The Donegal Education and Training Board (ETB) has announced that Mrs Caroline McCauley has been appointed as the new Deputy Principal of Gairmscoil Mhic Diarmada on Arranmore Island.
Mrs McCauley replaces Mr. Daniel Doherty who retired at the end of the last school year.
Established in 1990, Gairmscoil Mhic Diarmada is a cornerstone of the local community, offering young people the opportunity to complete their second level education while staying close to home. It is one of two island post-primary schools in County Donegal. As a Gaeltacht school, Gairmscoil Mhic Diarmada can currently provide educational programs through both Irish and English.
Caroline will be working with the recently appointed Principal, Derval Newman, and a team of about twenty at the school on the island of Arranmore, which has about one hundred students.
She is originally from Arranmore Island and is a former student of MacDiarmada Vocational School. Caroline began her teaching career in a post-primary school in 2004, after obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in English and Geography and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the University of Galway. In 2008, she gained a Cambridge CELTA qualification and in 2014 she completed a Professional Diploma in Mathematics for Teaching with the University of Limerick.
Caroline was appointed as a member of the school’s Board of Management in 2019 and has been chair of the Board since 2023. In 2021 she became Program Coordinator and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in School Leadership with the University of Limerick in 2022.
Speaking about her new appointment, Mrs McCauley said: “As an islander, as a proud former student of Ghairmscoil Mic Diarmada and as a member of staff since 2004, I have a close relationship with the school and the families we serve. I am excited to take on the role of Deputy Principal. I am looking forward to working with our new Principal Derval Newman, the dedicated staff, our students and the wider community of Mac Diarmada Vocational School to continue to contribute to the holistic development of students on their educational journey, as well as enable them to have meaningful input inside and outside the classroom. I am looking forward to starting this new chapter in my career.”
Congratulating Caroline on her appointment, Dr Martin Gormley, Director of ETB Donegal schools, said, “I would like to congratulate Caroline on her appointment as the new Deputy Principal of MacDiarmada Vocational School. I am convinced that her leadership will help promote the development and consolidation of the school as part of a strong community that is interested in promoting education on the island. Caroline and Principal Derval Newman will be part of the senior leadership team at the school. I am looking forward to seeing the positive impact they will undoubtedly have in their respective roles as the school goes from strength to strength.”
Caroline McCauley’s appointment comes at a critical time in the school’s history, coinciding with the opening of new facilities on campus. This increase reflects MacDiarmada Vocational School’s ongoing commitment to improving its facilities and enriching the educational experience of each student. Guided by a mission to promote, offer and support accessible and inclusive learning, the school enables pupils to achieve their highest potential, fostering a spirit of resilience and achievement.
Gairmscoil Mhic Diarmada is one of fifteen out of twenty-seven post-primary schools in the county under the management of ETB Donegal, the largest education and training provider in the county, and it is also a trustee of eight other Community and Comprehensive Schools in the county. county. More than 5,900 students attended ETB Donegal post-primary schools in the 2023/24 school year.
Tags: