Rosemary O’Connell
9 July 1946 to 16 July 2021
Rosemary studied at the University of Cork and thereafter worked in the Brothers of Charity services in Cork becoming Head of the Psychology Department in 1980 until her retirement in 2006, during which time she built the services into a large and vibrant department.
She developed a range of services including setting up classes for children with Autism, commencing psychological services to primary schools and was instrumental in establishing Child Development Clinics across Cork and Kerry. Rosemary was one of the founding members of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI).
Rosemary had a way of making everyone feel valued and she allowed people to develop without pressure, always working to make people feel the best about themselves. No problem was too great to overcome with Rosemary’s professional input.
Rosemary used the Griffiths Scales of Mental Development regularly in her clinical practice and became the main Irish tutor of the scales for many years. Having campaigned to have Irish children included in the GMDS-ER revision, she spent many weekends travelling across Ireland to assess children to ensure the new standardisation of the Griffiths scales was representative of both UK and Irish children. Subsequently she became an active member of the Association for Research in Infant and Child Development (ARICD) Executive Committee serving two terms as Honorary Secretary. She was pivotal in developing the Governance polices required after ARICD became a CIO charity.
Rosemary also contributed to the research and development of Griffiths III the most recent edition of the Griffiths published in 2016. Just prior to her death she completed a case study using Griffiths III for the forthcoming book Griffiths III in Clinical Practice.
In retirement Rosemary, moved to live in Union Hall, West Cork where she fully embraced village life. She also travelled all over the world including teaching the Griffiths Scales in China and India and visits to Japan, New Zealand and South Africa.
Rosemary led a life full of achievement, she was a remarkable lady and is fondly remembered. We will miss her experience, wisdom and good humour.
Paula McAlinden
Former ARICD President
