My very first trips to school, I was lucky enough to live only a fifteen-minute walk from our lady of good counsel Girls National School Woodley Rd, Johnstown, Glenageary. As a young child in primary school, I used to walk with my mum, sister and brother. We would spend our time talking and laughing the whole way there. I always used to love when I would see my mum waiting for me outside the school gates. It was a chance for me to tell her all about my day, share the laughter I had, the stress of whatever we were doing that day, or fill her in on all the silly drama us young girls would have. Looking back now, it is funny that I only remember the sunny walks to and from home, no rain clouds over the memories.
When I got a bit older, I started to walk to school with friends that lived nearby. I remember how grown up I felt when my parents told me I could walk by myself. The walks with friends were equally as joyful. They consisted of lots of laughter about what happened in school that day or ranting about how much homework we got.
Walking with friends carried on through secondary school, when I went to Rockford Manor on Stradbrook road in Blackrock. Then the walk was easily one of my favourite parts of the school day, and spending that extra time with friends and family was like a weight lifting off my shoulders every single day.
Laura Connolly is a 19-year-old college student currently studying Business in TUD. She plays volleyball for Ireland at senior and u20 level, and recently captained Irelands u20 volleyball women’s team in the European championship final round which was hosted in Ireland.
On behalf of the Museum of Childhood Ireland and Robert Burns, we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of our wonderful participants for their time and their stories. We are thrilled to be presenting this project and we hope you will enjoy following along with us.
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