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Anseo.net - If I were the Minister for Education

by Simon Lewis

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Latest episodes

Interview 41: Aoife Hughes (ADHD Coach)

October 22, 2026 · 46 min

In this episode of If I Were the Minister for Education, I speak with Aoife Hughes, a professional ADHD coach and educator, during ADHD Awareness Month. Aoife shares her story as a late-identified ADHD and autistic woman, her experiences…
Interview 40: Ronan McGovern

October 20, 2026 · 38 min

In this episode of If I Were the Minister for Education, I speak with Ronan McGovern about ADHD and its impact in Irish primary and secondary schooling. Ronan outlines his education and career path from Dublin to accounting, King’s Inns…
Interview 39: Removing Diagnosis for Special Education with Debbie O’Neill

October 16, 2026 · 54 min

In this episode, I speak with Debbie O’Neill, principal of Scoil Eoin in Crumlin about Department-level proposals to remove diagnosis as a criterion for access to special classes and special schools, replacing it with a needs-based model…
A Very Alternative Budget 2027

October 3, 2026 · 49 min

In this week’s podcast I focus on Budget 2027, outlining an alternative primary education budget and arguing that annual measures like capitation increases, extra teachers, and more SNAs prop up a flawed system rather than changing it…
Unconvention: Patronage Report Stage 1

September 6, 2026 · 30 min

In this first report on patronage, I introduce my Unconvention fringe to the Convention on Education, where I gather public responses and research (using AI to help collate and draft) into reports and podcast episodes; this second report…

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Interview 38: Ciara O'Connor Walsh

August 17, 2026 · 42 min

In this episode, I speak with Ciara O’Connor Walsh, Creative Director at youth mental health charity A Lust For Life, about the transition from primary to secondary school. We discuss how practical worries (lockers, timetables, getting…
Interview 37: Noel Davidson

August 11, 2026 · 36 min

I welcome Noel Davidson to the podcast to discuss entrepreneurship education and practical problem-solving in Irish schools. Noel shares his own education and career journey from horticulture into starting businesses and becoming Head of…
Interview 36: Grace Brennan

July 7, 2026 · 33 min

In this episode of If I Were the Minister for Education, I speak with Grace Brennan, founder of Higgle, about process-driven visual arts and creative thinking in primary classrooms. Grace shares her education journey from County Wexford to…
Interview 35: Eithne Walsh

June 27, 2026 · 45 min

I was delighted to meet Eithne Walsh, CEO of Féach Vision Support Services, to talk about improving supports for blind and visually impaired children in Irish mainstream schools. Eithne shares how her two children gradually lost their…
Education Unconvention: Reading 1

June 14, 2026 · 46 min

Education Unconvention: Big Questions About ReadingI introduce the Education Unconvention as a fringe-style, discussion-based subset of my podcast, designed to complement and sometimes challenge the Convention on Education by sharing…
Interview 34: Patty McGee

May 24, 2026 · 31 min

In this episode of If I Were the Minister for Education, I speak with US educator, consultant and author Patty McGee about transforming grammar teaching away from dry worksheets and red-pen correction towards inquiry, curiosity and…
Interview 33: Gavin Doyle

April 25, 2026 · 51 min

In this episode of “If I were the Minister for Education”, I interview Gavin Doyle, a Dublin secondary teacher and founder of Examinaite, about AI and technology in education. Gavin describes his path from teaching and high-level…

Full episode archive on Apple Podcasts →

About the show

How many times have you said to yourself, "If I were the Minister for Education…?" Well I do! Rather than grumble to myself, I decided to podcast my thoughts on ways I'd change the primary education system in Ireland. Every episode I'll take on a different theme, give some background and hopefully come to some conclusions by the end. simonmlewis.substack.com