Main Object

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The Literacy Association of Ireland (LAI) aims to support and inform those concerned with the development of literacy nationally and internationally (teachers and educators at all levels and in a variety of formal and informal settings), encourage them in reflection and dialogue, challenge them in their practice and give public voice to their concerns through organising bilingual events such as conferences, seminars, workshops, courses, and webinars.

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Committee structure:

The committee is elected on an annual basis at the Annual General Meeting, which occurs during the Autumn Conference. All current members are eligible to vote.

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Current Committee:

Officers

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President: Sylvaine Ní Aogáin 

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Sylvaine is an Assistant Professor in Education with expertise in Irish in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. Sylvaine previously worked as a primary school teacher and as a Language Advisor and Acting Team Leader of the Primary Language Curriculum Team with the Professional Development Service for Teachers. She was awarded the Michael Jordan Fellowship to complete her PhD in Dublin City University, which focused on the teaching and learning of Irish in immersion primary school settings. Sylvaine’s research interests include immersion education, second language acquisition, inclusive teaching and learning of Irish and play-based pedagogies to support language acquisition. Sylvaine has been a member of the LAI Executive Committee since 2018 and served as the Secretary of LAI from 2020-2023.

 

Is Ollamh Cúnta san Oideachas le saineolas sa Ghaeilge í Sylvaine i gColáiste Mhuire gan Smál, Luimneach. Ba mhúinteoir bunscoile í agus d’oibrigh sí leis an tSeirbhís um Fhorbairt Ghairmiúil do Mhúinteoirí mar Chomhairleoir Teanga agus mar Cheannaire Foirne Gníomhach ar Fhoireann Churaclam Teanga na Bunscoile. Bronnadh an chomhaltacht Michael Jordan uirthi ar mhaithe le tabhairt faoi PhD in Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath. Dhírigh a taighde PhD ar mhúineadh agus ar fhoghlaim na Gaeilge i scoileanna tumoideachais in Éirinn. Tá suim mhór ag Sylvaine i gcúrsaí taighde a bhaineann le tumoideachas, sealbhú an dara teanga, múineadh ionchuimsitheach na Gaeilge/an dara teanga agus cuir chuige súgradh-bhunaithe a thacaíonn le foghlaim an dara teanga. Tá Sylvaine ina ball de Choiste Feidhmeach de chuid CLÉ ó 2018 ar aghaidh agus í mar Rúnaí an choiste idir 2020-2023.

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Past President: Patrick Burke

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Prior to joining the faculty at DCU, Patrick worked as a primary school teacher, advisor with the Professional Development Service for Teachers and as a Lecturer at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. He also spent a year working in the Children’s Literature Centre at Frostburg State University, Maryland. He is the current chairperson of the NCCA Primary Language Development Group and a member of the editorial board of Literacy, published by UKLA. Patrick is engaged in a range of research projects relating to literacy and education more broadly.  He has been an executive committee member of LAI since 2020. Prior to taking on the role of President in 2025, he also served as membership secretary. He has served on several LAI conference committees, including the local organising committee for the 2022 European Conference on Literacy held in DCU.

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President-Elect: Emma Farragher

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Emma is an Assistant Professor in Literacy Education at DCU Institute of Education. Prior to this, she was a Teacher Fellow at DCU and a primary teacher at Scoil Thomáis, where she held the roles of Droichead mentor, acting APII post holder, and member of the school’s literacy team. Following the completion of her Master’s in Literacy Professional Practice at DCU in 2023, Emma began her EdD studies at DCU Institute of Education in 2025. Her professional and research interests include writing, oral language development, curriculum integration, creative pedagogies, and teacher professional learning. She is also deeply interested in children’s literature. Emma has been a member of the Literacy Association of Ireland (LAI) Executive Committee since 2024, where she has held the role of Social Media Editor, contributed as a member of the Literacy News team, and helped launch the Literacy Bytes podcast.

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Treasurer: Claire Dunne

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Claire is an Assistant Professor on the Teagasc na Gaeilge (Teaching of Irish) team in Dublin City University. Prior to this, she was Head of the Department of English and Roinn na Gaeilge in Marino Institute of Education, and Co-ordinator of the Bachelor of Education through the medium of Irish. Claire is very interested in encouraging reading for pleasure in Irish, developing plurilingual capacities in young children, and inclusive language teaching. She is the author / co-author of two handbooks on reading for pleasure in Irish: Scéalta den Scoth: Ag Cothú Fonn Léitheoireachta and An Bosca Leabharlainne: Bímis ag Léamh! Claire has previously acted as Treasurer of the LAI (2020-2022), and President (2022-2023).

