28 Apr AI in Irish Classrooms: Is Your School’s AV Ready?

AI is changing how Irish schools teach and most classrooms aren’t ready for it. In October 2025, the Department of Education published its first-ever Guidance on AI in Schools. A month later, Microsoft Ireland research revealed that 83% of Irish teachers say they lack adequate training in classroom tech. The tools are arriving faster than the infrastructure to support them. This blog explains what the new AI guidance means for Irish schools, what the latest research shows, and most importantly why your AV hardware is the foundation that determines whether any of it actually works in the classroom.

What Is the New AI Guidance for Irish Schools?

The Department of Education and Youth’s Guidance on AI in Schools is Ireland’s first national framework for using artificial intelligence in teaching and learning. Published in October 2025, it sets out how schools should approach AI safely, ethically, and effectively.

Key points of the guidance:

• It aligns with the Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027
• It draws on international best practice from UNESCO and the EU
• It’s designed as a living document that will be updated as AI evolves
• It emphasises teacher training and professional development

Minister for Education Helen McEntee described AI as one of the most transformative digital technologies in education today.

What the Microsoft Ireland Research Reveals

Microsoft Ireland’s “Digital Learning in the Era of AI” research surveyed 201 Irish educators in November 2025. The findings show both strong adoption and significant gaps.

The good news:

• 87% of teachers use digital tech to improve productivity and classroom time
• 86% say apps and platforms help personalise teaching
• Most teachers already use digital tools regularly in lessons

The gaps:

• 83% of teachers say they lack adequate training in tech and AI tools
• 81% say they have no formal training in AI specifically
• 92% of school leaders want AI training to be mandatory in teacher education

The research also shows a clear divide. In digitally advanced schools, 40% of teachers use devices in most lessons. In slower-adopting schools, that drops to just 15%.

Why Your AV Hardware Matters More Than You Think

Here’s the point most conversations about AI in schools miss: AI tools only work if your AV setup can actually deliver them to students. Ageing projectors, failing cables, and unreliable wireless connections undermine every digital teaching tool no matter how advanced it is.

Think about a typical lesson using modern digital tools:

1. A teacher opens an AI-powered lesson planner on their laptop
2. They connect wirelessly to the classroom display
3. They share content with students who follow along on their own devices
4. They switch between sources, annotate over content, and save work to the cloud

Every step depends on the AV hardware in the room. If the projector is dim, students can’t read it. If the wireless connection drops, the lesson stops. If the cables don’t support modern devices, the teacher gives up and reaches for the whiteboard marker.

5 Signs Your Classroom AV Isn’t Ready for AI

Ask yourself whether your school’s classrooms meet these five basic requirements:

1. Bright, reliable displays: Laser projectors or modern interactive displays — not fading lamp projectors that need constant lamp changes.
2. Wireless content sharing: Support for AirPlay, Miracast, and Epson iProjection so teachers can share from any device without cables.
3. Clear classroom audio: Good-quality speakers for video content, language learning, and accessibility tools.
4. Modern cabling: HDMI cables throughout, with USB-C where possible. Legacy VGA cables won’t connect to most new devices.
5. Consistent setup across rooms: The same experience in every classroom so teachers build confidence rather than wrestling with different systems.

If your school is missing any of these, that’s where your AI-readiness journey starts.

What Irish Schools Can Do Now

You don’t need to upgrade everything at once. Here’s a practical starting point:

1. Audit your classrooms: Note which rooms are working well and which are holding teachers back.
2. Prioritise high-use rooms: Upgrade the spaces where digital teaching happens most often first.
3. Standardise your hardware: Choose a consistent setup across the school to reduce teacher frustration.
4. Plan across budget cycles: A phased approach over two or three years is more realistic than a single big spend.
5. Partner with an experienced installer: Look for someone who understands Irish schools and supports you after installation, not just during it.

A Real Irish Example: Santa Sabina Dominican College

We recently completed a full AV refresh at Santa Sabina Dominican College in Dublin. The school had 32 ageing projector systems across classrooms, ICT suites, language rooms, and specialist spaces all at end of life. We replaced every system with modern Epson laser projectors, upgraded the cabling throughout, and delivered a consistent, wireless-ready setup across every teaching space.

The result: Teachers now have a reliable foundation for whatever digital tools they choose to use whether that’s AI-powered lesson planning, interactive quizzes, or the new Primary Curriculum Framework.

Get Your School AI-Ready

AI is coming to Irish classrooms whether schools are ready or not. The question isn’t whether to prepare it’s how quickly you can close the gap between your current AV setup and what modern teaching demands. Book a free classroom AV survey with Toomey AV. We’ll walk through your school, identify what’s working, flag what needs upgrading, and give you a practical roadmap for getting AI-ready. Call us on 01 466 0515 or contact us online to get started.