Ballyrag Volume 1

1982-1983

Ballyrag Volume 2

1983-1984

I was in LC 1B, then LC 2B.

I was friends with Owen Maxwell who died in January 1990. He had muscular dystrophy and at break time he had a room where all the wheel chair users went.

I was dropped from Hockey in 6th year so myself and Owen went and set up a computer club - with the sum total of 4 members - Gerard Buckley, Stephen Daunt, Myself and Owen.

We tried writing a programme for John O'Shea for the community games on the Apple IIe and while the basic program worked, the full version was too bug ridden and we ran out of time.

We did come up with an idea for raising money for the Debs.  We wrote a computer match maker programme before the Disco in February 1984.  I wonder if we ever got anyone together who are still together.  We charged £1 a go....remember the large £1 coins....I think they were fairly new at the time. Anyway, I hope we didn't split anyone up. The questions were fairly random and hopefully everyone copped that it was just a bit of fun.  but we did raise a few bob.

We hung out for a bit when we repeated with Alan Singleton and ____________Morgan (father played guitar for RTE).  They were doing a Young Scientist Competition project on the properties of magic pyramids.....using them to see if they kept fruit fresh and razors sharp.

I am indebted to the teachers I had in the Comprehensive Schools. I went back to teach there (when I didn't know what I was doing - I can hear cries of 'Chalky') and they were hugely, enormously supportive.

As a student, Tony Keeling (Year Head, English Teacher) changed my life.  I started in the Comprehensive in 1 WW (one up from the lowest stream) but within two weeks he moved me to 1 HH. That meant I could do French (which I later needed to get into UCD).  At the start of 3rd year he moved me up to 3F - the top stream (could have been 3FF - second stream).

Sean O'Shea, the careers teacher in the Senior Comprehensive gave me great support and advice when I applied to UCD.  He even arranged a grant for me because I missed out on the HEA Grant - this meant I could focus on passing 1st Year at University without having to work.  I visited him in Yonkers in New York in 1989 when I was J1-ing.  Another life changer.