Page 153 - Gonzaga at 60
P. 153
“Children are horrible creatures,” was the advice given to me
when – in the mild panic of inishing an Arts degree designed to
put of choosing a career – I decided I’d like to become a teacher. It
won’t surprise those who atended Gonzaga during his seventeen
years tenure that those words of discouragement came courtesy
of Patrick Pots. There were others too. In fact the list went on and
on so a quick rethink later, I opted not for a seat at the top of a
class but instead one in the press box at the Beijing Olympics and
laterly amongst the press gang at our good Taoiseach’s brieings.
Strangely, I hadn’t considered journalism much of a career.
Sure, I had spent more ime in the University Observer’s oice
than the student bar during my ime in UCD, but wriing mainly
music reviews didn’t seem to have much nine-to-ive potenial.
Ulimately though, college media proved the best form of training,
just as a far, far, far more successful Gonzaga past pupil David
Davin-Power said it would when he spoke at a career evening at
the school almost ten years ago. Journalism degrees or Masters
only ick a box – albeit an increasingly necessary one – but
pracical experience is the only way to forge a career in media.
That search for experience tends to bring young journalists
down some interesing and not-very-well-paid avenues. For
the price of a bus icket out of London, I wrote about rugby in
Rotherham, football in Wycombe and bizarrely, at one point,
found myself previewing the Dakar Rally for a Dutch airline
magazine. Unfortunately the later didn’t involve the snif of an air
fare but instead was writen from the rallying heartland of Bethnal
Green. That period was a slog – odd jobs and the odd few quid
from home kept rent icking over – but it was a worthwhile one.
It has led me to a privileged role reporing on events back
in my own country for the largest news agency in the world.
Privileged because covering a small country for a global audience
means we get access to the biggest stories. And of course since
returning to Ireland in April 2009 – the week before that year’s
emergency budget – there has been no shortage of deining
stories. I’ve been fortunate enough to interview the Minster for
Finance, sit down with a number of top CEOs and as I write this,
am preparing to head to the Four Courts to watch Sean Fitzpatrick
be declared bankrupt. I suppose there are perks to every job!
Although when those perks have also included – in my former and
sill part-ime capacity as a sports correspondent – a front row
seat to witness Usain Bolt smash the 200 metres world record in
Beijing, and a similarly decent view of a couple of Federer v Nadal
Wimbledon inals, it’s not been a bad three-and-a-half years.
And what role has Gonzaga played in this? I could be smart
and say with alumni chairing board meeings at Aer Lingus and
in charge at Paddy Power, it’s good for contacts but I’d rather
note that like any good school, it introduced the idea of hard
work reaping its rewards. Be it a good educaion or later, an
enjoyable career. It also oversaw those years where personaliies
are formed, and in a career not best suited to shrinking violets or
intolerable egos, I’d like to think my ime in Gonzaga helped me
fall somewhere in the middle. Here’s to another 60 years then.
Padraic Halpin
Class of 2003
when – in the mild panic of inishing an Arts degree designed to
put of choosing a career – I decided I’d like to become a teacher. It
won’t surprise those who atended Gonzaga during his seventeen
years tenure that those words of discouragement came courtesy
of Patrick Pots. There were others too. In fact the list went on and
on so a quick rethink later, I opted not for a seat at the top of a
class but instead one in the press box at the Beijing Olympics and
laterly amongst the press gang at our good Taoiseach’s brieings.
Strangely, I hadn’t considered journalism much of a career.
Sure, I had spent more ime in the University Observer’s oice
than the student bar during my ime in UCD, but wriing mainly
music reviews didn’t seem to have much nine-to-ive potenial.
Ulimately though, college media proved the best form of training,
just as a far, far, far more successful Gonzaga past pupil David
Davin-Power said it would when he spoke at a career evening at
the school almost ten years ago. Journalism degrees or Masters
only ick a box – albeit an increasingly necessary one – but
pracical experience is the only way to forge a career in media.
That search for experience tends to bring young journalists
down some interesing and not-very-well-paid avenues. For
the price of a bus icket out of London, I wrote about rugby in
Rotherham, football in Wycombe and bizarrely, at one point,
found myself previewing the Dakar Rally for a Dutch airline
magazine. Unfortunately the later didn’t involve the snif of an air
fare but instead was writen from the rallying heartland of Bethnal
Green. That period was a slog – odd jobs and the odd few quid
from home kept rent icking over – but it was a worthwhile one.
It has led me to a privileged role reporing on events back
in my own country for the largest news agency in the world.
Privileged because covering a small country for a global audience
means we get access to the biggest stories. And of course since
returning to Ireland in April 2009 – the week before that year’s
emergency budget – there has been no shortage of deining
stories. I’ve been fortunate enough to interview the Minster for
Finance, sit down with a number of top CEOs and as I write this,
am preparing to head to the Four Courts to watch Sean Fitzpatrick
be declared bankrupt. I suppose there are perks to every job!
Although when those perks have also included – in my former and
sill part-ime capacity as a sports correspondent – a front row
seat to witness Usain Bolt smash the 200 metres world record in
Beijing, and a similarly decent view of a couple of Federer v Nadal
Wimbledon inals, it’s not been a bad three-and-a-half years.
And what role has Gonzaga played in this? I could be smart
and say with alumni chairing board meeings at Aer Lingus and
in charge at Paddy Power, it’s good for contacts but I’d rather
note that like any good school, it introduced the idea of hard
work reaping its rewards. Be it a good educaion or later, an
enjoyable career. It also oversaw those years where personaliies
are formed, and in a career not best suited to shrinking violets or
intolerable egos, I’d like to think my ime in Gonzaga helped me
fall somewhere in the middle. Here’s to another 60 years then.
Padraic Halpin
Class of 2003
