Muireann O'Connell: 'I will always call Limerick home'

This Much I Know: 'I always assumed that because I wasn't from Dublin I'd never get work here because I didn't have an 'in', it's not like that at all though'

Sun, 29 Aug, 2021 - 12:45

Martha Brennan

I'm from Limerick but both of my parents are from Kerry so we went down there every second weekend growing up. It wasn't a holiday though. We were extra hands on the farm and were put to work at Granny's house, getting the turf and the hay. Any of my friends who go to Kerry now always say it's the best place for a holiday and I'm sitting there thinking, 'we were always put to bloody work'.

I loved growing up in Limerick, it was fantastic. It's still one of my favourite places and I have my best friends there and my parents. They always had their own social life when we were growing up and I really appreciate that now. They're not drinkers but they played cards and golfed and my sisters would mind me. It instilled a sense of independence, which was lovely. They trusted us.

I moved to Dublin 10 years ago but always felt like I still lived in Limerick. I think it's because I don't have children that I didn't feel that grounding. The other day I was walking down the road though and I met loads of people I knew and it was the first moment I realised that I really live in Dublin. I’ve built a community and a life up here without realising it — but I’ll always call Limerick home.

A series of events and coincidences have led me to where I am now. I've honestly got no idea how I got into this line of work. There are some people who are so obviously meant to be in their jobs but I have no idea how this happened.

I remember my father pushing for me to do teaching when I got home from Australia — I had gone there straight after college — and I'd get up and go to the kettle and the forms would be there. They'd be slipped under my door at night.

Muireann O'Connell will be hosting Ireland AM on Virgin Media TV from Monday. Picture: Brian McEvoy

I wasn't working at the time and was in a bit of a funk and a friend told me they were looking for drivers for our local radio station, Live 95. I got that job and Jacqui Hurley was there at the time too and we were driving the jeeps around. Then Spin Southwest opened up and I got a job there and that’s how it all started. Thank god I had a license.

The greatest challenge was realising that the media isn't one big clique. I always assumed that because I wasn't from Dublin I'd never get work here because I didn't have an 'in'. It's not like that at all though. I had to get over that in my head and just move here. It's the same in so many careers. You have to get over that internal monologue of saying 'that's closed to me'.

I don't have any lofty ambition about leaving a legacy. This world can be hard enough and I think we can see the worst side of it so much these days through social media. I'd just like to be remembered as someone who didn't make other people's lives harder.

My greatest quality is that I'm always ready to go out if anyone needs me. I might be 15 minutes late — but I will be there. I’m also very good at parallel parking. It was very important to my father to teach us and my housemate calls it my superpower now.

The people I turn to most are my housemate and my mam. My mother is the bluntest woman in the entire world and not everything has to be a huge issue with her. I really appreciate that about her. She sorts everything out for me without even knowing it.

That's a lesson I would like to pass on: you don't have to have an opinion about everything. In this world, it feels like we have to have an opinion on absolutely everything, from J Lo and Ben Affleck to issues in the Dáil, but there are some things that you might just not have an opinion on and that's okay.

The greatest advice I've ever been given is that you could be dead tomorrow. It's something that can put my head right very quickly. We're not here for a long time, so what's the point in the divisions and problems we create? We could all be gone tomorrow, we may as well make this a nice place.

I'm constantly surprised by how angry people can get over the smallest things online, but my real fear is ducks. I live near the canal and I’ve started making myself feed them. They freak me out because I got attacked by one when I was really small. I just want nothing to do with them.

I have no idea where a different fork in the road would have taken me. I've never been able to see a hypothetical world that I could have gone into. It could have been anything, you never know where you'll end up.