MIE Alumni Award Recipients

Alumni Award Winner 2023: Liam O’Connor

B.Ed. Class of 2005

Current Role: Director ITMA

Biography:

Liam graduated from Marino Institute of Education in 2005 and is a renowned Irish fiddle player, collector, researcher, and teacher of Irish music. He is currently the director of the Irish Traditional Music Archive. He has also worked as a researcher of traditional songs in the Irish language for the Royal Irish Academy's Doegen Web Records Project. Additionally, he contributed to a project called Re-creating P.W. Joyce: from 19th-century manuscripts to an interactive online audio-visual resource, in which O'Connor recorded 371 melodies from the Joyce collection.

He has won five all-Ireland fiddle competitions and is also a talented Gaelic footballer, captaining Dublin at underage level and later Colaiste Mhuire Marino in the final of the Corn na Mac Lein while a student at MIE. In 2002, he was awarded the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Young Musician of the Year award. In his career, Liam has been influential in preserving and promoting the Irish language and culture. He is a proud exponent of Irish culture and language and is making a key contribution to research and education in Irish music through his work.

Alumni Award Winner 2022: John Allen

B.Ed., Class of 1975

Current Role: Retired Primary School Teacher

Biography:

John Allen was a student teacher in Marino from 1973 to 1975 during which time he displayed and honed the leadership skills for which he has become a household name in Ireland. On graduating from MIE John was appointed to Togher B.N.S.in Cork City, where he spent the next three decades influencing generations of students. He has been an outstanding ambassador for MIE, referencing its influence on him as a teacher leading learning with children and in his other roles in life.

During his time in Marino he was one of the leading players in both the hurling and football teams. He was particularly influential as a player and a leader in the teams that won the double (hurling and football) in the 1974/75 Higher Education Leagues. Since his days in Marino John has had a stellar career both a player in both codes of the GAA and as a manager at inter-county level. As a dual player with St Finbarr's GAA Club in Cork he won All-Ireland U21 (1976) and senior hurling ('76 and '78) medals; and also has National Football League ('80) and Munster football ('83) medals. On the club scene, he won three All-Ireland football and one hurling title.

John was masseur with the Cork hurling team before taking over as manager from October 2004. From 2011 until 2013, John was the manager of the Limerick senior hurling team sowing seeds that were to come to fruition in recent years. John has had a life-long interest in Irish culture and in promoting and nurturing our native language. Through all his achievements, John's feet remained firmly, on the ground and always demonstrated, a readiness, to prioritise, what was important to him and his family.

Alumni Wisdom:

“If at all possible, do what you love doing and what stirs you inside and if you can make a living from it, even better. If you like being with children and you want somewhere to learn to be a teacher, Marino is the place to go”

Alumni Award Winner 2022: Mary Finnegan

B.Ed., Class of 1980

Current Role: Retired Primary School Teacher

Biography:

Mary Finnegan graduated from MIE in 1980 and was passionate about education and enjoyed teaching from the moment she graduated to the day she retired. St Vincent de Paul school was very lucky to have Mary on staff for her entire career. Embodying the qualities of a teacher, Mary is generous, caring, curious and wise and demonstrates a firm belief in the transformative power of education. Working closely with the Deaf community, Mary has supported children who are Deaf or hard of hearing in mainstream schools, she was part of an advisory panel that produced guidelines for the inclusion of children who are Deaf or hard of hearing, and volunteered as sign interpreter for many years. Mary worked as a carer with IHCPT [The Pilgrimage Trust] and facilitated summer holiday weeks for children with special needs in Ireland. She volunteers with the Barnardos literacy support/reading programme in DEIS schools.

With a keen interest in the arts, Mary has facilitated a summer course Writing for Teachers for a number of years and was co-facilitator of “PiCWiTs”, a professional teachers’ community supporting continuing professional development in the teaching of writing. As an alumni of Marino, Mary she continued to contribute to the nurturing and development of MIE students in various ways, as a part-time lecturer in environmental studies and Teaching and Learning, as a placement tutor and as a contributor to lectures on Deaf education.

Alumni Wisdom:

“Compassion and care are so important - we don't always know the full story of what a child/family is experiencing - be kind. Do not have favorites. Find something to like/praise in every child and be fair. MIE is a wonderful college where people matter, community matters, and striving for excellence will help you to improve. Go for it - and give it your all. You will reap the rewards.”

Alumni Award Winner 2021: Aoife Nic Mhánais,

B.Ed., Class of 2005

Current Role: National Project Coordinator for Afghanistan Quality Learning (AQL)

Biography:

Aoife Graduated with B.Ed in 2005 from MIE and TCD. She started her teaching career in Gaelscoil Lios na nÓg in 2004 and was there for 2 years before taking a 'Third World Leave of Absence.' From 2006 to 2008, Aoife was appointed to  a two-year voluntary role with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) in Navrongo, Ghana. During that appointment, she was based in St.John Bosco Teacher Training College in a very rural and deprived part of the country, bordering Burkina Faso. In that role, Aoife was, primarily, a 'teacher-trainer', lecturing over 200 student teachers in Early Childhood Teaching Methodologies (literacy and numeracy).

In 2008, Aoife returned to Gaescoil Lios na nÓg until 2015 when she volunteered as a United Nations Volunteer (UNV) with the Education (Quality and Learning) team in UNICEF in Mozambique. In Mozambique, Aoife provided advice and technical assistance for the design, implementation and management of two three-year in-service teacher training pilot programmes: a) low-cost teaching and learning material production and use and b) reading promotion. Aoife identified local partner organisations and co-designed and monitored their project implementation and worked together with those organisations, the Ministry of Education at different levels and teacher training colleges in the target regions. She also designed mobile libraries and resource kits for the making of didactic materials that were

distributed for use in school clusters and in community libraries that were established during the project. 

