Everyone has a story, I would hope my story might remind a generation that might have lived through it and may have forgotten it from a way of life now gone. Coming from a sporting background so important to Irish society and having major success over the years, my story might inspire those in their workplace and sporting life. I want to make clear that success and defeat have been the greatest learning points for me, but have always held that passion, focus, and determination are essential for success. Because that’s all I had. I was not blessed with an abundance of skill but I did have the attributes described above. It’s hard to defeat passion.

Rural Ireland back in 1963 was a very different country than it is today. At a very early age, I was emersed in the ways of farming and rural life. Let’s face it we had no other way to make a living. But now that I look back those experiences were to stand me well in the years ahead. I started National School in Aughacasla near Castlegregory about two miles from our house. Those were the days of walk and cycle to and from school. There were very few cars on the roads, plenty horses and traps as well. Getting up at 7 am helping with the cows before heading off to school. Rain, hail, or snow we walked, but it was the same for everybody so we just got on with it. We often got to school drenched in the mornings and sat through lessons. We then walked back home at 2 pm where our mother was waiting. Clothes off, fire blazing, large bowls of her vegetable soups, stew etc ready for us to eat. There would not be one morsel of food left by us. It tasted that good.

Then out to our father to help with the cows, feeding calves, horses, milking, and getting feed ready for the cows for the following morning. A hard two hours on the pulper, pulping mangles, turnips, with a thick coat of yellow meal over each bucket. The animals would smell the food and start bellowing but those feeds were for the morning., given when they were being milked. This was a great way of keeping cows relaxed when being cleaned and milked. We would then come in have supper then the dreaded lessons. Mother making sure we at least looked like we were trying to do them. We all had our own corner in the house but she would make sure she came to each corner a few times normally during the evening, I always had my dog Brownie with me and of course, I was more interested in him than the lessons. I sometimes wish now that I had paid more attention to homework than I did in those times, but that was not for me. My sisters did very well and got good educations. I concentrated on learning the hard lessons of life, and that has stood to me very well.

Everyone has a story, I would hope my story might remind a generation that might have lived through it and may have forgotten it from a way of life now gone. Coming from a sporting background so important to Irish society and having major success over the years, my story might inspire those in their workplace and sporting life. I want to make clear that success and defeat have been the greatest learning points for me, but have always held that passion, focus, and determination are essential for success. Because that’s all I had. I was not blessed with an abundance of skill but I did have the attributes described above. It’s hard to defeat passion.

Rural Ireland back in 1963 was a very different country than it is today. At a very early age, I was emersed in the ways of farming and rural life. Let’s face it we had no other way to make a living. But now that I look back those experiences were to stand me well in the years ahead. I started National School in Aughacasla near Castlegregory about two miles from our house. Those were the days of walk and cycle to and from school. There were very few cars on the roads, plenty horses and traps as well. Getting up at 7 am helping with the cows before heading off to school. Rain, hail, or snow we walked, but it was the same for everybody so we just got on with it. We often got to school drenched in the mornings and sat through lessons. We then walked back home at 2 pm where our mother was waiting. Clothes off, fire blazing, large bowls of her vegetable soups, stew etc ready for us to eat. There would not be one morsel of food left by us. It tasted that good.

Then out to our father to help with the cows, feeding calves, horses, milking, and getting feed ready for the cows for the following morning. A hard two hours on the pulper, pulping mangles, turnips, with a thick coat of yellow meal over each bucket. The animals would smell the food and start bellowing but those feeds were for the morning., given when they were being milked. This was a great way of keeping cows relaxed when being cleaned and milked. We would then come in have supper then the dreaded lessons. Mother making sure we at least looked like we were trying to do them. We all had our own corner in the house but she would make sure she came to each corner a few times normally during the evening, I always had my dog Brownie with me and of course, I was more interested in him than the lessons. I sometimes wish now that I had paid more attention to homework than I did in those times, but that was not for me. My sisters did very well and got good educations. I concentrated on learning the hard lessons of life, and that has stood to me very well.