PHILOSOPHY OUTREACH
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Since 2010 I have been involved in teaching philosophy outside academia, in schools, adult education centers, and in public lectures. I have written for school magazines, and in the British and Irish media about the importance of philosophy in education. In 2016 I was appointed Patron of SAPERE, the UK charity promoting philosophy in schools.
I am also an associate of the Philosophy in Education Project, a UK organization lobbying for philosophy in British schools. In Ireland, in 2015 I served as a consultant for the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in Ireland which oversaw the introduction of Philosophy into the Junior Cycle of the curriculum.
Co-founder and Chair of Philosophy Ireland, I worked with a collective of academics, school teachers, community workers, and philosophy enthusiasts whose goal is to promote philosophical dialogue at every level of Irish society. The President of Ireland, Michael. D. Higgins held a reception for Philosophy Ireland on World Philosophy Day, 2016 at the Áras an Uachtaráin (the President’s speech is available online).
 President Michael D. Higgins at a Reception for Philosophy Ireland, World Philosophy Day 19th November 2016 |  President Higgins speaking on the importance of philosophy at the Áras an Uachtaráin, Dublin. |  Philosophy Ireland, Áras an Uachtaráin, World Philosophy Day, 2016. |
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 Philosophy Ireland Steering Committee at Launch. August 27th, 2016. |  Patron of Philosophy Ireland, First Lady of Ireland, Sabina Higgins |  Front page of the Irish Daily Mail |
 Director of NCCA, Patrick Sullivan with Sabina Higgins |  Philosophy Ireland launch makes the Irish Daily Mail. |
Selected Invited Presentations
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February 2017: Keynote speaker, Philosophy is for everyone, The Storey Institute, Lancaster University.
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November 2016: Invited speaker, reception with President of Ireland at Áras an Uachtaráin.
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November 2016: Keynote speaker at SAPERE AGM, Royal National Hotel, London.
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December 2015: TEDx UCD: Philosophy is a Right, University College Dublin.
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October 2015: Keynote speaker at Roundtable on Philosophy in Schools organized by NCCA, Dublin.
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August 2015: Philosophy in the Irish School (co-organizer) at University College Dublin, Ireland
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July 2015: Invited speaker at the 'Philosophy in Schools with Students' conference at the University of Leeds.
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June 2015: Invited to speak at Queen's University, Belfast (QUB) at a Philosophy for Children Taster Day.
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February 2015: Invited speaker, Society for Women in Philosophy Ireland Mentoring Workshop.
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September 2014: Keynote speaker at the British Philosophical Postgraduate Association at the University of Leeds on the topic ‘Philosophy Outside Academia’.
Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland
Primary Schools Initiative
After gaining a SAPERE certificate in teaching philosophy and critical thinking to primary school children, I initiated a scheme for Queen’s University philosophy undergraduates to earn this certificate and teach in local primary schools. The program is still going strong at Queen’s University. Since its inception over hundreds of primary school pupils in the Belfast area have engaged in Philosophy for Children.
Philosophy in Schools in Northern Ireland
As an eight times recipient of the Royal Institute of Philosophy Jacobsen Fellowship I taught introductory philosophy courses in five Belfast secondary schools, securing one quarter of the Royal Institute of Philosophy's annual schools budget for Northern Ireland in 2010-11. I hosted schools philosophy conferences at Queen’s University, Belfast (Nov 2010; May 2012). Both conferences were generously funded by the Royal Institute of Philosophy, London, UK.
Philosophy for Teachers in Ireland
As Philosophy Associate for the Northern Ireland exam board CCEA, I ran annual day-long sessions on teaching ethics and philosophy of religion (GCSE, AS & A2 Level) to school teachers in Northern Ireland. I also wrote a regular column in Northern Ireland's in-house teaching magazine. The aim was to encourage the teaching of philosophy in Irish schools - both North and South of the border.