Meet The Faces Behind Ireland’s Curriculum Developments

Louisa Moss - Head of Human Resources

My name is Louisa Moss and I am the Head of Human Resources (HR) in NCCA. I joined the organisation in May 2025, bringing wide-ranging experience in HR leadership and people and engagement. Previously, I led functions with responsibility for fostering a culture of inclusion, wellbeing, and effective communication across organisations. My background spans public and private sectors, including roles in HR, Business Management, and teaching and researching Old Irish – always with a strong focus on building positive organisational cultures.

I am passionate about supporting employee engagement and organisational development and have particular interests in wellbeing, climate action, and sustainable practices, including Green HRM, which is the focus of my current thesis research, and plant-based eating.

Outside of work, I volunteer as an HR advisor to charities and community organisations, produce a weekly radio show, and enjoy music curation, swimming and exploring literature and the Irish language. 
My approach, both professionally and personally, is rooted in connecting people, promoting open communication, and creating spaces where individuals, organisations and communities can thrive.

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Elisabeth Butler - Education Officer

My name is Elisabeth Butler, and I am an Education Officer for Modern Foreign Languages at post-primary level. I am originally from Austria but have been living in Ireland most of my adult life. My first language is German, and I started learning English when I was ten years old. I fell in love with Ireland during a school exchange and moved here as a young adult. After studying French and Spanish in Maynooth University, I worked as a language teacher for 15 years. I have also worked with the teacher support services and as a methods lecturer in my alma mater, Maynooth University, before joining NCCA in 2023. I still love the thrill of learning a new language, so recently I have been dabbling in learning Arabic, Italian and Irish.

In my work I have led the early enactment review and the revisions of the Junior Cycle Modern Foreign Languages specification, the review of prescribed texts for Leaving Certificate Italian and Spanish, and the redevelopment of Leaving Certificate Arabic. I’m currently leading the redevelopment of the Leaving Certificate Modern Foreign Language specifications. This is a very exciting project because it is the first time that all curricular modern foreign languages have been redeveloped at the same time.   

What I love most about my job is getting to work with lots of different people who are passionate about language learning and being able to make a positive difference in how children and young people in Ireland learn modern foreign languages. I really enjoy the variety of my work, but my favourite part is travelling to schools to meet students and teachers to get their feedback on curriculum developments. I really enjoy those conversations and finding out what works well and what we can do to improve students’ language learning experiences. I hope that I can continue to use my influence to make language learning as engaging and relevant for young people across Ireland as possible. 

In my free time I love to go hiking in Ireland and France when I get the chance during those longer weekends and holidays. I’m also a bit of a DIY enthusiast, from upcycling to knocking down and building walls! I am also a High Soprano in my local community choir.