Rian Maguire and Aisling McDonnell
Rian and Aisling speak enthusiastically about cameras, binoculars and favourite toys, before sharing their hopes of becoming a lorry driver and a hairdresser — inspired by family and classroom life.
Rian Maguire. (Image: John McVitty)
Rian: Why does he have a camera?
VJ: Do you want to know?
Rian: I don’t know why, but I have a blue camera.
John: Do you take pictures?
Rian: Too much, but I’m not using it anymore in case it runs out of paper.
Aisling: I don’t even have a camera, but guess what?
VJ: What?
Aisling: My Granda has a camera in Galway and one day he gave it to me. I was taking pictures outside. No—there were actually things you could look through.
VJ: Like binoculars?
Rian: I have those.
Aisling: You pick them up and look out.
Rian: I don’t see anything.
Aisling: You can see things far away.
Aisling McDonnell. (Image: John McVitty)
VJ: What is your favourite toy?
Rian: Lorries. Guess what I want to be when I grow up?
Rian: A lorry driver like my Granda.
VJ: Does he have a big lorry?
Rian: Yes, it’s white.
VJ: What do you want to be when you grow up, Aisling?
Aisling: A hairdresser—and guess what?
Rian: I’m five and I’m so good. I can play Roblox on the iPad.
VJ: Do you like hair, Aisling?
Aisling: Yes.
VJ: Do you do your own hair?
Aisling: Mummy does. And guess who cuts my hair?
Aisling: A hairdresser—and guess what her name is?
VJ: Vee. She’s Rebecca’s mummy. She’s in my classroom.
Rian: And in my classroom too.
Aisling: He’s in my classroom too.
VJ: Who is your favourite teacher?
Rian: Mr Cunningham. He does jobs.
Aisling: My favourite toy is Gabby’s Dollhouse. You have so many different dolls.
John Cunningham, Principal, St.Mary's P.S. Killesher. (Image: John McVitty)
Alba McManus & Terence Maguire
Alba and Terence explain why school is “great”, chatting about favourite teachers, toys and foods, as well as football dreams that stretch from Kinawley all the way to Manchester United.
VJ: What do you think of school?
Alba: It’s great.
Terence: (silence)
All: Laughter
VJ: What is so good about school?
Alba: I get to play with my friends.
Terence: School is good. I like playing with my friends.
VJ: What are your teachers like? Are they nice?
Terence: They’re good. Mrs Smyth is good.
Alba: Mrs O’Connor is the best.
Alba McManus. (Image: John McVitty)
VJ: What is your favourite toy?
Alba: I have a toy panda at home.
VJ: What does it do?
Alba: I can make it move and I pretend it talks.
VJ: What does it say?
Alba: “Pandy Poona.” That’s its name. It has a funny voice.
VJ: What is your favourite toy, Terence?
Terence: A football.
VJ: Why do you like football?
Terence: I like playing with my teammates.
VJ: Who do you play for?
Terence: Manchester United and Kinawley.
VJ: And who will you play for when you grow up?
Terence: Manchester United and Kinawley.
VJ: At the same time?
Terence: Both.
VJ: What is your favourite food?
Alba: Calamari and prawns.
VJ: Do you eat that at home?
Alba: No, on holidays in Tenerife.
Terence: My favourite food is croissants.
VJ: Where do you eat croissants?
Terence: At home.
VJ: What are your favourite animals?
Alba: Horses, because they neigh.
Terence: Donkeys.
Terence Maguire. (Image: John McVitty)
VJ: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Alba: A vet. Not a doctor.
VJ: An animal vet?
Alba: Yes.
Patrick John McHugh & Aoife Quigley
Patrick John and Aoife talk about loving school, favourite teachers and dinners, with career plans that range from plastering like Dad to becoming a teacher in Killesher.
VJ: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Patrick John: A plasterer like my daddy.
Aoife: A teacher.
VJ: Why do you want to be a teacher?
Aoife: Because it’s so much fun.
VJ: You must like school if you want to be a teacher.
Aoife: Yes.
VJ: Where do you want to be a teacher?
Aoife: Killesher.
VJ: Why?
Aoife: Because I like school.
VJ: And why do you want to be a plasterer?
Patrick John: I like getting messy.
VJ: Does Daddy get messy when he’s plastering?
Patrick John: Yes.
VJ: Does he come home all messy and grey?
Patrick John: No, all white and dusty.
Patrick John McHugh. (Image: John McVitty)
VJ: What do you think about school?
Aoife: I love school always. It’s so much fun. I like to play outside.
VJ: Who is your favourite teacher?
