'It was a nasty situation to be in after that allegation had been made, and so after a few months, I decided to leave Belfast once more and this time head for England.'

'It was a nasty situation to be in after that allegation had been made, and so after a few months, I decided to leave Belfast once more and this time head for England.'

Rosemary reflects on her decision to leave Belfast again, this time to travel and work in England.

Rosemary McCloskey

Trinity College Dublin

1999

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Rosemary McCloskey

Work and Employment

Life Story

Warwickshire, England

1990's

My next job was a teaching post in BunScoil Bheann Mhadagain in Wyndham Street. This was another tough assignment and I left it after having been accused of hitting a child in my second year there.I had had enough of this Irish medium and to be honest, while at first I admired the ideals of the immersion program, I found that in many ways we were doing a disservice to children who had no support in their homes for the language and these were ending up illiterate in two languages. The many resources available to children in ordinary primary schools were not available to children in the Irish medium sector. I found that some parents sent their children to Irish medium education because they had a dislike of the Catholic education and church, while at the same time they could not bring themselves to send them to a state school. It would appear that things have improved in the Irish medium sector, but since I have not been involved in it for a long time, I cannot speak with any authority on the subject. Suffice it to say that I would not support it any more.It was a nasty situation to be in after that allegation had been made, and so after a few months, I decided to leave Belfast once more and this time head for England. I landed a job in North Warwickshire and Hinckley College in Nuneton and moved over there with one suitcase. I rented a bed sit on Queens Road at first and then bought a property at 32 Manor Court Road which was a little two up and two down. It was just right for me, and friends gave me bits and pieces to furnish it. Many a good night's craic was had in that little house. Looking back I am amazed at how everything came together and most things matched. I had good parking at the door for the red Fiesta which I took across with me.

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

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)