Paul Corcoran

Rannóg

Department of Inclusion, Religious Education and Wellbeing

Role

Lecturer in Education with Expertise in Religious Education

Biography

Dr Paul Corcoran lectures in Religious Education at Marino Institute of Education. His rich research background includes degrees in Ancient Greek, History, Education, Classics (Latin) and theology. His PhD in Religious Studies at the Loyola Institute at Trinity College Dublin focused on wonder and sacramentality in the work of Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh. His research interests reflect his diverse background and centre on the interdisciplinary possibilities for the discipline of religion and religious education in a modern landscape. His research output has sought to put religion into an open-minded and clear-eyed conversation with the spheres of philosophy, politics, literature and the arts. He believes in the potential of Religious Education to make a unique and beneficial contribution to the most important debates in diverse, pluralist and inclusive societies of the 21st century.

Qualifications

B.A Ancient Greek and History (TCD)

M.Phil in Classics/Latin (TCD)

M.Phil in Christian Theology (TCD)

Professional Masters in Education (UCD)

PhD in Religious Studies (TCD)

Teaching

BED 1: ED8111 – Religious Education — Lecturer

BED 2/BOID 2: ED82RC – Introduction to Christian Spirituality (RE Cert) — Module leader and Lecturer

BED 3/BOID 3: Sacrament, Prayer and Liturgy (RE Cert) — Module leader and Lecturer

ORCiD

0000-0001-7186-7187

Publications and other outputs

 

Edited Books

Corcoran, P. (Ed.). (2017). Line of Enquiry: favourite lines of classical literature. TCD Press. https://www.tcd.ie/classics/livinglatin/lineofenquiry.php

 

Journal Articles

Corcoran, P. (2026). “God is in the bits and pieces of Everyday”: The Great Hunger and the sacramentality of Patrick Kavanagh the “poet-theologian”. Literature and Theology, Article fraf053. DOI: 10.1093/litthe/fraf053

Corcoran, P. (2024). From Curiosity to Wonder in Religious Education. Journal of Religious Education, 72, 133-146. From curiosity to wonder in religious education | Journal of Religious Education (springer.com)

 

Professional Journal Articles

Corcoran, P. (2022). Political Theology: Three Trials – Antigone, Socrates, Jesus. Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review (Summer 2022 edition)

Corcoran, P. (2020). Heaney's The Cure at Troy and the Christian Virtue of Hope. Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review, 109(436), 435-447.

Corcoran, P. (2020). Glendalough: Faith and Tradition, Spirituality July/August.

 

Thesis

Corcoran, P. (2024). “A poet is a theologian”: wonder and sacrament in the work of Patrick Kavanagh [Unpublished PhD in Religious Studies thesis]. Trinity College Dublin.

 

Conference Contributions

Corcoran, P. (October 2025). "For the Parish to last ever more": Killeagh and the spiritual capital of the Gaelic Athletic Association. [Paper Presentation]. Network for Researchers in Catholic Education (NfRCE) Annual Conference, Marino Institute of Education, Dublin.

Corcoran, P. (May 2025). “'Poetry is like the line Christ drew in the sand': Seamus Heaney, Patrick Kavanagh and God” [Paper Presentation]. Catholic Studies in Ireland: Challenging, Constructive & Critical Voices Seminar, Irish Institute for Catholic Studies [IICS], Mary Immaculate College, Limerick.

Corcoran, P. (September 2024). Piety and virtue in the poetry of Seamus Heaney. [Paper Presentation]. Power of the Word (Literature and Theology) International Conference, La Sapienza University, Rome.

Corcoran, P. (April 2024). Sacrament and sacramentality in the poetry of Patrick Kavanagh. [Paper Presentation]. Irish Theological Association Emerging Scholars Forum, St Patrick’s College Carlow.

Corcoran, P. (October 2023). Wonder: the spirit of Catholic Education. [Paper Presentation]. Network for Researchers in Catholic Education (NfRCE) Conference; ‘Fluidly Faithful? Catholic Education and the Institutional Church’, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick.

Corcoran, P. (May 2023). A Christian wonder?. [Paper Presentation]. Irish Theological Association ‘Doing Theology Together’ Emerging Scholars Forum, Maynooth University.

Corcoran, P. (May 2022). Christian wonder and the poetry of Patrick Kavanagh. [Paper Presentation]. Festival of Theology Conference , Loyola Institute, Trinity Colleg Dublin.

 

Media

Corcoran, P. (2023, September, 15). Seamus Heaney lost his Catholic faith. But his poetry still sought transcendence. America Magazine. https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2023/09/15/seamus-heaney-afterlife-death-246007

Corcoran, P. (2022, August, 29). Hope and history: the poetic potential of the Biden presidency. The Irish Times.https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2022/08/29/hope-and-history-the-poetic-potential-of-the-biden-presidency/

Corcoran, P. (2021, December, 10). Patrick Kavanagh is the Catholic poet we should be reading this Advent. America Magazine. Patrick Kavanagh is the Catholic poet we should be reading this Advent | America Magazine

Corcoran, P. (2021, March, 17). Why Joe Biden keeps quoting Seamus Heaney on when ‘hope and history rhyme’. America Magazine. Why Joe Biden keeps quoting Seamus Heaney on when ‘hope and history rhyme’ | America Magazine 

Other Outputs

Guest lecture delivered as visiting scholar to the Irish Institute for Catholic Studies at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick: Wonder in Education: beyond the “tedious monotony” March 2024

Research/Professional Interests

Religion and the Arts, Wonder in Education, Religion in Culture, Politics and Society

Membership

• Network for Researchers in Catholic Education (NfRCE)
• RE Lecturers’ Forum
• International Association for the Study of Irish Literature (IASIL)