School Daze with Liadh Hanley: 'Confidence can really get you places!' 

Liadh Hanley

I have just graduated from St Angela’s College on St Patrick’s Hill. I really enjoyed my six years and have made some of my best friends there. I’m so glad that I can look back on my time in this school with such fond memories.

This day should be engrained in my memory, but if I’m being honest, I can only remember snapshots from my first day in St Angela’s, just like when you think back to your First Holy Communion and other childhood milestones.

I can remember putting on my uniform with first-day butterflies in tow. My shirt had been pristinely ironed the night before by my lovely Mom, and it was the coldest, most uncomfortable piece of clothing I had ever worn! I have two older brothers so I was the first to go to this girl’s school which meant there were no hand-me-downs! My shirt, straight out of the packet, felt like paper and I remember joking with my friend about it looking like a tea-towel with the bottle green, light green and white pinstripes. She later told me you were supposed to wash it a few times first, to soften the feel of it. I tell my little sister that she doesn’t realise how lucky she is with her overly-washed hand-me-down tea-towel shirts! 

I like to think I am an empathetic person. I have always had a caring and compassionate nature which motivates me to strive to be really good at making a difference in other people’s lives and overall, being a kind person. With this attitude, I tend to overthink a lot. Of course, I struggle with things, we all do. I was shy growing up and didn’t like too much attention. I’ve become more confident in recent years but it comes naturally to some while others just have to ‘fake it till they make it’ as the saying goes. Confidence can really get you places in life!

I think school can be a very daunting and intimidating place when you care about what others think about you, which I definitely did in secondary school. 

As you move on from school, I think it really becomes clear that you care more about yourself than anyone else does about you, and so you really shouldn’t care what others might think, they are too busy worrying about themselves! 

If you are striving to be successful and happy while being a kind person, then you’re doing well. Also, I would encourage everyone to go out and help people. You’re only young once and helping out in your community will benefit you and others in so many ways.

I have always enjoyed volunteering and fundraising for charities. My family were always involved with the charity Down Syndrome Cork as my brother James has Down Syndrome. This meant my childhood was filled with ice-cream party fundraisers and events. James has been the driving force of my volunteering work as he inspires me daily to help others and make a difference.

I wrote a book in Transition Year about my experiences with disabilities, called Upside Down. This was a phenomenal experience which has opened many avenues for me to promote awareness of disabilities. I got involved in many volunteering activities in TY and travelled to Kolkata with the Hope Foundation. I was delighted to be put forward by my school for the Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards, not for the medal or the limelight, but for the publicity of my book and its cause. It has been an amazing experience and I am so grateful for the opportunity.

I love music and singing, and I play a few instruments. My music teacher in school, Ms Ger McDonald played a very important role for me. She was one of those teachers who is extremely talented and professional but is also a friend and ‘mammy’ figure to everyone. She ran the school orchestra and choir which my friends and I joined in first year. This ended up being a very smart decision on our part, as we enjoyed six years of pizza days, many skipped classes for rehearsals and being bumped up the list of teacher favourites!

Ms McDonald ran the music scene almost entirely by herself in the school, and she put her heart and soul into every event we played at without looking for anything in return. This included a charity concert with talented musicians including Liam Ó Maonlaí and Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin. She is an inspiring lady and I hope to have as much dedication and passion as a teacher as she does.

School has definitely influenced my career path. My favourite years in school were the ones where I had inspiring, motivational teachers who put 110% into every lesson and made sure we had fun. I am now studying primary teaching in the hopes of becoming that inspiration for a group of young children one day.

• Liadh Hanley is one of the winners of the 2020 Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards. In recognition of the volunteering work she has demonstrated in her community, Liadh received €1,000 to donate to a charity of her choice, a gold medallion and a crystal trophy for her school. In addition to this, she also received an additional €1,000 in prize money for their selfless efforts. For more information visit spirit.pramerica.ie