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Board of Governors

Mr Sean Mahon – Chairperson (Trustee Appointee)

Sean has been a St Mary’s governor for 15 years and has served as Chairperson for the past 9 years.

Sean is past pupil and has been involved with the school in a number of capacities over the years.

Sean currently owns a number of successful telecoms and IT companies throughout the UK and has previously served as a Board Member of St Mary’s University College, a director with the Business Services Organisation, NI-CO and has been a strategic advisor to the Communications Industry Taskforce

 

Rev Brother Pearse Carlin – Vice-Chairperson (Trustee Appointee)

Br Carlin has been involved in education for many years.

He taught RE, Mathematics and Computer Studies in Christian Brother Schools in Belfast, Armagh and Newry.

He ended his teaching in St Mary’s in 1999 as Vice-Principal.

Br Carlin has served as a governor in Omagh, Armagh and several Belfast schools.

 

Ms Sinéad Larkin (Trustee Appointee)

Sinéad Larkin (Steele)

Sinéad is a Family Law Solicitor and has been in practice since 1997 having graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a Degree in Law in 1995. Sinéad is a partner in private practice and is an accredited Children Order Panel and Guardian Ad Litem Panel Solicitor. Sinéad is an enrolled member of both Law Societies of Ireland (north and south) and is a member of the Family Law Solicitors Association.

Sinéad has previously been the Chairperson of a local Preschool & Nursery in North Belfast and is a member of St Enda’s GAC, Glengormley, where she fulfilled the role of Club Registrar for a number of years.

Sinéad is married to Declan and their sons currently attend St Mary’s. They are the third generation of Steele’s to attend the school thus cementing a long association with St Mary’s CBGS.

 

Professor Eamonn McCartan (Trustee Appointee)

 

 

Mrs Eileen Donnelly (DENI Appointee)

Eileen is the GL Associate in NI with particular interest in combining and analysing school data to build individual student profiles as learners enabling targeted interventions.  Her work is driven by the passionate belief that developing the whole child and understanding their specific barriers to learning is central to academic success.

Prior to joining GL her work with the NIELB included school improvement, curriculum development and facilitation and mentoring support for Head Teachers and Pastoral Leaders. With qualifications including B.Ed., M.ED, diplomas in Guidance & Counseling and Neuro Linguistic Programming she has studied at the Jensen Corporation in California and in Washington DC. A member of the National Executive of NAPCE she has presented at international conferences on the significance of personal development on educational attainment. Her research on school ethos, vision and values informed her work as Associate Lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University.

Overseas work includes workshop facilitation for Head Teachers in Uganda and Kenya on management issues.

 

Mrs Margaret McCrory (DENI Appointee)

Margaret is a graduate of Queens University Belfast and an Associate of The Chartered Institute of Marketing.

She has worked in marketing and communications roles throughout her career. She currently works in public health communications and has a particular interest in health and well-being.

 

Ms Sarah O’Reilly (DENI Appointee)

Sarah has been a practicing barrister since 2003, practicing in the fields of family, matrimonial, administrative law and inquests.

As well as playing an active role in the Bar of NI, Sarah was called to the Bar of Ireland in 2011.

Sarah is involved in the education and training of pupil barristers and is a member of the Bar of NI’s Equality and Diversity Committee, as well as being a committee member of a local Credit Union.

 

Mrs Michelle Williamson (Parent Elected)

 

 

Mr Peter Kane

Peter is a past pupil of St Marys, between 1985- 2005, following in the footsteps of his brother, father, uncles and wider family circle. His Grandfather, Tom ‘Smiler’ Kane was a popular teacher in St Marys Barracks Street for over 40 years, retiring in 1966.
Peter is Head of Estate & FM at Belfast Metropolitan College and a member of their Strategic Leadership Team. He is a Chartered Engineer, graduating from Queens University, Belfast in Civil Engineering and from the University of Ulster with a Masters in Construction & Project Management.
A former GAA chairman, Peter is deeply committed to ensuring all students and teaching staff are provided with high quality, accessible and sustainable educational facilities that creates an environment for everyone to flourish and reach their full potential.

Mr Adrian Smyth (Teacher Elected)

I began teaching Mathematics in England, returning to the North in 1998. I taught in Lurgan for 3 years and subsequently joined St Mary’s in 2001.

I joined the Board of Governors in November 2017.

I am a member of local club St Teresa’s GAC whilst other hobbies include shooting and cycling.

 

Mr Brendan McComb (Principal and Correspondent to the Board of Governors)

Brendan was a proud member of the History Department at St. Mary’s from 2008 until his appointment as Principal in September 2024. He held a Head of Year role for 12 years and a Senior Teacher post for 2 years (Whole School Evaluation and Quality Assurance).
Brendan completed a BA Honours degree is Modern History and History of Art at Queen’s University, Belfast, between 2002-2005. He graduated from Hope University, Liverpool, with a PGCE in History with Citizenship in 2007 and returned to Queen’s in 2019 to study part-time for an MSc in Educational Leadership, which he completed in 2022.
A native of West Belfast, Brendan is deeply committed to working with parents and the wider community to equip young people from our community with the knowledge, skills, experience, and direction needed to fulfil their potential and be positive contributors to society, in line with our core Edmund Rice values.

YOU CAN VIEW A COPY OF THE LATEST BOARD OF GOVERNORS’ REPORT BY CLICKING HERE