Dr Mary Kelly

Mary is Head of the School of Education at Hibernia College and is a member of the College’s Executive Management Team. In this role she provides academic leadership and direction for the School of Education’s suite of academic programmes, including the Professional Master of Education (PME) programmes in both primary and post-primary teaching, the Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Education, along with Continuous Professional Development courses in education. She is responsible for the strategic direction of research initiatives and innovation in academic development within the School of Education. She represents the College externally, promoting and further developing links with educational providers, agencies, professional organisations, government bodies and the community at large. In her nine years of service, she has helped position Hibernia College as the leading provider of primary school teachers in the country. 

Having graduated from St. Patrick’s College Drumcondra, Mary began her career as a primary school teacher and taught at all class levels in Ireland and internationally. She worked as Deputy National Co-ordinator of the Primary Curriculum Support Programme with specific responsibility for the implementation of numeracy and literacy programmes under the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) initiative.  

Mary’s research interests include practitioner research, early childhood education and teacher education.