Appearances and Articles
Professor Katriona O'Sullivan's story of overcoming adversity, resilience and triumph has garnered huge interest and she has been interviewed by some of the top publications in the country
January 2026
Hungry Book Launch at NCH
Join psychologist and bestselling author Katriona O’Sullivan at the National Concert Hall on April 22nd for an unforgettable ‘In Conversation’ event hosted by Easons, to celebrate the launch of her...
December 2025
Author Katriona O’Sullivan: ‘My fear of not being enough runs deep… all the women in my family have struggled with this’
The Maynooth lecturer on motherhood, scrapping the Leaving Cert and her dream of doing stand-up
November 2025
Academic Katriona O’Sullivan to head centre aimed at bringing disadvantaged students into higher education
Award-winning academic and author of the bestselling memoir Poor, Professor Katriona O’Sullivan, is to lead a new national centre focused on supporting students from underrepresented communities to access higher education.
November 2025
Katriona O’Sullivan To Lead Ireland’s First National Centre For Inclusive Higher Education At Maynooth
Maynooth University has officially opened a new national centre to make higher education more inclusive. The centre is led by Professor Katriona O’Sullivan - academic and author of 'Poor'.
October 2025
2026 Dates for Poor at The Gate Theatre
Following a sold-out run with over 16,000 tickets sold, POOR at The Gate Theatre is coming back for another 6 weeks next March! Tickets are now on sale and selling fast!
October 2025
‘Even in the darkest moments, there was so much brightness, too’
As guest editor, Annmarie O’Connor wanted to interview a person who had faced the rubble of life. Here, she talks to Katriona O’Sullivan about picking up the pieces.
October 2025
Best-selling author Katriona O’Sullivan on her memoir ‘Poor’ and growing up in poverty • FRANCE 24
The author of a highly acclaimed book about poverty and how it affects children has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how the worst part of her own difficult childhood was...
October 2025
Ray D’Arcy Show – Professor Katriona O’Sullivan talks about stage adaptation of her book ‘Poor’
Professor Katriona O’Sullivan joined Ray to talk about the latest stage adaptation of her book 'Poor' by Sonya Kelly showing at Gate Theatre.
September 2025
The Bookseller: Katriona O’Sullivan’s second memoir was ‘bursting to come out’
"I wanted to tell women and men about what it’s like to be a poor woman and the things that we are sometimes prepared to do to our body and...
September 2025
I’ve cried so many times because it’s my life, it’s difficult to watch
Poor is about to open at the Gate. The author and the playwright Sonya Kelly talk about adapting O’Sullivan’s bestselling memoir for the theatre
September 2025
Katriona O’Sullivan: ‘I got sent a picture by a teacher who had set up a wash station at her school – knickers, soap, toothpaste. It’s just massive’
When her memoir Poor hit shelves in 2023, it blew open conversations about class, inequality, education, and childhood trauma. Here, the author talks about the fears she had about sharing...
August 2025
Katriona O’Sullivan interview ahead of stage adaptation of her book Poor
Katriona O'Sullivan interview ahead of stage adaptation of her book Poor
July 2025
Newstalk – The Hard Shoulder with Katriona O’Sullivan
Katriona O’Sullivan, Psychologist and Writer joins Kieran for this week's Thursday Interview!
June 2025
Prof Katriona O’Sullivan – “Barry Keoghan wants to play my husband, Dave! He’s thrilled!”
Professor Katriona O’Sullivan reflects on the last two years since her award-winning memoir, ‘Poor’ came out, charting her life growing up in addiction and poverty. She also reveals details of...
April 2025
3 Women Reshaping Ireland’s Future: From Injustice To Innovation
As Women’s History Month draws to a close, Ireland, a nation still navigating the tensions between its traditional Catholic roots and its progressive modern identity, continues to face gender gaps...
March 2025
Celebrating 21 standout women in Ireland on International Women’s Day 2025
From business to fashion, education to advocacy, we continue to produce and attract standout women who are making a local and global impact across all sectors. As we celebrate International...
February 2025
Grieving a complicated relationship – Professor Katriona O’Sullivan
"If the relationship is unresolved and they die, it's ok to feel sad that they're gone" - so says Professor Katriona O'Sullivan, Psychology lecturer at Maynooth University, who talked about...
November 2024
Where Is My Mind?: Poor with Katriona O’Sullivan
Niall is joined by Katriona O’Sullivan, a Doctor of Psychology and Senior Lecturer who grew up in deep poverty. Having endured abuse, addicted parents, a teenage pregnancy, homelessness and a...
October 2024
Episode With Richie Sadlier: Professor Katriona O’Sullivan, Author of ‘Poor’
Richie first met Professor Katriona O'Sullivan - an academic in Maynooth University's Department of Psychology - about seven years ago but at the time, he had no idea about her...
