This study examines the resilience of teachers (mainstream class teachers and special education teachers) and principals at primary level from 2016-2021. The study builds on research carried out by the INTO (2015) on the workload, stress and resilience of primary teachers which concluded that respondents found teaching more stressful and demanding in the previous five years. Acknowledging the many systemic changes that have occurred in the period from 2016-2021, this study ascertained how participants demonstrated resilience through these changes, what supported or fostered resiliency for them, their understanding of resiliency, the impact of leadership on resiliency and suggestions for strategies to build career wide resiliency in teaching and leading. At the heart of this study is the value of the participants’ lived experience. While much has been written about teacher resilience from an Irish and international context, previous research concentrated on initial teacher education and early career teachers and this study fills the void in relation to sustaining career wide resiliency. Using a mixed methods approach, initial questionnaires were shared with six participating case study schools, followed by semi-structured interviews. Subsequent national questionnaires were then shared. The combined data sources include the views of 137 participants, from newly qualified teachers to teachers teaching in-excess of 31 years. This research was conducted from April-July 2021 and permitted for a broad range of experiences to be accounted for. Key findings demonstrate teacher resilience was impacted by systemic changes, but not all systemic changes impacted equally. Factors that supported resilience include: Droichead (Teaching Council, 2017), seen as a positive influence; support from leadership and relationships and collegiality within school settings. Inhibiting factors highlighted include: the lack of professional learning for specialised settings; time for collaboration; teacher isolation during Covid-19 and a lack of understanding of special educational needs. Teachers were clear on their identified preferences for future professional learning, notably in the areas of wellbeing and special education. Implications for policy and practice concentrate on the collaborative and sustained professional learning experiences teachers found beneficial to their resilience.