Kathleen McNulty (12 February 1921 – 20 April 2006) was an Irish computer programmer and one of the six original programmers of the ENIAC, one of the first general-purpose electronic digital computers.

The team's work was so highly classified, and the ENIAC so top-secret, that in the beginning they weren’t actually allowed into the same room as the computer and instead, they worked off blueprints in a room nearby. That eventually changed and Kay’s team would become so familiar with the giant 30-tonne machine that if an issue presented itself, they would check the switches and wires, and simply solve it themselves.

n 1948, Kay stepped down from her position and married one of the ENIAC’s co-inventors – John Mauchly. In the following years, she would raise 7 children while continuing to help programme, without credit, the new computers that her husband was developing.

For a very long time, Kay and her fellow female programmers didn’t receive any recognition for the vital work that they undertook, but that has slowly started to change. In 1997, Kay was inducted to the Women in Technology hall of fame, and in Ireland, an academic award and university science building have been named in her honour.

The Legacy of Kathleen McNulty

During the heyday of ENIAC, proper recognition escaped Kathleen and her fellow programmers. The invisibility of the ENIAC programmers (both from being women and the secrecy of their work, especially during the war) kept them from the public eye. In 2010, a documentary called, "Top Secret Rosies: The Female "Computers" of WWII" was released. The film centered around in-depth interviews of three of the six women programmers, focusing on the commendable patriotic contributions they made during World War II.

The ENIAC team is also the inspiration behind the award-winning 2013 documentary The Computers. This documentary, created by Kathy Kleiman and the ENIAC Programmers Project, combines actual footage of the ENIAC team from the 1940s with interviews with the female team members as they reflect on their time working together on the ENIAC.

In July 2017, Dublin City University (DCU) honoured McNulty by naming their computing building after her. In 2019, the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC) at the National University of Ireland, Galway, named its new Waterford-based primary supercomputer, which is to serve as Ireland's national supercomputer for academic researchers, Kay, following a public poll.

Following a career like Kathleen McNulty

Computer science has developed a lot since the early days of the ENIAC computing system. Computer Science is now a subject at Leaving Cert level and Coding is a popular short course at Junior Cycle level.

The CompSci website was developed to support the new LC subject and provides resources for learning and teaching. It also contains a dedicated section with information about the subject as well as information on computing careers in Ireland and links to Further and Higher Education courses in the area.

Junior Achievement Ireland has a set of activities and worksheets to get you to reflect on your skills and interests in exploring a career in STEM.