Aoife: Mr Cunningham and Mrs O’Connor.
Patrick John: Mr Cunningham.
VJ: Do you have a favourite food or snack?
Aoife Quigley. (Image: John McVitty)
Aoife: Jammy Dodgers because they’re so yummy.
Patrick John: Roast beef for dinner.
VJ: What do you take it with—spuds?
Patrick John: No! Gravy and spuds.
VJ: What’s your favourite animal?
Patrick John: A bull.
VJ: Why?
Patrick John: Because he’s very big.
Aoife: A monkey, because I like seeing them climb trees.
Patrick John: I saw a real one.
VJ: A real monkey or a real bull?
Patrick John: I saw a bull at a farm and a monkey at the zoo.
VJ: What do you like to do?
Patrick John: I play football in the big playground.
VJ: Do you play for any teams?
Patrick John: Belnaleck.
VJ: Are they good?
Patrick John: Better than Kinawley.
Aoife: I dance at home and listen to K-pop Demon Hunters.
Conall Drumm & Paidi Heavey
With a shared love of animals, tractors and home cooking, Conall and Paidi discuss farming ambitions, toy-selling businesses and why warm scones and chicken curry are hard to beat.
VJ: What is your favourite animal?
Conall: A cat, because it goes “meow.”
Paidi: Sheep.
VJ: Why?
Paidi: I like chasing them.
VJ: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Paidi: A farmer.
VJ: What type?
Paidi: Sheep and cattle.
VJ: What about a tractor?
Paidi: A John Deere.
Conall: I like John Deeres because they’re green.
Paidi: I like driving around with Daddy in one.
Paidi Heavey. (Image: John McVitty)
VJ: What do you want to be, Conall?
Conall: A seller.
VJ: What are you going to sell?
Conall: Toys.
VJ: What sort of toys?
Conall: Every toy.
VJ: Do you have a favourite snack?
Conall: Scones.
VJ: How do you take them?
Conall: With butter and jam.
VJ: Hot or cold?
Conall: Warm.
VJ: Who makes them?
Conall: Mummy.
Conall Drumm. (Image: John McVitty)
VJ: What about you, Paidi—favourite food?
Paidi: Carrots.
VJ: How do you eat them?
Paidi: Cooked.
VJ: Who cooks them?
Paidi: Mummy.
VJ: What is Mummy’s best dinner?
Paidi: Chicken curry and rice.
VJ: Is it spicy?
Paidi: Yes.
VJ: And you, Conall?
Conall: Chicken dinner.
Willow Wheatley, Fiadh Gormley and Paudie Garvey. (Image: John McVitty)
Willow Wheatley, Fiadh Gormley & Paudie Garvey
Willow, Fiadh and Paudie reflect on why St Mary’s is the best school, sharing favourite snacks, toys and imaginative future plans — including teaching, working at “stuff” and painting rockets.
VJ: Why is St Mary’s the best school?
Fiadh: Because we have fun.
Willow: We like it and we have lots of toys to play with.
VJ: What is your favourite toy?
Willow: Pop-Up Pirate.
VJ: What is your favourite snack?
Fiadh: Apples, because they’re nice.
Paudie: Yoghurts.
VJ: One last question—what do you want to be when you grow up?
Paudie: A worker so I can work at stuff.
Fiadh: A teacher in P6 in Killesher.
Willow: I’m going to be the same as Mummy. She paints aeroplanes and rockets and people buy space in them.
Fiadh: Biscuits.
All: Biscuits?
Fiadh: Biscuits. (Laughter)
Daragh Garvey, Amy Patrov and Rosa McGovern. (Image: John McVitty)
Daragh Garvey, Amy Patrov & Rosa McGovern
Daragh, Amy and Rosa round things off with talk of siblings, favourite animals and big ambitions, from football at Man United to careers in medicine, baking and health and safety.
VJ: Daragh, I hear you have a brother in this school?
Daragh: Paudie.
VJ: And where is he?
Daragh: P1.
VJ: What is it like having your brother in your class?
Daragh: Don’t know.
VJ: What is your favourite animal?
Daragh: A cat.
Rosa: A dog.
Amy: A dog.
VJ: What is the best thing about your school? Who is the best teacher?
All: Mrs O’Connor and Mrs Smith.
VJ: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Amy: Lots of things—a baker, an artist, a builder and a health and safety officer.
Rosa: A doctor.
Daragh: A footballer.
VJ: For who?
Daragh: Man United.
Aoife Quigley, Paidi Heavey, Alaia McHugh and Terance Maguire. (Image: John McVitty)