'You need to bide your time when you come into a new place. Watch and wait for the first year and then you can begin to introduce changes.'

'You need to bide your time when you come into a new place. Watch and wait for the first year and then you can begin to introduce changes.'

Rosemary remembers taking up a teaching position at Mercy Primary School on the Crumlin Road in September 1979. She notes the words of advice she received from an experienced school principal.

Rosemary McCloskey

Trinity College Dublin

1979

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Rosemary McCloskey

Work and Employment

Life Story

Crumlin Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland

1970's

By that time I had been changed from Abbeyville, back to Mercy Primary School on the Crumlin Road in September 1979 where Sr.M.Emilian Moloney had taken up the post of principal after Sr.M.Bernadette Agnew retired. Sr M Emilian, Sr Frances Forde and I travelled up the road each morning in a lovely Renault 12. Sr. Emilian had been elected Reverend Mother in Crumlin Road and thought that she would be better able to manage the primary school along with her duties as Reverend Mother. Mercy Primary was no easy station for her at all, but she brought about change and innovation as was deemed necessary, without undermining those who had gone before her. I remember one day in exasperation saying to her, 'Do you not see what is happening? It is about time you sorted that out!'I cannot now recall what this major issue was but I will never forget Sr. Emilian's answer to me. She said, 'Sit down Rosemary, You need to bide your time when you come into a new place. Watch and wait for the first year and then you can begin to introduce changes'This was a very wise counsel which has paid off many times in my own life. I am quite an impetuous lady and have tried to bide my time and actually found out, that sometimes something which may appear to be a major issue at one time, ceases to be such an issue after a few days or weeks, and often things resolve themselves.

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

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)