Welcome to SHSS Alumnae Link!

This is where we connect with past pupils and find out what they’re up to now.

This week we linked with Rebecca MCCarthy who graduated in 2017.

Name and position:

Rebecca McCarthy, student at Hibernia College, PME Primary Teaching.

Lives:

I moved back home to Courtmacsherry in 2020 during Covid where I finished out my degree in UCC. I will stay at home until I finish my Masters next July.

Best memories of school:

I find it very difficult to narrow down my best memory of Sacred Heart as I thoroughly enjoyed my time in school there. Some key moments for me was the trip to Cappanalea in TY, playing camogie all throughout my six years in school and getting to the All- Ireland Final in 2015.

Our History and Geography trip in 2017 to the North was another major highlight of my time at Sacred Heart. We had a great time travelling around, sight seeing, sing songs, and even rescuing a caravan that got stuck on a beach! It’s not every day you see a bus load of girls pushing a caravan out of a hole.

Favourite classes:

My favourite classes were Business with Ms. O Neill, Geography with Mr. Daly, Irish with Ms. Long and P.E with Mr.Cronin. I’ll always remember him saying that we had a very competitive year when it came to PE class.

Tell us about your career progression to date:

I completed a degree in UCC in Irish and Geography in 2020 and straight away did the TEG Irish exam to get a place in a college for Primary teaching. I am currently studying with Hibernia College and hopefully will graduate next July as a primary school teacher. In the mean time I am completing my placements and subbing in different national schools whenever I can.

If you weren’t in the job you are doing now what would you do:

Growing up, I would have spent a lot of time with my grandmother who was an undertaker in Barryroe. She sadly passed away in January 2021 and since then I have been involved in the running of the business. It is something I take huge pride in and I hope to pursue in the future. To further my knowledge of the business, I hope to complete a mortician/embalming course in the future.

Advice you would give your teenage self:

Don’t compare yourself to others and life is certainly too short to care what other people think.

Favourite quote or motto:

“You can have it all, you just can’t have it all at once” - Oprah Winfrey

Hidden talent:

I’ve been told I can pour a fine pint of Guinness!

Huge thanks to Rebecca for taking the time to answer our questions!

See you soon for the next instalment of SHSS Alumnae Link.