Save the dates! PDA Annual Conferences once again promises to be an enlightening, thought-provoking event as well as an opportunity for Principals and Deputies to learn from the sharing of each others lived experiences. Conference Schedule, registration, accommodation etc available at this link https://pda.ie/
Hear Jarlath Burns speak on Wednesday 15th, Jarlath has been involved in education for 34 years and his last ten years has been as principal of St. Paul’s Bessbrook, which is seen as a beacon of education in the North.
Mary was appointed Principal in St Paul’s Secondary School Oughterard Galway in 1993. In 2005 she was seconded as Assistant National Coordination to the Leadership Development for Schools (LDS) team and coordinated programmes such as Misneach-the programme for newly appointed Principals and Forbairt –a development programme for established Principals and Deputy Principals. She is currently seconded as National Director of 
Domnall Fleming is a senior inspector with the Department of Education and Skills (DES) and is based in the Munster region. He graduated from University College Cork (UCC) with a Masters degree in Geography and a Higher Diploma in Education in 1983. He taught in a number of second-level schools in Cork city and county, and for fourteen years was a teacher of Geography and English, and an assistant principal, in Coláiste Choilm in Ballincollig, Co Cork. He was seconded on a part-time basis to the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) as Education Officer to the Leaving Certificate Course Committee from 1996-2002 and lectured, also on a part-time basis, to PGDE geography students in UCC from 1997-2002. In 2002, he was appointed inspector for Geography with the DES Inspectorate and was promoted to senior inspector in 2004. In the period 2008 to 2012 he completed school-based research relating to student voice in Irish post-primary schools and was conferred with a PhD in Education at UCC in 2013.
Dr. Maureen Griffin, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. holds an honours degree in Applied Psychology, a Masters in Forensic Psychology and a Ph.D. in Applied (Forensic) Psychology (specifically in the area of Sex Offender Assessment). Maureen is Director of MGMS Training Limited and has visited over 600 schools (primary & post primary) and organisations across Ireland speaking with students, staff, BOM members and parents regarding issues around social media, cyber-bullying and internet and mobile phone safety. Maureen has also delivered presentations around social media for the HSE, Brothers of Charity, NEPS, Gardaí and the NAPD. Maureen has presented at the ILSA Conference, CESIT Conference, 4th Biennial Child Protection & Welfare Social Work Conference, UCC and Youth Mental Health Conferences across Ireland.
Dr. Seán Ruth is an Organisational Psychologist who was formerly Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Head of the Department of Organisational and Social Studies at the National College of Industrial Relations, Dublin.
