Niamh Fortune is an Associate Professor in the Froebel Department, specialising in the area of literacy. She is Head of Department and teaches language and literacy to both undergraduate and postgraduate students in education.

Niamh qualified as a primary school teacher and has a broad range of teaching experience. She previously worked as a cuiditheoir in English with the Primary Curriculum Support Programme. She is a Past President (on two occasions) and current Executive Committee member of the Literacy Association of Ireland.

Most recently, Niamh was a member of the design team for the Primary Language Curriculum (2019) with the NCCA. She has designed and delivered workshops with Kildare Libraries for parents and teachers, sessions for newly qualified teachers with the National Induction Programme, and continuous professional development for local schools.

Her research interests include the teaching of writing, reading for pleasure, and literacy and play. Niamh’s formative years as a teacher and trainer nurtured a deep interest in how children learn to read, and her current research focuses on teacher efficacy in the teaching of reading.

Dr Becky Long holds a BA in English Studies, an MPhil in Children’s Literature, and a Doctorate in Irish Children’s Literature from Trinity College Dublin, as well as an MA in Child, Youth and Family Studies from IT Carlow. She has a background in youth facilitation and outreach through Trinity College’s Access Programme and Citywise Education.

Since 2016, Becky has worked with Children’s Books Ireland in various capacities, including as a Book Doctor, and joined the core team as Education Outreach Manager in 2023. Her work focuses on supporting school communities to develop, sustain, and celebrate cultures of reading for joy.