Mary Curtin

Research interests include gender, farming, land, assets, family businesses, accountability, inheritance, regulations, sustainable agriculture.

Meet the Researcher: Watch here.

Mary is the Course Director for the undergraduate course BA in Law and Accounting.

Mary is an award winning teacher. She received the University Excellence in team teaching award 2026 and the PMRE Pedagogy Award 2026.

Mary has completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Learning, Teaching and Assessment in higher education and the Universal Design for Learning badge. 

Mary lectures in Auditing, Assurance and Governance, Employment relations and Human Resource Management. Mary has tutored Land law, Equity and Trusts, Accounting and Finance.

Mary is the business school lead for the Children's Leadership Academy, an initiative involving local DEIS primary schools. The initiative plays an important role in strengthening UL's connections with local schools and communities while inspiring the next generation of learners and leaders and reflects the very best of our univerisites commitment to engagement and community partnership.

Mary graduated with a first class honours degree in Law and Accounting in 2019, graduating top of the class and top of the faculty.

In 2023, Mary completed her multidisciplinary PhD with the Kemmy Business School and the School of Law. Her research focused on the gender asset gap in the agricultural sector. 

As part of the Interreg funded project ReNu2Cycle, Mary hosts the podcast ‘Fields of Change – cultivating tomorrows farm’ on Spotify to disseminate research to a broader audience.

Mary has secured competitive research funding of over €500,000. 

Mary is Co-PI on a successful application with Dr Achim Schmalenberger (School of Biological Sciences). The award is funded under the first agroecology call for the AllEcoSys project. Mary is work package lead assessing the socioeconomic impact of agroecology-led farming methods at the farm level. 

Mary contributes to BioFin (Horizon) examining ways to unlock private finance to support biodiversity and ReNu2Cycle (Interreg). 

Mary's research outputs and leadership demonstrate policy influence, evidenced by her appearance before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food and her work with the Law Commission of England and Wales. Mary serves as European Coordinator/European Communications Officer for the Rural Women’s Studies Association, an international programme based in the USA. 

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2026: Postgraduate Diploma in learning, teaching as assessment in higher education

2025: Education for Sustainability from the National Forum for the enhancement of teaching and learning in higher education

2024: Global Association of Risk Professionals Certificate in Sustainability and Climate Risk

2024: Environmental Sustainability Awareness in the Workplace Certificate (QQI level 5 - Distinction)

2022: Specific Purpose Certificate in Farming, Teagasc (QQI level 6 - Distinction) 

2021: Certificate in Agriculture, Teagasc (QQI level 5 - Distinction)

2019: Certificate in Agribusiness and Food Law, Law Society of Ireland

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• Curtin, M., Murphy, C., Woods, U. and Cross, C., (2026) 'Gender and farming intentions: Insights from Ireland's agricultural students', Journal of Rural Studies
• Perez-Armenteros, R., O’Connor, C., and Curtin, M. (2026) ' Who will Grow Ireland’s Food? Rethinking Policy for a New Generation of Horticulture Entrepreneurs', Geary Institute - PublicPolicy.ie.
• Curtin, M., Mccarthy, J. and O'Connor, C, (2025) 'Time to get creative on Climate Action for the Generation most affected' Irish Examiner, 30 June. 
• Curtin, M. (2025) ‘Green Gold: property, power and the case for a land observatory', The Currency, 22 May. 
• Curtin, M. (2025) 'Accounting for Acres: Land, Data and Accounatbility in Ireland,' Geary Institute - PublicPolicy.ie.
• Murphy, C. and Curtin, M. (2025) 'Working on and off the farm: Can farmers thrive in dual roles?' RTE Brainstorm, 1 Apr. 
• Curtin, M., Murphy, C., Woods, U. and Cross, C., (2025) 'The legacy of history: women and the ownership of land in Ireland', Rural History, pp.1-14. 
• Curtin, M., Murphy, C., Woods, U., and Cross, C. (2024) ‘“Land is a huge integral part of our identity”: Patriarchy and the gender asset gap’, Sociologia Ruralis.
• Curtin, M. (2024) ‘The Financial Context of Farming - Financial barriers to female farm ownership in Ireland’, Geary Institute - PublicPolicy.ie. 
• Curtin, M. and Murphy, C. (2024) ‘Grassroots inequality? Land, inheritance, and Ireland’s gender asset gap’, The Currency, 4 Mar.
• Curtin, M,. Woods, U., Cross, C. and Murphy, C. (2023) Prenuptial Agreements: A Solution for Irish Family Farms , Irish Journal of Family Law, 26(1) 3-13.
• Curtin, M. (2023) Ongoing research to find a path to more female farm ownership, Irish Farmers Journal, 1 Feb. 
• Curtin, M. (2021) A history of women's land rights in Ireland, RTE Brainstorm, 8 Mar. 

• University of Limerick Excellence in team teaching award 2026.
• PMRE (Principles for Responsible Management Edducation) Education Award Winner - Pedagogy 2026.
• KBS Thesis-in-Three winner.
• UL Picture this Research Competition winner.
• Matheson Postgraduate Scholar Awardee.
• Kemmy Business School/Northern Trust Outstanding Scholar Awardee.
• Graduated top of the class and top of the faculty in 2019.
• Received a Presidents letter for every semester of exams in university. These letters commend academic excellence and are awarded because of exceptional results.
• Mason Hayes and Curran Company Law Prize 2019 - highest grades in final year modules.
• A and L Goodbody, Solicitors Prize 2016 - for being the UL law student who completed first year with the highest academic grades.