# Interview 40: Ronan McGovern

An episode of [Anseo.net - If I were the Minister for Education](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1621391144), 20 Oct 2026, 38 min.

Audio: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/219924106/05e5950daf3f005d9a79a49fac15a105.mp3

In this episode of If I Were the Minister for Education, I speak with Ronan McGovern about ADHD and its impact in Irish primary and secondary schooling. Ronan outlines his education and career path from Dublin to accounting, King’s Inns, PwC New York and an MBA at Stanford, where a classmate identified ADHD traits and he later received a diagnosis at age 34. He reflects on being held back in school by inattention, note-taking difficulties, a need to move, and negative experiences including corporal punishment, while also recognising teachers who focused on him as an individual. Drawing on work with Stanford’s Neurodiversity Project, he discusses universal design, the overlooked creativity of neurodiverse people, and internships as a practical inclusion strategy. Ronan shares approaches that would have helped him learn Irish: video, rhythm and sound, plus explicit grammar and structure; and recommends voice-to-text supports and mindfulness, alongside early diagnosis and intervention. 00:00 Welcome and Overview 00:47 Meet Ronan McGovern 01:42 Career Path to Stanford 03:39 Late ADHD Diagnosis 05:59 School Years Revisited 10:23 Coping and Sensory Needs 12:27 Universal Design in Schools 14:22 Why Support Lags Behind 16:23 Stanford Research Takeaways 19:06 Creativity and Neurodiversity 21:27 Famous ADHD Role Models 22:35 Why Leaders Stay Quiet 23:27 Famous Neurodiverse Founders 24:36 Learning Irish With ADHD 25:28 Teach Through Sound First 26:26 Grammar Patterns Matter 29:18 Book And Classroom Fixes 30:55 Early Intervention In Schools 32:07 If I Were Minister 33:09 Tech Ideas For Classrooms 35:00 Where To Follow And Wrap Up This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe

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