'...and Physical education which I loathed, as I was very self-conscious about my adolescent body.'

'...and Physical education which I loathed, as I was very self-conscious about my adolescent body.'

Rosemary remembers her first day of secondary school in St Dominic's convent. She remembers arguing with her teachers about the subject choices.

Rosemary McCloskey

Trinity College Dublin

1958

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Rosemary McCloskey

Adolescence and Early Adulthood

Life Story

Belfast

1950's

I will always remember my first day in St Dominic's. I wanted to do French and domestic science, but instead because of the grades I got in the examination, I was put into Form 1A where Latin and Science were on the program, and not what I wanted. I and a few other students spent the first afternoon, which we were awarded as a free one, trying to get our subjects changed. The free afternoon was in honour of the success of a former pupil of St Columban's and St Dominic's, who had won a state exhibition in Queens University. She was Anne Tierney,(RIP) formerly of Harcourt Drive, who went on to study the classics, Latin and Greek at university. The head mistress would not accede to our request for change, and merely offered us places in a lower form. This we declined and so we remained in Form 1A doing Irish, English, Maths, Geography, History ,Latin, Science, Music , Religious studies and Physical education which I loathed, as I was very self-conscious about my adolescent body.

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

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)