Alumni Testimonies
Dr Kelly Adamson
Dr Kelly Adamson completed her PhD at the School of History and Geography in DCU in 2025 where she was supervised by Dr Juliana Adelman. Her thesis – “Public health in crisis?’ Informing public health policy in Ireland, 1939-53” examined the evolution of Irish public health policy during the Second World War and the immediate post-war years – a period marked by both the intensification and eventual resolution of some of the nation’s most pressing public health challenges. Her thesis also examined how successive Irish governments began leveraging emerging statistical data to shape evidence-based health policies, marking a significant shift toward more informed and effective public health governance.
Since completing her PhD, Kelly has taken up employment as a Research Analyst in the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
Kelly says:
‘Doing my PhD at DCU was a great experience—challenging at times, but one I’m really glad I chose. Having completed my MA there, I had a good sense of the level of support on offer and went into the PhD fairly confident it would continue—and it did. The school itself is small and very close-knit, with diverse expertise. The support from my supervisor was excellent and extended to the wider faculty members, all of whom went out of their way to help when needed. I found the teaching opportunities particularly valuable for hands-on experience and just as useful for broader skills in project and time management. Other training modules—covering writing, teaching, quantitative methods, and conference organisation—were also highly advantageous, providing skills highly relevant to both academic and industry careers. All in all, I came away with more than the PhD itself.’
Dr Noel Carolan
Dr Noel Carolan completed his PhD under the supervision of Dr Daithí Ó Corráin at the School of History and Geography in 2024. His thesis ‘The politics of Ireland’s food supply, 1895 to 1923: through peace, war, revolution, and partition’ created the first proxy measure of late nineteenth-century food supply levels. It demonstrated how Britain pursued two equally important strategic needs in Ireland during the First World War — military recruitment and food exports. It also uncovered the success of the Sinn Féin Food Department, which purchased, stored and distributed food supplies in early 1918. The thesis established how the Irish Free State government marshalled food supply to its advantage during the Civil War and also identified the early food supply politics in Northern Ireland.
Noel says:
‘I completed my PhD after a policing career in the Garda Síochána. My research was funded by a DCU fees scholarship, Research Ireland and a History Bursary awarded by Universities Ireland. The vibrant research culture which defines the School of History and Geography at DCU provided a compelling rationale for selecting it as the setting for my PhD studies. Its interdisciplinarity was equally important. I presented papers at conferences in Ireland, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the Czech Republic. Combined with inspiring and supportive supervision, the School enabled me to open up a new field of Irish historical research. I am currently reworking the thesis for publication as a book while also delivering a series of five talks on my research to local history and community groups. The PhD experience has been transformative and, above all, very enjoyable.’
Dr Ann Marie Durkan
Dr Ann Marie Durkan completed her PhD at the School of History and Geography in 2024 where she was supervised by geographer Dr Ruth McManus, and historian Dr Juliana Adelman. Her thesis – ‘Understanding the place of animals and animal-related industries in 20th century Dublin, 1911 - 1973’ – investigated why animal industries removed from modernising cities across Europe and America at the beginning of the century lingered well into the second half of the century in Dublin. Ann Marie has focused on the public dissemination of her research by presenting to local history groups and has had multiple pieces published by RTÉ Brainstorm and RTÉ’s Sunday Miscellany. In 2025 she received an award from the Royal Irish Academy to design a presentation for primary schools in Dublin city to communicate her research to fifth class students in line with the primary school history/geography curriculum.
Ann Marie says:
‘I consider myself a lifelong learner and the motivation behind pursuing my PhD was personal fulfilment and growth. Without a doubt, the work was very challenging, but I received endless support and encouragement from my supervisors and other members of the School of History and Geography. I’m grateful for having been pushed well beyond my comfort zone, giving tutorials to undergraduate students and attending and presenting at conferences both in Ireland and abroad. Through these experiences, I have gained skills which have given me the confidence to develop and pursue new projects.’
Dr Clair McDonald
Dr Clair McDonald completed her PhD at the School of History and Geography in 2024 under the supervision of Dr Jonathan Cherry. Her thesis, titled “Colonial geographies of Stradbally, Co. Laois: landholding, society and landscape on the Cosby and Walsh-Kemmis landed estates, c. 1640 to c. 1850”, examined the role played by the landed estates in achieving and maintaining hegemony at a local level in Stradbally during a period of profound social and physical transformation.
Clair says:
‘I had an extremely positive and fulfilling experience when conducting my PhD at the School of History and Geography where I benefitted not alone from my supervisor’s guidance and expertise, but also from the relationships built with other lecturers and PhD students in the School. I was supported in every aspect of the research journey and received funding from the School to undertake specialist GIS training. Building on postgraduate modules taken in teaching and learning, I gained valuable teaching experience and felt very much part of the wider DCU community, which I continue to benefit from in my professional career.’