An Cosán (; "The Path") is an organisation based in

Jobstown Jobstown (; ), also historically called Rathminton, is a townland and suburb of Tallaght in County Dublin, Ireland, and so an outer suburb of Dublin. It is in the local government area of South Dublin. History Jobstown takes its name from Henry ...

Tallaght Tallaght ( ; , ) is a southwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The central village area was the site of a monastic settlement from at least the 8th century, which became one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres. Up to th ...

, which offers adult education and other services to women from disadvantaged areas, and is Ireland's largest community education organisation. It was founded by

Katherine Zappone Katherine Zappone (; born 25 November 1953) is an American-Irish independent politician who served as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs from May 2016 to June 2020. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-West constituency from ...

and

Ann Louise Gilligan Ann Louise Gilligan (27 July 1945 – 15 June 2017) was an Irish theologian who taught at Saint Patrick's College, Drumcondra (part of Dublin City University). A former nun, she was the wife of Katherine Zappone. In '' Zappone and Gilligan v. ...

. It currently supports over 1,000 families annually. According to ''The Irish Times'', An Cosán "was established by Ann Louise Gilligan and Katherine Zappone with the intention of bringing valuable community-based education to the Dublin suburb. In 2012 An Cosán attempted to track the progress of 1,500 past students and found 1,200 were employed." Speaking at an event for

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...

in 2010, then Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin paid tribute to the work done by the people in An Cosan. "They are involved in education courses and communication and childcare and bettering themselves and their children, and they are making a big contribution". Speaking about founding An Cosán, Zappone said "Imagine creating something like An Cosan together with the community. You really feel like you're bringing about some change for the good. Why wouldn't you want to do it?"

Preschools

An Cosán also runs Fledglings, which operates eight preschools around the country – mostly in disadvantaged areas – which provide education and care to more than 250 children. A notable alumnae of An Cosán is Senator

Lynn Ruane Lynn Ruane (born 20 October 1984) is an Irish politician who has served as an independent senator for the Dublin University constituency in Seanad Éireann since April 2016. She was the President of the Trinity College Dublin Students' Union ...

, former president of

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

Students' Union, who at age 16, was a participant on the first Young Women's Programme; Ruane has said that: "An Cosán had its finger on the pulse and responded to a surge of teenage pregnancy in the west Tallaght area, taking into account of what was needed to support young mothers and their participation. Key in that was Rainbow House where my daughter, Jordanne, started out the early years in her life and I began to heal, learn and believe again. An Cosán was the beginning and remains the foundation of my journey so far. Somebody created an opportunity for me, met my needs and empowered me to progress."

Higher Education Courses

An Cosan run undergraduate degree programmes accredited by

IT Carlow The Institute of Technology, Carlow (IT Carlow; ) was an institute of technology, located in Carlow, Ireland. The institute had campuses in Carlow, Wexford, and Wicklow, as well as a part-time provision elsewhere in Ireland. Along with the Wate ...

, graduation takes place at the Jobstown An Cosan, and at the nearby St Thomas' Church.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:An Cosan Education in Dublin (city) Tallaght