Laura Sinnott
President
I hold a BA Hons in German and History, and an MPhil in Public History and Cultural Heritage from Trinity College, Dublin. After graduating I moved to Vienna, where I lived and taught at an Austrian secondary school for a number of years and fell even more deeply in love with the German language. I completed my PGDE in German at the University of Edinburgh and taught at a number of schools in Scotland before returning to Dublin, where I am from. I now teach German and History at St Dominic's College, Cabra.
Andrea Battes
Goethe Institut Irland Liaison Officer
I grew up in a small town in the southwest of Germany near the border to France.
After finishing my studies at Saarland University, I moved to Hamburg where I was teaching for more than ten years at German secondary schools. I am a qualified post-primary teacher for German as a Foreign Language, English, Spanish and History. I fell in love with Ireland for the first time in 2005 when I came over with the Erasmus programme and was based for one semester at University of Limerick. Since September 2023 I have been teaching at Goethe-Institut Irland and last year I took over the educational services (Bildungskooperation/PASCH) there as well.
Breeda Corcoran
PRO
My BA hons degree is in German and Mathematics both of which I teach. I also hold an MSc in Mathematics Education. After my degree I spent time as a Foreign Language Assistant in Stralsund Germany working in a German school and immersed in German culture. On my return to Ireland I spent two years working through the medium of German before completing my teaching qualification. Since then I’ve travelled to Germany many times and love seeing different parts of Germany. I’m currently teaching in Moyne Community School in Longford.
Medb Farrell
TPN Coordinatior
Corinna Kearns
Treasurer
I grew up in Burladingen, a small town in the Swabian Alps in the south of Germany. I have a MA in English and Theology (Eberhard-Karls-University Tübingen) and a MA in German (NUI Maynooth). I completed my teacher training in Germany and moved to Ireland in 2004. I taught German and Religious Education in Swords and now teach German and Religious Studies in Donabate. I enjoy teaching German as it provides an opportunity to teach the students a new language but also to introduce the pupils to the cultural aspects behind the language.
Christine Lee
Secretary
I am a German and English teacher in CBS in Dungarvan. I studied English in UCC and then moved to Germany to be an assistant in the teaching of English as a foreign language in Internat Hermann Lietz, Schloß Bieberstein near Fulda in Hessen. There I fell in love with my Leaving Certificate German language skills all over again. When I returned home to Ireland, I studied a HDip in German and then the PME in UCC, finishing in 2022. I am now head of German in my school, an AP2 Post holder as leader of Learning and Teaching, run an annual exchange with the SBSZ in Hildburghausen, and laugh with my students at least once a day.
Maria McCarthy
Webmaster
I grew up in a small town in Lower-Austria, approximately an hour away from Vienna. My two passions in life are music and languages.
I completed a diploma in Musical Theatre before I decided to go into teaching. For my BEd. I studied in Vienna, where I lived for 14 years before I decided to move to Ireland. I also obtained a MSc. for Foreign Language Teaching at Mercy College, New York. My latest accomplishment is being the co-author of "Auf Kurs", a new German language textbook for senior cycle, which has been published in early 2024.
