MESO is an AI-powered educational platform currently being developed with Trinity College Dublin and Enterprise Ireland. The mission of its co-founders Chris Byrne and Brighid Hennessy is to transform education by creating tools that empower teachers and educational institutions while maintaining rigorous standards and curriculum alignment. It combines AI with curriculum requirements and planning templates to help teachers plan efficiently both long and short term. It also enables the creation of assessments based on the content you’ve been covering over a period of time.
Website ( platform still under construction)
Contact the founders:
Chris Byrne
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-byrne-7799041a2/?originalSubdomain=ie
Brighid Hennessy
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brigh%C3%ADd-hennessy-124a6728b/
Marie Sheehan has been Deputy Principal of Coláiste an Chroí Naofa, Carraig na bhFear in Cork for 8 years and is currently on career break. She is an accredited coach with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and is the ownerand founder of Clochán Coaching & Education Consultancy. Marie works with teams and individuals in the area of supporting teachers and school leaders to develop their sense of agency and their capacity to lead well. She talks about her own decision to take a career break, what people need to consider and the value of coaching to provide the tools and space to act with confidence and direction.
Colette Crowley has just attained a principal position for September in Carriganima National School in Cork. She had been a Deputy Principal for four years and loved the school but really had a desire to progress in her career. She talks about her cancer diagnosis in college and her awareness of both grabbing and creating every opportunity that you want as life is short. Her story is inspiring.
Angela Cummins is known to me from her Instagram account SpecialedteacherIreland. She is a special education teacher based in Dublin for over 20 years. She discusses her own challenges in school, how she became the first in her family to go to college once she secured a loan for herself while simultaneously holding down multiple jobs, what getting an adult diagnosis of dyslexia was like and finally, she kindly shares her wisdom around opening an autism class.
https://www.instagram.com/angela_cummins2025?igsh=cmJ5bzhwcGo1eTFl
In this podcast, I compare notes with Emmet Ryan from St. Peter's Community School, Cork about how and why we set up a school podcast in our respective schools. We hope to inspire you to do the same! Below are links to our school website and links to our school podcasts.
Emmet's school podcast:
https://audio.com/st-peters-english/audio/zoom0016-lr-wedeve-1
Emmet's email for advice:
Ann's school podcast :
https://www.scoilchriostriportlaoise.ie/
https://www.scoilchriostriportlaoise.ie/page/Transition-Year/48489/Index.html
How to set up podcast and sign up to Spotify for podcasters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlLX2uwojfM
Debbie O’Neill is Principal of Scoil Eoin, Crumlin, Dublin, a special school which caters for pupils with Mild General Learning disabilities as well as some students presenting with a dual diagnosis of ASD, ADHD. Schools catering for children with mild general learning disabilities are being put under pressure by the government to change their classification. She talks about the impact on her and the students and the decision to engage with the media as a Principal.
https://www.into.ie/app/uploads/2025/05/Circular_Letter_0039-2025_EN_final.pdf
Simon Lewis is the principal of Carlow Educate Together primary school, the only multidenominational primary school in the county, which he helped to set up. He is currently the only Irish primary school principal from an ethnic minority which we begin the podcast discussing. Simon’s podcast, If I were the Minister for Education, is another and one of the original education podcasts in Ireland Here we explore the Droichead Process which is currently under review.
In this podcast, I dig deeper into The Agree to Agree project and its origins. This is a conversation we need to keep having to save the next generation from the threat that is overuse and inappropriate use of internet enabled devices.
Dr Maureen Griffin is a forensic psychologist who specialized in the risk assessment of online sexual offenders. Maureen has worked with over 900 schools across Ireland, in addition to child protection agencies providing training on issues around online safety".
Martin Maloney also joins me Martin was a Principal for 17 years and held that role in Clarecastle National School where The Agree to Agree Project was originally piloted in 2018. He is currently the director of the Clare Education Centre who proudly support the current project at the moment.
https://www.mgmstraining.ie/agree-to-agree-project
Clare Education Centre
Navan Education Centre
https://www.ecnavan.ie/index.php?option=com_eventbooking&view=event&id=2059
Tralee Education Centre
https://www.edcentretralee.ie/
Minister for Education Helen McEntee acknowledges the project Feb 2025
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2025-02-25/400/
Donal Evoy is Principal in Blackrock Educate Together Secondary school in Cherrywood, Dublin. Donal completed his Masters in Leadership 10 years ago and his focus of research was peer observation. He has moved from piloting the scheme in his own school to opening it up across a network of schools so teachers could visit classrooms in another school entirely in order to learn from each other. He is here to share how he and a few colleagues did this and perhaps it is something you could introduce in your school.
Template used:
Dr Ciara Uí Chonduibh is Principal of St. Fiach’s National School in Ballinacree, Oldcastle, Co Meath. The school has just completed year one of a pilot scheme called, ‘Agree to Agree Scheme’ The Agree to Agree Project, which is supported by the Department of Education through Oide Technology in Education, aims to establish a school-specific agreement for the use of internet-enabled devices, creating a positive and unified norm for children's digital device use. It is facilitated by forensic psychologist Dr. Maureen Griffin of MGMS Training through Clare Education Centre.
https://www.mgmstraining.ie/agree-to-agree-project
Paudie Moore, the Teacher’s Weight Loss coach returns for a second podcast. Since our first podcast, he reflects on what he has learned from working with teachers in the past year and how this information might help you make 2025 your best year yet! You can follow Paudie on Instagram, @thriving teachersacademy
Kevin Shortall is Principal in St Aidan’s Community School Tallaght, Dublin. He has worked there since 1996. He has been a Home School Community Liaison and a Deputy along the way and is gaining much publicity online for his upbeat, fun approach to leadership which includes doing head over heels in the students PE classes and dancing in the office when the Timetable is completed with colleagues. His passion and compassion for others are palpable in this conversation. Enjoy!
