Despite some narrow gender stereotyping that still exists, we discuss how much has changed in recent decades when it comes to women’s opportunities after secondary school. Practically all her female classmates went on to third level almost automatically. She says that is some pivot in a generation. ‘My mother did not go to third level. In her time, it was more a case of what job are you going to get when you finish school? Now, women are focused on their careers, as well as being wives and mothers. In my course, for example, 70 per cent of the students are female. It’s fantastic to see that.’
Her tip for parents who may have children studying for the Leaving Cert is to be there as a support but not to push their kids too much. On reflection, she reckons the times her father was nagging her to study were her least productive times, when almost as an act of rebellion she wouldn’t make as much effort. I tell her I’m not convinced by this and that if my own mother hadn’t frogmarched me to my room and plugged out the ghetto blaster, then I’d likely still be repeating the Leaving Cert to this day.
On the flipside, the more a student can take ownership of their own results and work on their own initiative, the easier it makes the transition to the next level. But not every parent has a child like Niamh – an incredibly driven 22-year-old who adored school and homework and study, and continues to reap the rewards, both personally and financially, of all those long hours of study and sacrifice. As a parent, all I can do is sigh!
Acknowledgements
After our second child was born I disappeared most nights from 7 p.m. till the early hours writing this book, and without the love and support of my wife and family, this obviously wouldn’t be possible. So, a big thank you to my wonderful wife Sophie and to Óran, Luke and Eva.
As a child, my mother took me to the local library in Ennis every week without fail, and I want to thank both my parents for all their help and support over the years when my career choices seemed, well, a little off-kilter. Aoife, Sinead and Damien have been a great support as well as Tom, Tayto (I always call him Damien) and Lorraine and their families.
To my fantastic agent Faith O’Grady, who kept belief in this project, a huge thank you. We discussed it several times over the years, honing it and developing it to a point where it could be presented to publishers.
To the really great team at HarperCollins, including publishing director Eoin McHugh who shared my vision for this book from the very beginning and helped shape and better it all the way along, as well as George, Patricia, Tony, Nora, Jennifer, Micaela and everyone who worked on it and brought it to life.
The genesis for this book began with a series of reports I’ve been doing on RTÉ Radio1 over several years. I am very grateful to all on the Today with Sean O’Rourke Show team for all their help and support getting those reports to air. In particular, thanks to series producer Tara Campbell, who always found space for these reports, to presenter Sean O’Rourke for rolling with them on air so well and to my colleagues Geraldine, Deirdre, Cora, Alastair, Fiona, Mary, Paddy, Evelyn and all on the TodaySOR and RTÉ Radio1 team. You can listen back to some of those reports by going to the RTÉ Radio1 website.
When I was in secondary school in Rice College in Ennis, English teacher Mannix Berry had a significant influence on my later direction in life. At a time when teachers in general were concerned with rote learning and points chasing, he imparted a love of English and critical thinking and I remain forever indebted to him for that.
There’s a wider group of readers, friends and colleagues who have given me valuable advice and support and cynicism (!) along the way with this book. Thanks then to Ella McSweeney, Shane Hegarty, Nick Kennedy, Edel O’Connell, Aidan Mulcahy, Ray Scannell, all the Blarney Boys, the Golden Girls, my long-time friends Eilish Hughes and Mark Anderson, Michelle Timoney, Miriam Donohoe, Liam O’Brien, Evelyn O’Rourke, the Cavanaghs in the US, wonderful neighbours in Ard Dara, the ever-supportive Madeleine Johnston and Charles Olden, Chloe and Shane, Therese (for putting up with me, she says), Eoin Ryan, Niall MacMonagle, Maurice Gubbins and Craig Hughes. I know I’ve forgotten people, but there have been so many who helped with this book I couldn’t possibly list them all.
I lost a very good friend, musician Brian Carey, in 2017, and he was always one of the first to read or listen to my work over the years. I missed his feedback during the writing of this book and I’ll miss him for lots of other reasons long after it hits the shelves. This is for him, and for Fia.
About the Publisher
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The Personals Page 18