Aoife O'Connor

Aoife O’Connor is Deputy Principal of Tierneevin National School, which is a four-teacher school in south Galway. She qualified from Mary Immaculate College in 2005. She has taught in a variety of school settings including St. Attracta’s Senior School in Ballinteer and the School of the Holy Spirit in Kilkenny. She has been in Tierneevin N.S. since 2008 and is currently teaching Junior and Senior Infants.

With a keen interest in sustainable leadership, Aoife completed a Masters in the Leadership of Wellbeing in Education in Mary Immaculate College in 2021. She conducted research on the Wellbeing of Teaching Principals in small schools. This research was included in the Sustainable Leadership report published by the IPPN.

Developing professional relationships with local colleagues has always been important to Aoife and led to her being Chairperson of her local INTO branch. Aoife also helped with the formation of a local support group for both principals and deputies in the South Galway/ North Clare area. Through this Aoife has supported the facilitation of CPD in a number of areas for this group. She is also an Associate with the Oide Leadership Team, supporting newly appointed deputy principals on the Tánaiste programme and assistant principals on the Comhar programme.

Aoife is an active member of the IPPN and has served as National Council representative for Galway County. During this time she has presented seminars on Co-leadership. She is also currently working as a mentor on the pilot Deputy Principal Group Mentoring Programme. Aoife is interested in playful learning, outdoor education, the arts and the GAA.