Margaret successfully defended her thesis "absolute and unquestioned integrity' William Rochfort and the Irish landed estate agency business, 1872-1913' in January 2026. Her work examined the Irish landed estate agency business in the late nineteenth century, with a particular focus on the various dynamics of estate management relationships.  A key aspect of her research explored how Rochfort managed to navigate some of the most turbulent periods in Irish history to sustain a successful seven decade career as a land agent.

In 2021, Margaret was awarded a Departmental Assistantship award by Mary Immaculate College, Limerick in 2021.

Along with being a member of the Irish Association of Professional Historians, Margaret is also a member of several historical societies:

Chair, Tipperary Historical Society.

PRO, Arra Historical and Archaeological Society.

Member, Ormond Historical Society.

Member, Cork Genealogical Society.

Publications 2025:

William Robert Hood Rochfort and the tenants on the Lismore (O'Callaghan) estate in counties Cork, Limerick and Tipperary,  September 2025.

Co-authored with Rosaleen Egan Byrne:

'Jam Factory: The Tinnahinch National School Strike' in Salvador Ryan (ed) Childhood and the Irish, Winter 2025.

The current focus of Margaret's research is nineteenth century Irish landed estate history with a particular focus on the relationships that existed within communities associated with landed estates.

Her other areas of interest include the history of the family, local history, the history of education, environmental history and built heritage.

Margaret is currently working as a research assistant with Dr Catherine Porter on the community project 'Locating Bench Marks, Preserving Heritage: A Community Initiative to Record County Limerick's Ordinance Survey Heritage'.

Since joining History and Georgraphy Department, Margaret has tutored on the following modules:

GY 4001 Introduction to Human Geography,

GY 4033 Population Dynamics,

GY 4038 Cultural and Historical Geography,

Margaret is also a guest lecturer in the Geography Department on module GY 4038 and in the History Department on the Certificate in the History of the Family and Genealogical Methods.

Outside of UL:

Margaret is a guest lecturer on UCC Diploma in Genealogy.

Margaret was a tutor in the History Department, Mary Immaculate College, 2021-2024.

She has also presented to several historical and community groups on local history themes and on aspects of her research.