‘My mum was an inspiration. She broke stones and barriers’

I grew up in a small village in County Roscommon called Taughmaconnell, which is on the Galway/Roscommon border between Athlone and Ballinasloe. Unsurprisingly, it is situated right in the middle of nowhere, but it always was a great place to live.

 

Living in a rural village meant we had two pubs and no shops. There used to be one, but the proprietor passed on and no one else took it over, so depending on your choice of pint, you were grand for stout but had a 15-minute drive for milk!

 

My grandad was a farmer and an electrician, my uncle is a farmer and still farms the fields to this day, but my dad strayed away from the norm and became a carpenter. Both he and my mother shared a sense of creativity, and I suppose that love of the arts was instilled in myself and my sister unbeknownst to us at an early age. 

 

My mother came from a family of stonecutters, and actually, she was one of the first female stonecutters in Ireland. Once she completed her four-year apprenticeship, her career as a stonecutter began working with the OPW on Portumna Castle in County Galway, which was built in the early 17th century by Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde, so no pressure on her first job! 

 

I went to school at St. Ronan’s National School, which is a wonderful, modest national school in Taughmaconnell. I then went on to Ardscoil Mhuire in Ballinasloe, where my favourite subjects were Art & German. Following secondary school, I attended the Institute of Technology in Sligo and earned a degree in Marketing and German, and I even spent a semester in Dresden, a beautiful German city rich in artistic treasures, history and legends. 

 

Looking back at that time, I often think it’s funny how the world works in mysterious ways. I spent years studying German and, while I am fine with the written side of it, my vocal abilities wouldn’t be the strongest. My sister, who had absolutely no interest in the language, has (obviously) relocated there, found herself a German partner and is now fluent in German. I’m sure if I asked her about it there would be an element of Schadenfreude, given how our interaction with the language has completely swapped!

 

Following my studies, things were not great in Ireland. We were in the midst of a housing crisis and Dublin was simply unaffordable for those coming out of third level education. I began working in places outside the capital city, firstly in Kilkenny before moving on to Belfast in 2018, where I began my career at SGN Natural Gas. I got my foot in the door as an Administrative Assistant, and I have been here ever since. 

 

My current role is that of a Transportation Services Officer, looking after the regulatory reports that are needed to fulfil licence requirements these mainly include analysing the volume of natural gas taken in on SGN Natural Gas network. I work a lot with system development, studying and analysing what is needed to varying degrees in relation to relevant items. I have a keen interest in the numerical aspect of the role, and as the old adage goes ‘the numbers don’t lie’, and it is my job to make sure they add up.

 

In my spare time, I love spending time with my two dogs, Rocco and Molly (also affectionately known as ‘Big Stinky’ and ‘Fattybumbum’). They are two Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and the love of the outdoors is as strong in them as it is with me. I also enjoy hiking and recently scaled Slieve Donard, the highest of the Mourne Mountains. The views from the summit are extensive, and it is said on a clear day the Isle of Man, Wicklow, Donegal, Wales, and Scotland can be viewed. I also thoroughly enjoy swimming, but not the freshwater kind. As much as I love the outdoors, when it comes to the water, I’ll keep my feet in a heated pool thank you very much!

 

After an energetic day outside, I like to relax with a good movie or TV show. I have always had a great interest in films and enjoy sitting down and watching an enigmatic thriller or binge watching a series. However, my biggest problem is the fact that I spend more time searching for the right thing to watch, but once I have found something I fly through it. In next to no time, I am back where I started again wondering what my next series will be! 

 

After college, I would say that I had not a clue what I wanted to do. I did not know my passion, and I was not sure where in the world I would fit in. There is a general expectation that if you obtain a qualification in a particular area, then that is the career you must follow. I disagree, though - I realise now that anyone can do anything they set their mind to, and that a degree is just a bit of paper. 

 

It was not until I started my current job at SGN Natural Gas that I realised my passion was with numbers. As you get older, you realise you can do what you enjoy, and you do not need to find work in your area of study. It might take a few different jobs across a period of months or years for you to find where you are supposed to be, but when you do, you will know straight away when it is the right one for you!

 

This International Women’s Day, I want to give recognition to my mum Jacinta. She is my inspiration. She is someone who, in a male-dominated world, stood out head and shoulders above the rest and was not afraid of taking on huge challenges. She broke down stones and barriers and had no fear. 

 

So, in conclusion, find what you love and do it, do not be afraid – you do you!

For more information on International Women's Day. visit https://www.internationalwomensday.com/