Chasing Proud Moments

 

One of the few downsides of a long teaching career is that it’s impossible to keep up with all your past pupils. You spend years nurturing them, pushing them to reach their potential — and then they head out into the big wide world. Every so often though, life gives you a lovely reminder that they’ve gone on to do great things.

That’s exactly what happened today when I tuned into The Chase and saw a familiar face appear on screen. 

There he was — Alan O’Donoghue, one of my former pupils! It’s been many (many!) years since I last saw him, and back then he was wearing his school uniform rather than a smart TV outfit — but I’d have recognised him anywhere. The same bright eyes, the same quick wit, the same spark that made him stand out even then.

From the moment the questions started, I could tell he hadn’t lost his edge. Alan breezed through his opening round, full of confidence and good humour, and was an absolute star in the final chase. I found myself shouting at the TV (using my best indoor teacher voice, of course), willing the seconds to tick faster. And when they actually beat the Chaser? I may have let out a cheer loud enough to make the neighbours think Ireland had just won the Eurovision!

Watching him up there — calm, clever, and funny — filled me with that quiet pride only a teacher really understands. You see flashes of brilliance in a classroom, but it’s rare you get to witness it years later, fully formed, in front of millions of viewers.

Well done, Alan — you absolutely aced it. You’ve made your school, your town, and one very proud former teacher beam with pride.

Same Song, Different Century

 Last night I headed to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre to see Fiddler on the Roof. It was a real trip down memory lane — it’s the second musical I ever did with Leixlip Musical & Variety Group, a mere thirty-five years ago!

Front and centre!

Oh look, it's me in the front again!

I haven’t seen it since, so I was really looking forward to watching it again — this time from the comfort of a plush seat instead of a sweaty stage under the lights.

I wasn’t disappointed.

As one of those “old school” musicals, I wondered how well it would hold up with a modern audience. God, was it an eye-opener. As the story unfolded, the theme hit us full force — a community of humble, hard-working people being forced from their homes and land because of their religion. It was uncomfortable viewing in light of what’s happening in the world today.

One thing that threw me at first was the cast keeping their British accents instead of the usual Jewish/Russian ones. But the more I thought about it, the more it worked. It stripped away the sense of “otherness” and made the story universal. Persecution isn’t confined to one people or place — every group has the capacity to be both victim and perpetrator. Sadly, we still haven’t learned much from history.

The production itself was outstanding — powerful performances, clever staging, and an ending that left the audience utterly silent. When people file out without a word, you know a nerve has been touched.

It may have been 35 years since I heard “If I Were a Rich Man,” but last night reminded me why Fiddler is still one of the richest musicals ever written — not for its humour or its heart, but for the hard truths it still dares to tell.