Tara MacLeod is a native Irish-speaker from Ceantar na nOileán in the Connemara Gaeltacht. She received a Bachelor of Social Science in Social Administration and Library and Information Studies from University College Dublin in 1991. Tara later earned a Masters in Social Work from University College Cork in 1997 and her Dioplóma sa Ghaeilge from the National University of Ireland, Galway in 2001 enabled her to work as a social worker, specializing in child protection services in Irish-speaking regions. Ms. MacLeod joins the faculty as an Assistant Professional Specialist. In addition to teaching Beginning Irish I and Beginning Irish II she is responsible for the development of The Keough-Naughton Institute’s library. Ms. MacLeod’s interests include second language acquisition, the development of students’ language skills in conjunction with an understanding of Gaeltacht culture and the age old tradition of sean-nós singing.