Eoin Shaughnessy is principal of Ballymana National School in Galway. He is a teaching principal and the only male member of staff. He used to have a male colleague with whom he could share his passion for hurling. Now he has to feign interest in other topics of conversation.

"Who in heaven is James Kilbane?" Shaughnessy wonders. He tries to keep up with staffroom exchanges on You're a Star and other subjects, but he admits there are days when he longs for another sports enthusiast.

Shaughnessy insists that beyond staffroom small talk there's no disadvantage to being the only man in a primary school. He is not called upon to deal with the personal issues of male students or to consult with unreconstructed fathers.

"We all abide by the same rules when it comes to dealing with students. We may take different approaches, but we have the same objectives in mind," Shaughnessy reports. "Teaching styles have changed. All the old stereotypes - Daddy at work, Mammy in the kitchen - are gone from the schoolbooks. We're careful about our language and we don't work along gender lines."

What about sport in school? Are football-mad students losing out? "Increasingly, parents are getting involved in school activities - I think that is helping to balance things out a little. It's still predominantly mothers who turn out for events at the school but I am always surprised at the number of fathers who take an interest."

Nonetheless, Shaughnessy wouldn't refuse a bit of male company now and then. "We are waiting to be diagnosed as an endangered species in this profession," he says, with good-humoured resignation.