When the Department of Adult and Community Education at Maynooth University marked its 50th anniversary, it did so in a way that reflected everything the department stands for — participation, inclusion and community. “We deliberately called it a gathering,” says Dr Mary Ryan, who led the Department from 2015 to 2023 and helped organise the event. “It felt like the right word for what we wanted to create — a space to reconnect and to recognise everyone who has shaped the Department over the years.”
Held in the School of Education, the evening brought together former and current staff, graduates, collaborators and friends — people who have been part of the department’s story across five decades.
Musical performance and President Prof Eeva Leinonen and Prof Emerita Anne Ryan at the gathering.
The department began in 1975 as a small centre within St. Patrick’s College, focused on creating opportunities for adults to return to learning. Over the years, it has led pioneering work in areas such as Deaf Studies, crisis pregnancy counselling, and the Kilkenny Campus — just a few examples of its commitment to inclusive, socially engaged education. Today, it remains Ireland’s only academic department dedicated to adult and community education and research.
Music from Froebel students opened the evening, followed by reflections from MU President, Prof Eeva Leinonen, former Emeritus President MU, Prof Tom Collins, former Chair of Department, Prof Emerita Anne Ryan, and current Head of Department, Prof Camilla Fitzsimons. Poet Jane Clarke read a specially commissioned piece written for the occasion.
You can listen to a recording of the poem 'Hedge School' by Jane Clarke here.
Guests were invited to contribute their own memories, reflections or drawings to posters representing each decade of the department’s history, with a final panel — 2025 and Beyond — inviting thoughts on the future. The accompanying posters from each decade, which you can view below, offered a visual record of key milestones and moments.
A new digital archive was also launched on the night, capturing these milestones and inviting ongoing contributions from anyone connected to the department.
You can explore the Department’s digital archive here.
For Mary and her colleagues, the aim was simple: to bring people together. “We wanted people to see themselves in the story”, she says. “That’s what adult and community education is — it’s about dialogue, participation and shared experience to create a more just world.”
What stayed with her most was the feeling in the room. “What surprised me was the sense of joy”, she reflects. “People came away feeling connected — it reminded us all why we do this work.”
Fifty years on, that sense of connection and belonging continues to shape the Department’s work and its place within Maynooth University.
Learn More about Maynooth University’s Department of Adult and Community Education (DACE) and explore courses here.
