responsibility for the setting up school. I developed a possible model for all in-service activity of two initiatives in the teaching of languages, the Primary
In 1994, the post of Senior Inspector in the Department of
based on this and, to my surprise, it gained traction within the Modern Languages Pilot Programme, and the post-pri-
Education was for the first time awarded on the basis of
Department and among the various partners in education,
mary initiative for the teaching of lesser-taught languages,
an interview. Maura was successful in being promoted to
teacher unions and principals. This is the model of in-service
including Spanish, Italian and Japanese. Later Russian
Post-Primary Senior Inspector in the newly established
provision that is still being used.’
was added. Maura chaired the steering-committees for
In-Career Development Unit. This unit was staffed by a
In 1997, three posts of Assistant Chief Inspector became
both of these for a number of years as well as those for
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Women in the Inspectorate:
Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme and the Leaving
satisfaction in improving life in prison for men from many
Certificate Applied. In addition, she chaired the steering
countries. One of the highlights was an annual international
committees for the introduction of syllabuses in a variety
day where the flags of all the students’ countries were
of curricular areas, including Business and Music. When
displayed and food from each country was provided.
Maura became aware of the level of duplication across the
In 2011, Maura was invited to join the staff of Hibernia
programmes, especially work experience which was part
College, which was setting up its Post-Primary teacher
Maura Clancy
of the Transition Year, the Leaving Certificate Vocational
training programme. She contributed significantly to the
Programme and the Leaving Certificate Applied she set
development of the programme and wrote all the lectures
up the Second Level Support Service, where a generic
to be delivered online for Modern Languages and some of
work experience in-service model could be developed.
the lectures on Professional Practice. She taught on all of
Her idea was that teachers would be seconded to this group
these programmes online and face to face, until 2016. From
according to system needs. This is the model on which the
then until 2021, she was part of the core team of teaching
current in-service provision is based. Maura also set up the
practice supervisors at Trinity College, Dublin. At present,
Leadership Development for Schools initiative and chaired its
she is involved in interviewing for public servants, including
steering committee until her retirement in 2007.
Garda Síochána for the Public Appointments Service.
Her final years were spent as Assistant Chief Inspector of a region, passing on twenty-five years’ experience in the inspectorate, overseeing younger inspectors develop their skills. Maura retired from the inspectorate on 30th June 2007. After her retirement, Maura still wanted to do something useful, and was appointed by City of Dublin VEC as a teacher of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) at Cloverhill Prison from 2007-2011. The Prison School at Cloverhill was not long in existence. With a colleague, she wrote the plan for the teaching of ESOL. She had great
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Maura Clancy Courtesy of Maura Clancy
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Doreen McMorris
Born in 1958, Doreen McMorris (née Cobbe) completed
Careers Guidance course at University College, Dublin.
her primary education in a one-teacher school, Tyrrell-
Having obtained this qualification, she happily returned
spass No 2 National School, Co Westmeath. She then
to teaching mathematics at Alexandra College while also
Biographical note
Co Offaly until she sat the Leaving Certificate examination.
attended the Sacred Heart Secondary School in Tullamore, undertaking some guidance counselling. From there, she progressed to Trinity College, Dublin. In
In May 1994, as Doreen was coming to the end of her
1979, she graduated with a B.A. (Mod) in Mathematical
course at University College, Dublin, the Department
Sciences and, the following year, with a Higher Diploma
of Education advertised vacant posts for post-primary
in Education. In September 1980, she was appointed by
inspectors in three subject areas, one of which was
Alexandra College, Dublin as a permanent whole-time
mathematics. Out of interest, Doreen decided to submit
teacher of mathematics. In addition to teaching classes
the necessary forms and, over the coming months, she
from first to sixth year, she was immediately assigned the
completed the various steps in the selection process. In
pastoral care duties associated with being a class tutor
December 1994, she was offered a post and, since career
and this was a role she held each year thereafter. When
breaks were not a consideration at the time, acceptance
she was appointed to a special duties post, she took on
of it required that she resign from Alexandra College.
other additional responsibilities including the management In February 1995, Doreen was appointed to the Inspec-
of house examinations in the school.
torate of the Department of Education, the first female to
Doreen McMorris Courtesy of Doreen McMorris
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In the early 1990s, Doreen felt ready for further challenges
hold the post of post-primary inspector of mathematics.
in her work and, since there were very few opportunities
Her duties centred mainly around the state examinations
for second level teachers outside of mainstream
where she acted as chief examiner for a range of exami-
classroom work at that time, she decided to build on her
nations from ordinary level Junior Certificate up to higher
pastoral care experience and to pursue an associated third level Leaving Certificate each year. In addition, she was
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level course. So, during the 1993-4 academic year, she
a member of various mathematics syllabus committees
availed of the study leave arrangements then available
convened by the National Council for Curriculum and
to second level teachers to complete the Diploma in
Assessment, she oversaw the delivery of in-service
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Doreen McMorris
programmes in mathematics for teachers, she acted as
accommodation for inspectors, the management of the
assigned inspector to a range of post-primary schools
Inspectorate’s Secretariat and the provision of advice in
and she participated in various pilot inspection projects
relation to guidance in post-primary schools.