 

Secretary: Róisín Ní Mhúlláin

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An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta

Prior to working as Education Officer with COGG Róisín was an Irish lecturer in St. Angela’s College, Sligo for fifteen years, delivering lectures in the area of Irish language, academic content and literacy. She worked as a primary school teacher in an Irish medium setting, with junior and senior classes. 

Research / literacy interests: Children’s literature in Irish, reading for pleasure in Irish and teenage literature in Irish.

Tá an-spéis ag Róisín sa churaclam chomhtháite, teagasc agus cleachtais léitheoireachta sa Ghaeilge, agus i gcur chun cinn na léitheoireachta i measc déágóirí agus déaglitríocht.

This is Róisín’s first year on LAI executive committee

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Executive Committee Members

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Clara Maria Fiorentini​

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Clara is Lecturer in Education (Literacy) at Marino Institute of Education, Dublin. Clara Maria Fiorentini has been lecturing in literacy and early childhood education in Marino Institute of Education since 2017. Prior to this, Clara taught for eleven years in an urban, DEIS primary school in Co. Dublin, Ireland. Clara provides CPD for primary teachers and early childhood professionals in the areas of literacy, children's literature, play based learning and school transitions. Clara completed a Masters in Children's Literature (DCU) in 2013 and completed her PhD research on preschool literacy practices at Trinity College Dublin from 2019 - 2025. Clara is interested in promoting the use of the read-aloud and high-quality children's literature to support language and literacy instruction in the early years and the primary classroom. Clara has been an executive committee member since 2019, was LAI president for 2024, and is the current FELA representative for LAI.

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​​​​​​​​Adrian Lohan

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Adrian is a primary teacher and assistant principal based in Co. Dublin, as well as a part-time staff member in DCU and MIE. 

Adrian was awarded the LAI Biennial Medal for Outstanding Master’s thesis for his dissertation in Special Educational Needs. He is a tutor and assessor on the Graduate Diploma in Special and Inclusive Education in DCU. He has lectured in Inclusion, Early Language Acquisition and Literacy, as well as co-writing CPD courses in both Literacy and Inclusion in MIE.  He is a former PDST associate advisor in Literacy and Inclusion, and a member of the ERC development team for the Drumcondra Primary Reading Tests. 

Adrian is a member of the REACH Editorial board (IATSE) and has been published in the areas of self-esteem, collaboration and vocabulary development. 

Adrian has been a member of the LAI executive committee since 2016. He has previously served as secretary, as well as Chair of the Biennial Book Awards. 

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Susan Nic Réamoinn

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​Susan has been lecturing in literacy and early childhood education in Marino Institute of Education since 2021.  She qualified as a primary teacher in 2008 (DCU, St Patrick’s College), and completed an MSc. i nGnó agus i dTeicneolaíocht an Eolais in 2011 (DCU, Fiontar).

Susan worked as an Education Officer (Language) with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment for three years on the Primary Language Curriculum. 

Susan is interested in language development in early childhood education and the use of digital resources to support children’s first and second language learning. 

This is Susan's third year serving on the LAI executive committee. 

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Maureen Colleran

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Maureen Colleran is Assistant Lecturer in Education with expertise in Digital Technologies in Marino Institute of Education. Maureen has almost two decades of experience working in various educational settings. She previously worked as Administrative Principal of Scoil Nioclás Naofa, Dunmore, as a Primary Literacy Advisor with the PDST and as a primary school teacher. Maureen’s research interests include digital literacy, emergent literacy and literacy skills development. Maureen has been a member of the LAI Executive Committee since 2023.

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Niamh Fortune

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Niamh Fortune is Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Social Sciences at Maynooth University. She is an Associate Professor in Literacy and former Head of the Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education.

Prior to joining Maynooth University, Niamh was a primary school teacher and has contributed extensively to national curriculum reform. She served as a member of the design team for the Primary Language Curriculum (NCCA, 2019) and as an English Cúiditheoir with the Primary Curriculum Support Programme. Niamh has previously acted as President of LAI (2012-2013).

