Can Northern Irish head teacher meet our contingent with such a maddening condition? (8)
I believe the answer is:
tinnitus
'a maddening condition?' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.
'can northern irish head teacher meet our contingent with' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'can' could be 'tin' (both are metal containers) and 'tin' is located in the answer.
'northern' could be 'n' (abbreviation e.g. N. Ireland) and 'n' is located in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'such' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for tinnitus that I've seen before include "Constant ringing noise in the ears" , "Hearing affliction" , "annoyance to the ear" , "Condition in which there is constant ringing in the ears" , "Chess piece" .)