Local Interview

The Local Interview: Mrs Kacperski who was both a pupil and teacher in our school takes the chair for 3rd-6th class questions. This was recorded in January 2008 and without any notice.

1 What memories have you of being a pupil at this school?
Good ones, bad ones, a happy time, lots of fun and all of us in one classroom.... And a few very unhappy memories of a very cross teacher who gave a lot of Irish spelling and slapped us if we didn't know them.

2 Where did you go to secondary school?
Loreto Convent Lettekenny.

3 How long have you been teaching here?
February 1979 and in England in 1969

4 What experience have you gained in teaching?
A good sense of humour getting down to the children's level, and realising each child is different.

5 Why are you retiring?
I have been teaching for 30 years ...it's time to go and do something different,...I'd like to keep working with children.

6 What's your favourite subject?
Irish, arts and crafts English and maths.

7 What nice memory will you bring with you?
Many happy ones ... probably all the past pupils ... seeing them moving on and progressing.

8 Will you miss coming to work in our school?
Of course I will because of all the good times.

9 Did you like teaching?
Yes and I suppose I always wanted to become a teacher.

10 Do you want to retire?
Not particularly but the time has come the clock has moved on.

11 Did you make friends with your students?
Many friends and many past pupils come to visit me often.

12 Are you sad to be retiring?
Not sad ... but it will be different.

13 What are your hobbies outside of school?
Reading and walking.

14 What are your plans after your retirement?
I hope to travel and do things I hadn't the time to do.

15 Will you miss coming to school?
I'm sure I will

16 What age are you?
I'm retiring age ... nearly.

17 Will you remember us outside of school?
Of course I will.

Ann Marie Ward's Interview

1.Could you stop along the way?
No, I was not allowed to touch boat!

2.What could you eat when you were hungry?
Powdered food tied on to bungee cord I would gulp down a drink and on I’d go!

3.What did you feel coming into France?
Relieved, very tired and I couldn’t believe it was over!

4.What was in the water? What was it like?
There were tides,I was going sideways, also Calais ferries and cargo ships!

5.What could you eat?
I could not eat a big meal before I went in!

6.What was the temperature of water?
16-18 degrees not cold for us!

7.Apart from the English Channel did you do many other long swims?
Tory Island to Magheroarty Pier a few years ago and relay swim around Ireland!

8.Did you do any medium swims?
italicI did swim from Gola Island to Burtonprt!.enditalic

9.Is there any other swims did you do?
I went from Downings to Killyhoey!

10.How long did it take from Downings to Killyhoey?
It took me 3hrs!

11.What feelings did you have in the water in the English Channel?
Must be very positive after 10-15 hours you get tired just think I’m going to get there!

12.Was there somebody on the boat incase something happened you?
There was trained safety in place, paramedic on board and all kinds of bandages!

13.What could happen?
Jelly fish can sting and you can get an allergic reaction and there would be treatment needed!enditalic

14.Were you afraid?
No, a good team was with me eg. Diver could have come to my rescue!

15.What time did you leave at?
.ItalicWe left at 3.20 am that night!.enditalic

16.Did you swim in the dark?
Yes there was darkness at 7.00!

17.What charity did you do the swim for?
For the hospice in Letterkenny!

18.{Kind of rude} where did you go to the toilet?
In the water!

19.What time did you get home?
On beach max of 10 mins swim back to boat 3 hours back to England!

20.How did you feel on landing?
Tired, Hallucinating like moss on sky on to boat heat packs got blood pressure taken up on deck with rest of team saw trees growing in water!

21.Any sharks?
Didn’t see any! Lads on boat said coastguard warned of dead whale!

22.How did you know your direction?
Followed boat and its GPS system!

23.Did you see many fish?
No it was dark no stings on channel route got jelly fish bites on round Ireland swim!

24.How long to swim around Ireland?
2 months relay, left Carrickfin in early July swam 20-25 miles daily GPS stop a GPS point stop ashore food sleep next day again finished end of August!

25.How much money raised?
England channel 17k Tory Is. one 20k

26.When and where did you start swimming?
Swimming from young age I joined Doe swimming club! Stopped for a good while then a few years later I decided to swim for a charity for Share a dream
Foundation!

27.Did you want to swim the English Channel when you were small?
Yes!

28. How many more swims would you do?
Maybe one more or another!

29.What was your favourite swim?
The one that I’m most proud of is the English channel, but the swim I enjoyed most was one day when I was on the round Ireland swim I was joined by a pod of dolphins, west of the Aran Islands and they swam with me for a couple of miles. It was very special and I will always remember it!