Niamh’s research focuses on the teaching of reading, reading for pleasure, literacy and play, and teacher efficacy in reading instruction. Rooted in her early experiences as both teacher and trainer, her scholarship is driven by a deep interest in how children learn to read and how educators can be best supported to nurture literacy development. Her current research focuses on preparing student teachers to teach reading.

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Alison Nulty

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Alison Nulty is a PhD candidate and part-time lecturer in Early Childhood Education at the DCU Institute of Education. She spent seven years as a primary school teacher, primarily teaching infant classes in a DEIS Band 1 school in Dublin. During this time, she was responsible for infant literacy policy and coordinated a range of home–school literacy initiatives. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Professional Educators and Managers Ireland (PEMI).

Alison has previously worked as a Teaching Fellow in Early Childhood Education at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, where she lectured on early language and literacy development from birth to age six, playful pedagogies, and early childhood curriculum and policy. She later worked as an Assistant Lecturer in Literacy Education at Marino Institute of Education, teaching across the B.Sc. in Early Childhood Education and B.Ed. programmes and supervising undergraduate research focused on early literacy development. She has also worked as a Research Assistant with the Educational Studies Association of Ireland (ESAI).

Her research interests centre on language and literacy development in early childhood, with a particular emphasis on unconstrained literacy skills. She holds a Master’s in Education Studies (Early Childhood Education) from Marino Institute of Education (2020), where her research explored dialogic shared book reading between parents and junior infant children in a DEIS Band 1 context. Her doctoral research examines how a cross-sector professional learning community (PLC) involving pre-primary and primary educators can support continuity and progression in vocabulary learning across the transition to primary school.

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Amie Ryan

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Amie is a primary school teacher who completed a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick (MIC) in 2012. She completed a Master of Education with a focus on literacy in 2017. She is a PhD candidate at MIC, with research focused on Inclusive Reading Pedagogy in Multigrade Classrooms. She has taught at all primary class levels and has held a variety of leadership positions. She has five years’ experience working with the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) as an advisor of the Primary Language Curriculum Team. She is currently working as a Lecturer in Literacy and Language Education at Mary Immaculate College.

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Amy McLoughlin

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​Amy is an Assistant Principal in Ashbourne Community School. Amy completed her Master of Education, Literacy Professional Practice (MEDLPP) with DCU in 2023. Her research examined the relationship between arts-based pedagogies, and student engagement, oral language, and writing development, in the Junior Cycle classroom. Teaching L2LP, Junior Cycle, and Leaving Certificate students means that Amy has a broad understanding of the literacy challenges facing students, and teachers, in today’s society. 

Amy is particularly interested in the promotion and embedding of literacy on a whole-school basis. She seeks to empower post-primary teachers of all subjects, to develop their literacy leadership, and recognise the centrality of literacy to students’ holistic development. Arts-based teaching and learning are central to her teaching practice. 

Amy has shared her research in both poster and workshop form at previous LAI conferences. This is her first year on the executive committee.

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​​Jacqueline de Brún

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Ollamh Cúnta i Scoil na Teanga, na Litearthachta agus an Oideachais Luath-Óige, Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath / Assistant Professor in DCU

Is léachtóir san oideachas í Jacqueline. Baineann a PhD le léitheoireacht na Gaeilge. Bhí sí ina bunmhúinteoir Gaelscoile agus ina Comhairleoir Oideachais. Bhí sí ina stiúrthóir ar an chlár léitheoireachta Cleite agus ina bainisteoir tionscadail ar dhearadh clár fónaice don Ghaeilge. Is údar í don chlár Léigh Liom ag Folens. Tá sí ag obair ar an tionscadal In Ord & in Eagar le COGG. Tá dhá úrscéal scríofa aici do pháistí agus í aitheanta mar údar ar Phortráidí na Scríbhneoirí Gaeilge. Tá sí ar an Chiste Craoltóireachta Gaeilge do na meáin Ghaeilge agus baint aici le soláthar clár teilifíse do pháistí. 