Donnchadh O’Mahony is a qualified Guidance Counsellor and best known for his engaging posts on his hugely popular Instagram page and Tik Tok account Leaving Cert Guidance. He is here today to talk about the launch of his new website www.findmycollegecourse.ie, a website he believes will direct students to the courses that best suit them.
Principal Robbie O'Connell returns for a second podcast and discusses all things feedback including his own personal experiences as a recipient and now as a Principal. Ann balances his knowledge of the primary sector with her knowledge of the secondary sector.
Key circulars:
Primary:
Circular 0044/2019 https://www.into.ie/app/uploads/2019/08/cl0044_2019.pdf
Secondary
Circular 003/2018
Paul Crone is the Director of the National Association of Principals and Deputies, NAPD. Previously Paul was the Director of Schools for the City of Dublin Education and Training Board and before that he spent 11 years as Principal in Old Bawn Community School. Paul has experience supporting and representing school leaders through his work on the executive committee of the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools, ACCS, through his work with the Professional Development Service for Teachers, PDST and the Centre for School Leadership, CSL.
X
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-crone-1748b6a6/?originalSubdomain=ie
Louise has been principal of St. Joseph’s Primary School in Tipperary Town since 2009. She previously worked for a year with School Development Planning as a facilitator, and for a further year with the Primary Development Service for Teachers as an advisor, during which time she completed post-graduate studies in School Planning. Louise worked in Grange NS, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary for 20 years, and was Acting Principal there for 2 years. She has experience as both teaching and administrative principalship.
Louise was the Tipperary representative on the IPPN National Council since 2017 and subsequently served on the Board of Directors for 5 years. Louise has been a very strong advocate for schools in areas of disadvantage, seeking extra resources under the DEIS scheme. Louise is on the DEIS Advisory Group.
She was elected IPPN Deputy President/President-elect in June 2021 and serves as president from September 2023 to August 2025.
Trina Golden joins me to explore the essential areas aspiring and new leaders need to know about and where to find them. Trina reminds us that you won't know everything at the start so let us ease your mind and help you take the first bite of the elephant that is the world of circulars! Trina brings her insights from primary and mine from secondary. We had a few unavoidable gremlins on the line during recording and it might appear I talked over Trina but this was an unforeseen issue and not intentional.
Cineáltas Action Plan on bullying
https://assets.gov.ie/241000/eb57d761-2963-4ab0-9d16-172b2e3be86d.pdf
Children First E learning programme
https://www.tusla.ie/children-first/children-first-e-learning-programme/
Vetting circular-
https://assets.gov.ie/12898/570b30ba5dce467a8249a6733f965507.pdf
Child Protection Procedures- primary and secondary
S and S circulars (list is not exhaustive unfortunately!)
https://assets.gov.ie/13371/8d86870803ae4d92bc4363f209ccf13a.pdf
https://circulars.gov.ie/pdf/circular/education/2017/47.pdf
Sample 5 day statement
Recruitment: Primary Circular 0044/2019
https://www.into.ie/app/uploads/2019/08/cl0044_2019.pdf
Recruitment policies secondary:
https://circulars.gov.ie/pdf/circular/education/2008/16.pdf
Allocation of Assistant Principal posts
Sick Leave Circular 13/2024 Primary and secondary https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/282535/bcdf8ee0-2b51-43a0-bcf6-60cee27afac9.pdf#page=null
Primary : Circular 32/2007 https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/228886/7054e80c-4c2c-47fa-a900-df5664322a02.pdf#page=null
Sick leave SNAS: 14/2024 Primary and Secondary
Circular 32/2010 https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/247744/72e01e37-c3a5-47be-8798-050252820324.pdf#page=null
Force Majeure and Illness in Family circular Primary/ secondary https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/276605/35144e60-5eb2-4692-9dee-03c46c43c127.pdf#page=null
Irish exemption
Primary https://www.gov.ie/en/circular/28b2b-exemptions-from-the-study-of-irish-primary/
Secondary https://www.gov.ie/en/circular/f33d5-exemptions-from-the-study-of-irish-post-primary/
SET allocation.
Post primary https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/282687/b3da8b64-5451-4b5b-b158-e37936d48394.pdf#page=null
James Murphy is a secondary school teacher from Newry, Co Down but is now teaching music and religion in Tullamore, Co Offaly. He graduated in the North of Ireland, therefore experiencing their equivalent to Droichead, the three-year EPD or Early Professional Development programme. James wishes to share his knowledge on Retrieval practice which he studied during this period and has continued to develop in his own classroom setting. It as an effective Teaching and learning strategy that challenges some of the more common practices, we all fall into as teachers.
Ann Byrne'a Retrieval Practice padlet
https://padlet.com/annie25ab/revision-using-retrieval-practices-q3y9rk683d06bpeu
James Murphy's email for inquiries or/and resources
Tommy Lyons has been a teacher for 16 years having originally completed a degree in Commerce and then entering the profession through the Hibernia route. Having personally experienced the highs and lows of the interview experience for teachers, he felt he had a unique skill set that others also identified in him and now he has established his own business Interview Ready that supports busy teachers through the often fraught application process and preparation for interviews. Tommy can also assist with people applying for jobs with Oide, college applications, supporting NQTs with their first interview. He has also worked with many clients outside of the education sector.
https://www.instagram.com/interview_ready_ed/?igsh=YncwbmZkOXZsZWk3