October 2024
‘It’s important to tell stories like mine’, says lecturer who overcame poverty and trauma
A university lecturer who “survived poverty and trauma” in her life, says it’s important that stories like hers are told. Katriona O’Sullivan, now a lecturer in Maynooth, released a memoir...
September 2024
Ready To Be Real by Síle Seoige: From extreme poverty to award-winning lecturer
In this conversation Katriona speaks to Síle Seoige about the extreme neglect she experienced in childhood, the people who were a positive force in her life, the importance of opportunities...
August 2024
The Blindboy Podcast: The Psychological impact of Poverty with Professor Katriona O Sullivan
Professor Katriona O Sullivan is a psychologist whose work centers around the impact of poverty on a person's development. She works towards improving access to education for marginalized people. Her...
July 2024
Booked In: Katriona O’Sullivan: Poor
A few weeks ago, I asked on Instagram what people's favourite memoir was and an extraordinary number of people mentioned a book called 'Poor' by Katriona O'Sullivan.
July 2024
Katriona O’Sullivan on Transition Year
As the school year ended for my 15-year-old son, I started to receive the usual end-of-year texts from his school, ‘Please return the books by this date’, ‘School finishes on...
July 2024
‘I was shocked’ – Poor kids not allowed to do Transition Year
Children from poorer families are not allowed to do Transition Year in some schools. Author Katriona O’Sullivan’s younger son is going into TY next year and the school has organised...
June 2024
Talking Bollox Podcast: Episode 127 w/ Katriona O’Sullivan
Katriona is a doctor with a PhD in psychology, but she has had to face some incredible obstacles to get where she is today. She told us about growing up...
May 2024
What A Woman Podcast: How a poor girl raised by addicts became an award-winning academic
Professor Katriona O' Sullivan is an academic and best-selling author of 'Poor' which is the story of her life growing up in extreme poverty as the child of two heroin...
March 2024
Changes with Annie Macmanus: Katriona O’Sullivan
In this unforgettable episode, the now “Dr.” Katriona O’Sullivan, talks about her life in poverty, including her relationship with her parents, myths and privilege, how she changed her life and...
March 2024
Irish academics are making an app to support women researchers
There will (soon) be an app for that … Lecturer and author Professor Katriona O’Sullivan is co-lead on a team making an app aimed at supporting women in research.
December 2023
An Post Irish Book of the Year 2023
An Interview with Irish Book of the Year 2023 Nominee Katriona O'Sullivan
November 2023
Katriona O’Sullivan on never giving up and why she wrote her best-selling autobiography ‘Poor’
The Irish writer talks about the importance of ‘not being guarded’ when writing about life experiences and the monthly ritual with her father that taught her about equality.
November 2023
Katriona O’Sullivan: Homeless to her Ph.D & incredible book ‘Poor’ | The Late Late Show
Katriona O'Sullivan on being pregnant and homeless at 15 to becoming a bestselling author with a Ph.D.
August 2023
‘I went from cleaning toilets to being a PhD and lecturer’
Professor Katriona O'Sullivan's parents were heroin addicts and she grew up in poverty in England - her incredible journey led her from pregnant aged 15 and cleaning toilets to doing...
June 2023
‘My teacher gave me power with that small bundle of towel, flannel, and pants’
Professor Katriona O’Sullivan shares an extract from her new autobiography in which she documents the many challenges she faced growing up in poverty in Birmingham.
May 2023
‘I remember cleaning the toilets going, is this my destiny?’
Before she returned to education and became an award-winning lecturer, Katriona O’Sullivan was a cleaner at Connolly Station in Dublin.
May 2023
I’ve learned to love the girl I was – author of Poor
As a young child, Professor Katriona O'Sullivan lived in squalor, her parents addicted to heroin. Today she is an award-wining academic who helps other working-class girls overcome barriers to education....
May 2023
Saved from a life of shame by teachers
Two readers share their experiences of overcoming a troubled childhood and accessing higher education
May 2023
Raised by addicts, abused, neglected, broke: how Katriona O’Sullivan escaped her fate
Pregnant at 15, and soon to be homeless, O’Sullivan never expected to succeed – but became a leading academic. The author of Poor talks about everything that conspired to keep...
March 2023
Daughter of drug-addicted parents returns to Coventry as inspirational academic for International Women’s Day
A woman who grew up in poverty in Coventry and is now a top academic returned to the city to share her experiences. Professor Katriona O'Sullivan said seeing her drug-addicted...
February 2023
‘The only people I knew in Trinity were there to rob bikes’
Thirty years ago TCD started one of Ireland’s first university access schemes for disadvantaged students. Are these initiatives working or just window-dressing?