This paper harnesses the teachings of Paulo Freire in order to give a voice to Irish adult educators. The ontological aspects of Freire's theory are central to this task. Freire's ontological understanding of the human experience finds its fulfilment in his theory of conscientization. The two pillars of conscientization are personal and collective awareness. And it is the personal awareness aspect, as it relates to the pedagogy of the adult educator, which we are most concerned with here. The paper highlights how the voices of adult educators should be considered as an ontological 'layer of data' which can contribute hugely to the discourse on adult education in Ireland.