Contact: brendanish@gmail.com
Born and reared in Ventry, educated in Coláiste Íde, Carysfort, UCD, and Trinity College Dublin, I spent many wonderful years as principal of Scoil Chrónáin, Rathcoole. It was a long struggle there - we were an Irish language medium school, and I think the official notion was that we would fail, so we spent twenty years in prefabs. Mud in winter, dust in summer. And we had great fun. We travelled Europe, we sang, we painted. There is certainly a book in that - I would welcome their stories from any of my wonderful past pupils who are willing to share. We had wonderful, warm, profitable years together.
When I left, I began film making. A strange career course, but the skills of a head teacher transfer to almost anything. I certainly had plenty of practice in listening, in encouraging, in conflict resolution, in ambition, in determination, in persistence. And God knows, I needed them all, and a quantity of patience as well.
It has been a wonderful experience, all of it. It has been my good fortune to have encountered many interesting people, to have heard amazing stories, to have shared amazing experiences. And there is no end to ideas.