Past students of Carrick-on-Suir school share their career stories with Sixth Year class

Caption for picture above: Edmund Rice Secondary School principal Majella Gleeson, Leona Mulcahy, teacher over Student Council and Student Voice in ERSS, past students Richie Kennedy, David Kirby, Shane Walsh, Declan White, Niall King, Barry Lonergan, Dr Brian O’Halloran and Prof John Nolan, deputy principal Linda Barry and Sixth Year head teacher Shane McCormack. Seated: Student Council members Darragh Walsh, Patrick O’Neill, Charlie Russell-Ryan, Darragh Cooney, Thomas Smith and Aaron O’Halloran.

A group of past students of Edmund Rice Secondary School in Carrick-on-Suir returned to their alma mater to share their stories and varied career paths with Sixth Year students.

The stories recounted by Richie Kennedy, David Kirby, Shane Walsh, Declan White, Niall King, Barry Lonergan, Dr Brian O’Halloran and Professor John Nolan to the school’s Leaving Cert class on November 16 were unique and fascinating, raw and honest, motivational and truly inspiring. Some of the past students leftschool up to 20 years ago while others left in the last decade.

Professor John Nolan runs a laboratory and leads the Macular Pigment Research Group in Waterford. His work is renowned worldwide.

He told students how he struggled in school but worked hard. He pointed out that he didn’t get his first CAO choice course. He encouraged students to really put the work in. “Shoot for the stars, everything is possible, organise yourself, be good and be honest. And make the best decisions for yourself,” he said.

Dr Brian O’Halloran graduated from NUI Maynooth with a BSc in Experimental Physics and Mathematics in 1998, followed by a PhD in Experimental Physics from UCD in 2003. He spent some time teaching Physics and Astronomy courses.

He is passionate about Astronomy and always knew what he wanted to do from a very young age. His studies led him to the USA and UK and he worked with NASA.

He currently works for a telecommunications company. He advised students to take all opportunities to develop their skill sets and enjoy what they do.

In a very different field is Barry Lonergan, a Chartered Accountant. He said the Leaving Cert opens doors and opportunities which will bring you down different paths.

Barry also didn’t get his first choice of course in the CAO. “I was an average student but if you work hard you will get your rewards.”

Barry also spoke about the importance of minding your mental health and having sports or hobbies to balance out your life.

Niall King, meanwhile, studied engineering and joined the Irish Navy. He is a qualified fitter and electrician working on maintaining engineering components in Irish Naval Service ships.

In the early days , he said he was a ‘terrible student’ but he advised that it pays to learn from your mistakes and move on. Like Barry, he encouraged students to not make work your sole focus as you will burn yourself out.

Declan White recounted that when he completed the Leaving Cert in 2010 he had no idea what to do but loved Biology. Over the years he focused on medical science, biological chemical science and Microbiology.

For his Masters and PhD he spent two years in a lab but hated it. He is now a pharmaceuticals account manager. “Follow your passions and opportunities will pop up along the way,” he advised.

Shane Walsh had an aptitude for languages and worked in Japan for 6 months where he taught English. He also went to Paris for a year and Versailles for another year and acquired an excellent fluency in French.

He then decided on teaching and completed a two-year Masters in Galway, all studied through Irish. Now he is doing sports marketing for TG4 and loves doing the sports interviews and videos which are also posted online.

David Kirby, who is a primary school teacher, spoke of his love of sport saying there is nowhere to hide on the sports field you are in full view.

He told students that due to a close family bereavement his years from 11 to 17 were very hard as he tried to process the loss.

His advice on the Leaving Cert was to work hard but it is not the end of the world if the grades you want are not achieved,

‘There will always be opportunities and as every year of your life changes, take on those opportunities and take responsibility.” He also spoke of the important role of leadership and of the great years he had as a coach for a Portlaw hurling team.

“Life is really hard and unfair and absolutely brilliant and everything in between” he said.

The final speaker was Richie Kennedy, who spoke about his great passion for soccer. Richie started his life in football playing for Rathgormack.

His talent was discovered by a chief scout which led to a trial in England for Crystal Palace. He was offered a 2-year contract and was among talented and gifted players, which he described very honestly as an intense and petrifying experience.

Richie spoke of the pressures of what is expected at professional level and how hard he found it to deal with the 'bad' games.
When he eventually left his soccer career another opportunity crossed his path.

He is now a fitness instructor and gives talks on nutrition and absolutely loves the variety of his work.

“Always trust your gut feeling. You will know if something is not right for you, your gut feeling is your road map,” he advised.

After the talks, the guest speakers answered questions from the students who all thoroughly enjoyed the morning. Deputy Principal Linda Barry and Leona Mulcahy, teacher over the Student Council, thanked the guests for their inspirational talks. The event finished with refreshments.

Check out this feature and more photos from the event in this week's edition of The Nationalist now on sale in local shops.