The Irish national education system is long recognised as fruitful ground for historians of education. Established in 1831 by the pre-Independence administration, some forty years before similar systems emerged in other English-speaking domains, the national system realised exponential growth over a short period to become an embedded feature of the Irish educational landscape. Central to this narrative, but largely omitted from historiographical studies to date, are the school teachers who staffed the system. Colloquially known as national teachers (NTs), these individuals were tasked with the delivery of the new national education system. The lacuna around early national teacher identity foregrounded the central research question of this work which sought to establish ‘Who was the Irish national teacher in the early decades of the nineteenth century’? In essence, the purpose of the research was to examine who these teachers were, where they came from and how they came to inhabit a specific national teacher identity. In order to examine this early national teacher identity it became apparent that an understanding of identity as a phenomenon and the theory of identity was required. Readings of contemporary identity theory such as those outlined by Schwartz, and Adams and Marshall, amongst others, led the researcher to recognise that there were modern elements which could be applied retrospectively to historical data, such as establishing a shared point of origin, social status and class, and religious affiliation. These core aspects of identity became the central elements of examining Irish national teacher identity in the historical context, in this study. Drawing on archival material, largely grounded in official correspondence between the Inspectorate and the CNEI, data relevant to the Irish national teachers’ identity are examined while those current theoretical understandings of identity noted above informed and guided this historical analysis of Irish national teacher identity between 1831 and 1871. Ultimately, the thesis draws firm conclusions around the identity of the early Irish national teacher. First, it is clear that the majority of those employed as national teachers originated amongst the poorer classes of Irish society while, second, the social class and status of the national teachers for the greater part of the time period under review remained in an ambiguous state. Third, in respect of religious beliefs, it is clear that the majority of those who were employed as national teachers were affiliated to the Catholic Church. Each of these elements of national teacher are discussed and analysed within the thesis to assess their contribution to the emerging identity of the Irish national teacher in the early decades of the nineteenth century. Finally, the import of this work cannot be understated. This is the first comprehensive research undertaken on the identity of the early Irish national teacher. This is tempered by the unique methodological approach employed, which utilises contemporary identity theories in tandem with document analysis to further understanding and knowledge of early Irish national teacher identity. Neither can the implications or resonance for the composition of the twenty-first century Irish primary teaching population be ignored. This positions this research as both timely and useful in assessing and analysing intake within Initial teacher education (ITE) programmes in Ireland at the present time.