Mrs Sinead Connolly is a full time Lecturer in physical education and sports coaching. She joined the School of Sport staff team in 2008, with prior experience as a PE teacher and in Sport NI as  Coaching and Education Officer.

As a Lecturer in the School of Sport the main focus of her work is in the areas of Sports Coaching and Physical Education.  Sinead's research interests lie in physical education, physical literacy, youth sport participation and physical activity.  She has been involved in several national research projects: Sinead was the Principal Investigator in the All Island Physical Literacy Consensus Statement Project (2019-2021). She was part of the research team for the Ireland North and South Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth (2020), Children’s Sports Participation and Physical Activity (CSPPA 2018 & 2022) and she was part of the international research team involved in the EU Move project (2022-2023). 

Sinead has co-authored a number of courses and resources in the areas of safeguarding children in sport, gymnastics and physical education. Including Kids First resources, the Gymnastics Ireland GymEDGE programme and worked with the Interboard PE panel in the production of the GymFun (Gymnastics) Course and Resourse for Teachers. 

As Acadmic Lead in the School of Sport (2015-2018); Sinead developed, promoted and grew the School of Sport provision so that the student experience is the very best it can be.  Sinead has extensive experience providing coach education courses in both generic and sport specific settings and has made a significant contribution to the workforce development in gymnastics coaches in particular. She is a Fellow of the HEA. 

In her free time she is Director of GymFun and 500 member recreational gymnastics club which has a special focus on developing positive gymnastics experiences and fundamental movement skills, retention, youth leadership and developing young gymnastics coaches, this work was recognised in 2018 when she was runner up in the British Gymnastics National Coach Educator of the Year.