Lecture hall to be named in memory of Zappone wife

A LECTURE theatre at Dublin City University is today being named in honour of Ann Louise Gilligan, the late wife of Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone.

The university will pay tribute to ‘a great leader in education and educational disadvantage research’ at the University’s St Patrick’s campus in Drumcondra, where she was appointed to the staff in 1976.

The move is part of the Project 50:50 Women in Leadership initiative, for which DCU is naming half its buildings in honour of leading women in the fields of science and education.

Ms Zappone said yesterday: ‘Ann Louise was an educator extraordinaire. She taught at St Patrick’s, Drumcondra, and DCU. Her exceptional love of children lives on through the work of the thousands of primary school teachers she educated throughout the country.’

Together, the couple founded An Cósan, a community school providing educational opportunities for women from disadvantaged backgrounds. Having married in Canada in 2003, the couple took a case to the High Court in 2004 to have their marriage recognised in Ireland.

The case went to the Supreme Court in 2007 but was unsuccessful. However, it is widely credited with kickstarting the campaign for marriage equality that led to the successful 2015 referendum ending the ban on gay marriage.