Jacqueline is a lecturer in education and has completed a PhD on the teaching and learning of reading in Irish and has published research in this area. She was previously an Irish-medium primary teacher and an Education Advisor in the Áisaonad and in COGG. She managed the production of the reading programme Cleite and the phonics programmes Fónaic na Gaeilge & Cód na Gaeilge and is currently involved in the In Ord & in Eagar project with COGG. She is an author for the Léigh Liom series, Folens. She has written two children’s novels with recognition in Portráidí na Scríbhneoirí Gaeilge. She is on the Irish Language Broadcasting Fund and has writing and advisory roles in the production of children’s programmes for children.

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Josephine Brady

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Josephine Brady is Course Co-ordinator of the SPhD/MEd in Literacy Education programme at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. Josephine previously worked as a lecturer and senior lecturer in the UK. Her educational background is in English Language and Literature (UoB) and creative writing (Trinity). She is experienced in teaching and advising in primary and post-primary settings. Her research interests include children and young people’s writing, health literacy, poetry and research methodologies. Josephine has been a member of the LAI Executive Committee since 2025.

 

Laura Capon

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With extensive teaching experience across a variety of educational settings, Laura brings a deep and diverse perspective to teaching and learning. She has experience of teaching all primary class levels, including as a special education teacher, as well as having taught in special classes. Her career has included teaching in Dubai, the UK and Ireland, where she has held various leadership roles including; literacy co-ordinator, music lead, SPHE curriculum development member, science lead, coach and mentor and currently is an assistant principal II for literacy in a DEIS Band I school. Laura is a part-time lecturer with Mary Immaculate College in the Literacy and Language Department, as well as being a school placement tutor. Additionally, she has held the position of Teaching Fellow at Hibernia college. She is an academic tutor and assessor on the Literacy and Language, Curriculum Studies, Inclusion, and School Placement modules, as well as serving as subject lead for Drama Education with Hibernia College. She is also a school placement tutor.

Laura graduated from Mary Immaculate College with a Bachelor of Arts in 2011. Following this, she graduated with a Graduate Diploma in Primary Education in 2013. With a passion for school leadership, Laura was awarded with a first-class honours in her Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Leadership and Management with Maynooth University in 2020. She completed Year 1 of the M Ed in Literacy Education in Mary Immaculate College, now pursuing a PhD in Literacy Education, with a research focus on how teachers lead literacy in primary schools, exploring teacher leadership self-perceptions and leadership for literacy experiences. Laura’s research interests include; whole-school approaches to literacy education, collaborative practices, instructional leadership, middle leadership, professional learning in education.

 

Lorraine Lawrance

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Lorraine Lawrance is an Assistant Professor in Education at Hibernia College, where she serves as Module Lead for Languages, Literacy and Learning and Subject Lead for English. Her professional and academic work is grounded in a strong commitment to literacy, equity, and teacher education. Lorraine completed her PhD in Literacy Education (MIC) with a focus on exploring the use of picturebooks to support disciplinary literacy in the Irish primary school context. She is the author of Over the Moon and Word Wizard (Gill Education) and is the Series Editor of Cosán na Gealaí, a Gaeilge literacy series for primary schools. She was also a research team member on the Building Bridges of Understanding programme. Prior to entering higher education, Lorraine spent 17 years teaching in a DEIS Band 1 primary school, experience which continues to inform her research and teaching. Her Master’s degree in Education (MIC) focused on the teaching of reading comprehension in a disadvantaged school setting. Lorraine is a co-founder of the Centre for Children’s Literature and Pedagogy Ireland (CCLPI) and is a reviewer for the Irish Journal of Education. Her research interests include children’s literature, initial teacher education, literacy development, and curricular reform.

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Sarah Quirke

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Sarah Quirke is a primary school teacher in Tipperary and has been teaching for ten years. In 2016 she completed her Bachelor of Education with a specialism in Language and Literacy Development in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. In 2022, she began her Masters of Education in Literacy Education (Mary Immaculate College, Limerick), and graduated in 2024. Her dissertation focused on the children’s literature preferences of students and teachers in a DEIS Band 1 school. Sarah has a keen interest in Reading for Pleasure, children’s literature, reading spaces and diversity within children’s literature. She has been working in a DEIS Band 1 school for seven years and is on the DEIS Literacy planning committee in her school. She has also facilitated webinars in the areas of Reading for Pleasure and children’s literature with Education Centres around Ireland. She has shared her research at national and international conferences. Sarah also has an interest in the INTO (Irish National Teachers Organisation) and is a district delegate in her local branch.