School Daze: 'I wish I had known you grow out of blushing'

Sinead Moriarty,  a Take the First Step Ambassador for 2020, an organisation which encourage those who have difficulties with literacy and numeracy to reach out and seek support

Penguin author, Sinead Moriarty, at her south Dublin home. "The relief when I grew out of it (blushing) was enormous." Picture: Brian Farrell

I went to a French primary school in Dublin where everything was taught through French. It was a brilliant start in life as it opened up my mind to other languages and people from different backgrounds and cultures. My Mum spoke French, having lived in Belgium for a year, and thought it would be a great idea for her kids to speak French too. I’m so glad she sent me there as I made some lifelong friends that I am still in touch with, even though we are spread out across the globe.

I went to an all-girls Catholic convent in Dublin for my secondary school. It was very strict, and at times stifling, but I made incredible friends and had great fun. The great thing about the school was that it taught you to believe you could be anything. It was, looking back, a feminist school. You were always told that you could achieve anything if you worked hard enough. It’s a valuable life lesson.