Biographical note
study, she was awarded a M. Ed. (School Leadership) by
in schools. In June 2000, following two years of part-time Doreen retired from the Inspectorate in 2018.
the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. She was promoted to senior inspector in July 2000. Coinciding with the establishment of the State Examinations Commission in 2003, Doreen was appointed as assistant chief inspector. She was immediately assigned to head up the newly established Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment policy unit within the Inspectorate. Her main function was to manage all Inspectorate involvement in policy advice and development in early childhood, primary and second level curriculum and assessment issues. In 2007, she moved to take up the leadership of a regional business unit within the Inspectorate. There, her main role was to devise an inspection programme for the primary and post-primary schools in the region and to oversee the delivery of that programme from start to finish. Over the next ten years she continued to manage a regional business unit, changing geographical unit a number of times as the
Doreen McMorris Courtesy of Doreen McMorris
Inspectorate’s needs required. During her years as assistant chief inspector, Doreen held a number of additional specific responsibilities including the management of office
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Patrick F O’Donovan Pádraig Ó Donnabháin
Born in Tralee, Co. Kerry, Patrick F O’Donovan / Pádraig
education in places other than recognised schools.
He has published Stanley’s Letter: The National School
Ó Donnabháin attended the local primary and secondary
He served also as chairperson of Cumann na gCigirí
System and Inspectors in Ireland, 1831 – 1922 (2017). He has
schools. Going on to St Patrick’s College of Education
a branch of the IMPACT trade union for a period. As
contributed various articles to academic journals including
in Drumcondra, now part of Dublin City University, he
divisional inspector, his work was mainly in the south
Ireland’s national school system in the time of the Great
qualified as a national school teacher. During teaching
west in various regions of Kerry and Cork. He served for a
Famine: an overview (2021). He is currently researching the
service in national schools in both Dublin and Kerry, he
time in the European Schools prior to retirement from the
development of primary and post-primary education in an
pursued further studies in University City Dublin and in
Department of Education.
independent Ireland.
Trinity College Dublin. Patrick F O’Donovan has worked for the Teaching Council Appointed as an inspector of schools for the Department
as rapporteur for several review panels examining initial
of Education, he served mainly in Co Kerry as a district
teacher education programmes as well as completing
inspector. His work embraced the broad spectrum of
other research and writing assignments for the Council.
primary school education including the Gaeltacht area of
He has worked in association with Kerry Education and
Corca Dhuibhne. Serving on various committees for the
Training Board in the establishment of community national
Department, involved with summer courses for teachers
schools at Two Mile CNS, Killarney, at Tahilla CNS between
and principals, participating in inspection of Gaeltacht
Kenmare and Sneem, and near Ballinskelligs, Scoil an
summer colleges.
Ghleanna, Scoil Náisiúnta Phobail, the first community national school in a Gaeltacht area. He continues to serve
He maintained an interest in the history of education and
as chairperson of the boards of management of those
pursued doctoral studies by research on the history of the
three schools and is also a member of the Kerry ETB Audit
national school system, its inspectorate and its administra-
and Risk Committee.
tive context in Ireland. Patrick F O’Donovan has continuing interest as an indeTaking a special interest in the issue of education in
pendent researcher on the history of education in Ireland.
settings outside of recognised schools, he was involved
He collaborated with Professor John Coolahan in the book
in developing the official guidelines for the assessment of
A History of Ireland’s School Inspectorate 1831 – 2008 (2009).
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The restructuring of the Inspectorate following the 1998 Education Act
Education Act 1998. https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ eli/1998/act/51/enacted/en/ print.html
The Inspectorate and its functions were given statutory status in Section 13 of the Education Act, 1998. The core statutory remit focused the work of the Inspectorate on evaluation, advisory role for schools and the Department and a role in policy development.
We have very deliberately decided to end our research, for now, in 1998. This seems a logical endpoint, a form of watershed between the old Inspectorate and the new. 1998 is a key turning point in the story of women in the Inspectorate, no longer were women seen as exceptions in the Inspectorate, and the beginning of a relatively rapid process of change which has brought us to a point today where women comprise over 50% of the total Inspectorate cohort.
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References
John Coolahan & Patrick F. O’Donovan: A History of Ireland’s
Irish Country Life History Blog: The Department of Agri-
School Inspectorate 1831-2008, Four Courts Press, 2009
culture and Technical Instruction http://countrylifehistory.