In 2018 Aoife moved to a role with UNWomen in Mozambique to lead their part in the development of the programme document for the Spotlight Initiative.  That was a multi-year, multi-agency initiative on the prevention of and response to violence against women and girls and their sexual, reproductive and health rights. Since 2019 Aoife has been working as a National Project Coordinator for the Afghanistan Quality Learning (AQL) Project in Kabul, Afghanistan. She is working for the international NGO Aga Khan Foundation to coordinate a consortium of AKF, CARE and Save the Children to work effectively with the Afghan Ministry of Education on the implementation, quality assurance and achievement of project goals. AQL is a 4 year programme, supported by the Swiss Development Cooperation, focusing on improving the quality and relevance of education in rural areas in Afghanistan by supporting interventions at school, district, provincial and national levels to strengthen academic supervision, promote the professional development of teachers and improve learning environments. 

Alumni Award Winner 2021: Dr Máire Uí Chaoimh,

B.Ed., Class of 1981

Current Role: Lecturer in Music Education & Musician

Biography:

Máire Ui Chaoimh is a retired lecturer in Music Education Mary Immaculate College Limerick and fiddle player. Máire received a bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland to collect and document traditional music and song in the West Kerry region of Corca Dhuibhne. The recordings were deposited in the Folklore Department at UCD. A number of recordings from this collection were included in the 1992 publication "Beauty an Oileáin" Music and Song from the Blasket Islands.

Máire has been a researcher, presenter and studio engineer of a weekly two hour, live, traditional music programme on Clare FM Radio, RTÉ Radio 1 programme ‘The Long Note’, Geantraí TG4, and has contributed to numerous programmes on Radio Éireann, Raidio na Gaeltachta, TG4 and RTE 1 on the subject of Irish Traditional Music. She has appeared on the Late Late Show (RTÉ), The Gerry Kelly Show (UTV), As I Roved Out (BBC), Geantraí (TG4) and others.

She is worked with The Sydney Irish Musicians Organisation in Sydney, Australia for nine months teaching Irish traditional music to children and adults. She founded the ‘The Quay Singers’ Local adult choir in Kinvara, Co. Galway and has been Artist in Residence at Celtic Colours International Festival, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. Throughout her career, she has performed and collaborated with musicians from all over the world; and has shared her love of music with students, hosting SUNY Potsdam State University of New York students and bringing local transition year students to Shanghai University.

Alumni Award Winner 2019: Sinéad Burke

B.Ed., Class of 2011

Current Role: Writer, Activist and Director.

Biography:

Sinéad Burke graduated as a primary school teacher from Marino Institute of Education at the top of her class and winning the Vere Foster medal and holds a Masters in Broadcast Production for TV and Radio from IADT. She is an Irish writer, academic and disability activist, popular for her TED talk 'Why design should include everyone'. She is the director of the consulting organisation Tilting the Lens, working to raise the baseline standards in accessibility, to design an equitable and accessible world. Since 2019, she has been a member of the Irish Council of State and was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2019.

Sinéad released her first book Break the Mould in October 2020. It was awarded the Specsavers Children's Book of the Year award at the An Post Irish Book Awards. Sinéad appeared on the cover of the 'Forces for Change' issue of British Vogue, guest-edited by the Duchess of Sussex. She also appeared on the cover of The Business of Fashion in May 2018 alongside Kim Kardashian with an interview as part of 'The Age of Influence' series. In 2019, she was appointed to the Council of State by President of Ireland Michael Higgins and has recently edited the May 2023 edition of British Vogue, which also features Dr Rosaleen McDonagh, a fellow disabled Leader.

Alumni Wisdom: Watch Sinéad Burke’s TedTalk “Why Design Should Include Everyone”

Alumni Award Winner 2019: Feargal Seamus Brougham

B.Ed., Class of 1989

Current Role: Principal Teacher

Biography:

Feargal Brougham was the first graduate of MIE to hold the post of INTO president. Born and reared in Raheny in Dublin, he attended Scoil Ide and Scoil Neasain primary schools. He travelled into Colaiste Mhuire, Parnell Square, for his secondary education and studied for a B. Ed at MIE.

On graduating from college in 1989 he faced an uncertain future. Unemployment among newly trained teachers was very high. Substitute work was scarce and poorly paid. He spent the next two and a half years as a librarian for the Dublin City Council before securing a permanent teaching position in Mary Queen of Angels Boys School, Ballyfermot. Feargal spent eight years teaching in Ballyfermot with the exception of a year working in United Arab Emirates.In 1999 he moved back to take up a post as a learning support teacher in St Paul’s SNS, Dublin. In 2015, he was appointed principal of this school.

From 2009 – 2015 Feargal represented teachers in north county Dublin on the INTO Central Executive Committee. From 2017 he served on the union’s Benefit Funds Committee before becoming President of the INTO. Feargal passionately believes that education can play a crucial part in creating a more just and equal world, especially for the most marginalised in society for whom he has campaigned throughout his professional life. During his year as President, Feargal intends to

work tirelessly in helping achieve pay equality for all teachers, to improve resources for both urban and rural DEIS schools, to further assist schools to improve their ability to include pupils with special needs and to promote global citizenship education.

Alumni Wisdom:

“When thinking about all the many challenges that you will face in your career and particularly with behaviour to think about the context of the child and where they are coming from and what they bring with them and not to take behaviour personally. Teaching is an exceptionally rewarding career in an exceptionally vibrant college, it’s a marathon not a sprint. The most important aspect of it is communication with the child and their parents not an over focus on paperwork”