Mairéad O’Flynn, IPPN Board Member
- Published: 05 December 2017
Mairéad is former principal of Scoil Mhuire NS, Ballymore Eustace, Co Kildare where she was principal for 24 years. She is a practising barrister in the area of civil law and her areas of interest are Data Protection, child law advocacy and education law. Mairéad completed the Advanced Diploma in Data Protection Law at the King's Inns, Dublin. She participates as a "Cara" on the CSL Mentoring programme and is a member of the IPPN Board of Directors.
Padraig McCabe
- Published: 04 December 2017
Padraig is principal of
St. Mary's Junior NS, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, a mainstream, co-educational school with DEIS Band 1 status. He holds several post-graduate diplomas as well as a Masters in Educational Leadership. He has represented IPPN on a number of committees and forums, including presenting a submission to the Oireachtas Committee for Social Inclusion; he is IPPN National Coordinator for Children and Young People Services Committees; a member of the DCU-based Prevention of Hunger in Schools Strategy Group and the working group convened by Diabetes Ireland.
Padraig is Chairperson of his local School Completion Programme and a Board member of Archways. Padraig has been a member of the IPPN National Conference Venue Committee since 2010 and also from 2004-2006. He is a trained Mentor with the Centre for School Leadership and also acts as a ‘Cara’ to mentors.
Louise Tobin, IPPN President
- Published: 04 December 2017
Louise has been principal of St. Joseph’s Primary School in Tipperary Town since 2009. She previously worked for a year with School Development Planning as a facilitator, and for a further year with the Primary Development Service for Teachers as an advisor, during which time she completed post-graduate studies in School Planning. Louise worked in Grange NS, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary for 20 years, and was Acting Principal there for 2 years. She has experience as both teaching and administrative principalship.
Louise was the Tipperary representative on the IPPN National Council since 2017 and subsequently served on the Board of Directors for 5 years. Louise has been a very strong advocate for schools in areas of disadvantage, seeking extra resources under the DEIS scheme. Louise is on the DEIS Advisory Group.
Other areas of interest for Louise in her Presidency are:
- Further development of the Local Support Group Project
- Membership engagement to include Newly Appointed Principals.
Louise has a strong interest in school planning as a powerful means of promoting school effectiveness and development. She was elected IPPN Deputy President/President-elect in June 2021 and serves as president from September 2023 to August 2025.
County Committee
- Published: 28 September 2017
A County Network consists of school leaders all of which are current members and are located within the 26 counties. One of the general functions of your County Network Committee is to cultivate a sense of professional collegiality amongst school leaders in their county through a combination of professional and personal networking. Check out the roles of the County Network Committee
| IPPN County Committee - Representation | |
| Role | No. |
| Administrative Principal | 58 |
| Teaching Principal | 40 |
| Teaching Deputy Principal | 4 |
Click here to view who is representing your County on the County Network Committee
Denise Ward, IPPN Board Member
- Published: 13 April 2016
Denise graduated 
from Coláiste Mhuire Marino in 1991 with a B.Ed and began her teaching career at Cnoc Mhuire JNS, Killinarden, in Tallaght. Denise moved to Ratoath National School in Co. Meath in 2000 where she spent 8 very happy years and worked with some fantastic teachers and friends. Denise then moved to St. Kilian’s N.S. in Mullagh, Co. Cavan for one year before her appointment as Teaching Principal at Scoil Mhuire Moynalty in 2009.
Scoil Mhuire Moynalty is Ireland’s first Passive House energy efficient primary school building and it opened in 2012. It is a small rural 5-teacher school with two SEN posts.
Denise is one of Meath’s representatives on IPPN’s National Council and was co-opted to the Board of Directors at the end of 2015. As a Teaching Principal, Denise believes that membership of IPPN is the most valuable and powerful tool she has to support her in her role. The immeasurable volume of advice, resources and information available through IPPN is what makes her daily challenges achievable.
Denise is very committed to CPD and believes in the continuous promotion of CPD for all teachers, especially whole school CPD to support up-skilling and collaborative learning within the school team.
Denise is a past pupil of Carnaross N.S. and Eureka Secondary School and now lives close to home in Kells, Co. Meath with her husband Peter and two teenage sons Luke and Rory.