Eleventh annual report of the Department of Agricultural
National Library, Educational Year Book, 1914 and 1926
ie/index.php/2014/05/the-department-of-agricul-
Maura O’Connor: The Development of Infant Education in
ture-and-technical-instruction/
Ireland, 1838-1948: Epochs and Eras, Peter Lang Publisher, 2008
Irish Times Archive www.irishtimes.com
Patrick F. O’Donovan: Stanley’s letter: The National School
and Technical Instruction for Ireland, for 1910-11 (Report of Miss Lough) https://archive.org/details/op1255977-1001/
System and Inspectors in Ireland, 1831-1922, Galway
page/n145/mode/2up?q=miss+lough Amanda McCloat & Martin Caraher: ‘The evolution
Education Centre, 2017
Department of Education: Annual Statistical Reports
of Home Economics as a subject in Irish primary and
https://www.education.ie/en/publications/statistics/
post-primary education from the 1800s to the twenty-first
The Marriage Bar: A Ban on Employing Married
statistical-reports/
century’, Irish Educational Studies (2018) https://doi.org/10.
Women: ICTU publication, 2019 https://www.ictu.ie/
1080/03323315.2018.1552605
blog/2019/10/14/the-marriage-bar-a-ban-on-employing-
Expert Advisory Group on the Decade of Commemora-
married-women/
tions: Initial Statement https://www.decadeofcentenaries.
Maguire, M., (2008) The civil service and the revolution in
com/wp-content/uploads/publications/Initial/Initial/index.html
Ireland, 1912-38: ‘Shaking the blood-stained hand of Mr
Irish Times Archive https://www.irishtimes.com/newspa-
Collins. Published by Manchester University Press.
per/archive/1971/1230/Pg006.html#Ar00602
Milieux Institute of Arts, Culture and Technology at
Maeve Mulryan-Moloney: ‘Handcraft in Convent National
Annual Statistical Reports from 1923 to the present are avail-
Concordia University https://textilesandmateriality.
Schools c.1900’, Association of Church Archivists Ireland
able on the Department of Education website https://www.
com/2020/01/15/molly-claire-gillett-at-the-national-uni-
Newsletter No. 42, Apr/May 2010 https://acaireland.files.
education.ie/en/publications/statistics/statistical-reports/
versity-of-ireland-galway/
wordpress.com/2014/11/acainewsletterno42aprmay2010.pdf
ICTU: The Marriage Bar: A Ban on Employing Married
National Archives of Ireland:
Women, 2019 https://www.ictu.ie/blog/2019/10/14/the-
Census of Ireland 1901/1911
marriage-bar-a-ban-on-employing-married-women/
www.census.nationalarchives.ie
Molly-Claire Gillett: textiles + materiality research cluster:
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Acknowledgements
We wish to thank a number of people for their help as we
Many thanks to Amanda Mc Clout, President of St. Angela’s
This project has been one of the most interesting and
tried to piece together the story of the History of Women in
College, Sligo for insight into the work of Home Economics
enriching tasks we have been involved with and an honour
the Irish School Inspectorate.
Inspectors and for sharing her own research so generously.
to meet former colleagues who paved the way for so many facets of the education system, and of our work as
Thanks firstly to Patrick O’Donovan. Without Patrick’s
Our gratitude is also due to Molly-Claire Gillett, PhD
in-depth knowledge of the Inspectorate, its history, events
Candidate, Department of Art History, Concordia University
which shaped its evolution over the past two centuries,
Montreal, whose doctoral work focuses on the production
and his knowledge of the personnel involved we would not
of lace in Ireland and its consumption in England during the
have been able to conduct this research and produce this
late 19th century, for sharing her work on Emily Anderson,
article. For his generosity with his time and for sharing his
one of the earliest women to inspect schools.
inspectors, that we now take for granted.
expertise through the interviews, we are very grateful. We would also like to sincerely thank Suzanne Conneely, We owe a debt of gratitude to the thorough research of
Assistant Chief Inspector, who approached us with the
Mary O’Connor from the Human Resources Unit. Mary went
original idea of celebrating our female colleagues who
back through the records to identify the dates for women
contributed so much to the Inspectorate. This collaboration
employed as an inspector from 1922-1997 and their special- with Mná100 was made possible by the support of the ist areas. Without this information, we would not have been
former Chief Inspector, Harold Hislop, and the ongoing
able to focus our research.
support from the current Chief Inspector Yvonne Keating.
A sincere thanks is due to Maura Clancy, Emer Egan, and
It would not have been possible to take this project and
Doreen Mc Morris who generously gave their time to
make it accessible to a wider audience without the support
speak with us by phone and to make recordings of their
and guidance we have received from this collaboration
reflections. We would also like to thank Helen McIntyre who with Dr Sinead McCoole, who leads the women’s strand of shared her experiences and memories with us by phone.
the Decades of Centenaries Programme and Kate Nevin,
Their contributions have enriched this article telling the
Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and
story from the viewpoint of those who themselves took
Media. We are indebted to both Sinead and Kate for their
many ground-breaking steps in advancing the work of the
expertise, guidance and genuine support during the last
Inspectorate and the role of women in shaping the Inspec-
few months. Their assistance was invaluable in considering
torate we have today.
both the history and the logistics of the project.
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