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08 Jan 2026

Revealed: Worrying amount of male teachers at primary school level in Tipperary

Of the 1,505 teachers in Tipperary, only 250 are men, representing 16.6% of the teaching workforce in the county.

Worrying low amount of male teachers at primary school level in Tipperary

Of the 1,505 teachers in Tipperary, only 250 are men, representing 16.6% of the teaching workforce in the county.

Reporter:

Darragh O’Flynn

07 Jan 2026 7:33 PM

Michael Murphy TD has expressed concern about the low representation of male teachers in primary schools in the Premier County. 
Of the 1,505 primary teachers in Tipperary, only 250 are men, representing 16.6% of the primary school teaching workforce in the county.
Tipperary has fewer male teachers compared to other counties such as Dublin (1,789), Cork (899), Galway (403), Limerick (346), Kildare (307), and Meath (297).
The figures exclude principals. 
Murphy believes that the matter should be taken 'seriously at the local level.'
"The low number of male primary teachers in Tipperary reflects a national trend," Murphy said.
"I think it’s something we should take seriously at the local level.
"For me, a more balanced teaching workforce matters, and that’s not because one gender is better than another, but I think children will always benefit from seeing a range of role models in their early education.
"Children do benefit from a diverse teaching workforce. We should be encouraging more men to see primary teaching as a rewarding and respected career, so I think we need to tackle outdated perceptions and ensure the profession is properly valued and supported."
When asked about the low number of male teachers at the primary level, Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, stated that she is committed to ensuring all children have a positive school experience.
“This Government is fully committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience, with access to qualified, engaged teachers dedicated to supporting their learning,” Naughton said.
“The Department produces and publishes a range of data on teachers, including the gender of teachers appointed.
“The data, including the number of male and female teachers in the education system at both primary and post-primary levels each year for the period 2015 to 2025, may be found on the Teacher Statistics section of the Department's website, using this link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/publications/teacher-statistics/
“The ratio of female to male teachers in primary and post-primary schools (Excl ETBs) in the 2024/25 school year was 6:1 and 2:1, respectively.
“In addition, the Department recently published three reports on teacher supply, including an analysis of the Teaching Council register, a survey of substitutes, and a survey of teacher unmet demand in post-primary schools.
“An analysis of teacher payroll data as of March 2025 shows that 79,225 teachers are employed in our schools across the country, including 43,221 at the primary level (including special schools) and 36,004 in post-primary schools.
“From data provided by the Department’s payroll in June 2025 for the 2024/2025 school year, there were 68,175 teachers (excluding principals) in primary and post-primary schools (excluding ETBs).”

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