'...the most significant actual branching point came when I went to boarding school'

'...the most significant actual branching point came when I went to boarding school'

Mary remembers important branching points in her life, in particular she describes leaving home to go to boarding school at age 12.

Mary Dynan

Trinity College Dublin

1952

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Mary Dynan

Reflections

Life Story

Kilkeel, Co. Down

1950's

Maybe the earliest branching point in my life was the arrival of my brother when I was just over 15 months old. Perhaps a lot of my view of myself stems from my being supplanted from my perch then. However, the most significant actual branching point came when I went to boarding school in Kilkeel when I was 12 years old. From then on, I was on my own. I had effectively left home then. While I enjoyed school and the camaraderie with my friends there, it had a significant effect on my relationships with my brothers and sister. I did not really know them well anymore. As it also had a significant part to play in my subsequent decision to join the novitiate at the end of school, that meant that I was off the scene before my youngest brother was born.

Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)