Where do you have your origins? I was born in London where my parents had emigrated to for work. We moved back to Foynes when I was a baby and lived in Loughill West for some years and then Foynes. My parents are from Loughill an
d Foynes. My father was reared on a farm in Loughill and mother was born in Foynes, but reared in Loughill by an uncle and aunt who had a pub there. I have two brothers, Pat and Liam.
What is your educational background? I was educated at Foynes National School and Sisters of Mercy Stella Maris boarding school in Mount Trenchard, eventhough it was only back the road, but it did not take day pupils at that time. I went on to Mrs McNamara's High School of Commerce in Limerick and later did a Diploma in Social Studies via UCC. I also did a course and received a Certificate of Professional Competence in Passenger Transport – this at the time was for my father's business where I acted as Transport Manager.
Outline your general business curriculum vitae? My first job was with the Bank of Ireland in Newbridge, Co.Kildare and later in Dublin. I resigned as I didn't like city life and I missed my river Shannon and came back to Foynes and started with Lombard & Ulster Banking in O'Connell Street in Limerick. After getting married in 1975 the tax man was very heavy at the time on married women so I left and went to work with my mother in her ladies fashion shop in Newcastle West. My parents later purchased Ard Na Coille House in Foynes and transformed it into a guesthouse which I helped run as well as driving a hackney car for my father when he was busy. Foynes was booming at the time with the construction of Alcan and the servicing of the offshore oil rigs out of Foynes Port. In 1987 with support from the County Manager, Richard Haslam and Jim Beary of Shannon Development, a small group was established to look at the possibility of founding a Flying Boat Museum in the original terminal building. The museum opened in 1989 and I an still there. It has grown from 4 staff to 12 and last year 40,000 visitors passed through the museum doors. The first year we had 3,000. The majority of our visitors come from overseas. We have won several awards including the Interpretate Ireland and Britain awards.
Where do you live today? I live in Leahies, Foynes with my husband Tom in the same house since we got married in 1975 looking down on the Shannon Estuary. A beautiful location, I hope to stay there until they take me to my final resting place in Loughill.
What are your pastimes and hobbies?
I love travelling, looking at other tourism products and getting ideas. I enjoy listening to music anything and everything and reading history. I keep promising myself to start walking or playing golf, but I never seem to get the time to do it. That's my excuse anyway.
