MAKING FRIENDS ON THEIR FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL

ST. C O L M C I L L E ' S P A R I S H N E W S L E T T E R ISSUE 1 SEPT./OCT. 1992 MAKING FRIENDS ON THEIR FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL i L. to R. Rachel B...
Author: Gerald Tucker
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ST. C O L M C I L L E ' S P A R I S H N E W S L E T T E R

ISSUE 1

SEPT./OCT. 1992

MAKING FRIENDS ON THEIR FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL

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L. to R. Rachel Blackman, Maria Driscoll, Laura Scanlon, Jean O'Byrne, Sarah Denver

LOUISE

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L to R. Seamus Boyle, Alan Gallagher, Mark Buckley, Donal O'Shea, SeSn Troy

L. to R. Rachel Goean, Adam Joyce, Emma Wilson, Mark young, Kate O'Reilly

Shhh

H e r e is t h e N e w s w i t h M a r y

Did you know that we have another celebrity living in our midst in Knocklyon? She is Mary Kennedy w h o is appearing quite a lot lately on our television screens, reading the news. I called on her recently and was welcomed into the kitchen by her four delightful children, Eva, T o m , Eoin and Lucy. The t w o eldest, Eva and T o m had just returned f r o m school. It was obviously 'snack time' and the children settled down at the table to enjoy various bowls of goodies. They were completely confident and business like. Lucy, 16 months, started to cry and Eva, 8, lifted her up and carried her to the door murmuring politely: " I ' l l take her out, she's making t o o much noise". I was impressed. When M u m arrived, the boys disappeared to the playroom. " T h e y are good", I remarked. "Sometimes", she smiled. Definitely a happy house. Mary Kennedy is a very attractive and elegant young woman. She is friendly, honest, talented, has a great sense of humour and is bubbling over w i t h what I can only describe as an overwhelming zest for life. A Dubliner, the eldest of five children, she was educated at Colaiste Bride Presentation Convent and afterwards at U.C.D. where she graduated in French and Irish. The Higher Diploma in Education came next and on completion of her studies, she spent a year in France teaching English at a university in Brittany. A t university, Mary became interested in athletics. Always keen on sport, she took part in Inter Varsity sprints and relay races. Mini marathons came next and later in 1982, she was 12th woman home in the Dublin City Marathon, a feat which she accomplished in 3 hours 35 minutes, and an accomplishment of which she is very proud. Life was going well for Mary. She loved her teaching job and even found time to gain the A L C M in Speech and Drama. Then one day she saw the advertisement in the newspaper. It was for Continuity Announcers w i t h RTE. Naturally Mary answered the challenge and to her delight

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got the job. " H o w on earth did you cope?" I asked. " O h " , she replied " t h e Continuity job was mostly at night, so I always taught at the same t i m e " . During the years that followed, she met and married her husband, Ronan. As time passed, life in RTE became more hectic. She was involved in presenting many programmes, perhaps one of the best remembered, an 11 part series on Education, geared mainly to 5th and 6th year students. T w o years ago, she decided to take a career break but the final challenge came last year when she answered another advertisement — this time for part time newsreaders. It was an open competition and not surprisingly, Mary was accepted and put on the Reserve Panel of Newsreaders. The part time option suits her well. "The children are in bed while I'm away and although there are late nights, I'm always there when they wake up in the morning. Occasionally there is a late night and a 6 a.m. start, but, she laughed, " t h e adrenalin always f l o w s " . Working in television is a fascinating job but is also d i f f i c u l t . However, once you're hooked it becomes a way of life. Right f r o m the planning stage when all the various departments are allocated slots in future broadcasting hours — time is of the essence. From then on it is up to most departments to adhere to the schedule. The Newsroom is rather different. Every day is a race against time. New items f l o w in throughout the day and it is often necessary to change news bulletins almost as one goes on air. Newsreaders write their own copy but last minute changes add to the pressure. Newsreaders too, are expected to be well turned out, relaxed and more or less easy on the eye. But it is not just looking glamorous or intelligent - it is very hard work. Only when the 'On A i r ' signal comes on can you begin to relax. Countdown starts, the music begins, the minute hand touches the hour — and "you're on. The moment of t r u t h has arrived. " D o you have time for hobbies?" I wondered. " W e l l " , replied Mary, " I still run and go jogging for health sake. I love tennis and play it often. I like concerts too and going to the theatre and for meals w i t h friends — oh and I love shopping and fashion". "Cbn't \/ou ever get tired?" I asked. There was no hesitation. "When I'm tired, I go out to the garden. I love gardening — I find it relaxing and therapeutic". What an amazing woman! " I really love my w o r k " she admits, " I hope it will continue for a long time to come." So do we, Mary. You grace our screens w i t h charm and efficiency. We like having you and long may you stay! Eileen Casey

WAQ,[L

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