School Council Welcomes Mrs Duffin to MQP

The School Council welcomed Mrs Duffin to Mary Queen of Peace PS. The councillors worked on questions they would like to ask our new member of staff during the week and today they interviewed Mrs Duffin (we hope it didn’t feel too much like a Friday Check-Up!).

Mrs Duffin you are welcome (back) to Glenravel and to MQP. We hope you enjoy a long and happy career here.

Interview with Mrs. Duffin

Teaching

What made you want to become a teacher?

I loved all my days at both primary school and secondary school and had great teachers as role models too. I wanted to try to play a part in making sure other children had fond memories at school, just like me. I also was involved in coaching camogie in our club from a young age and knew that working with children was something I wanted to do as a job.

Which schools have you taught in?

St Paul’s Primary School in Belfast from 2013 to 2019 and then Mount St Michael's in Randalstown from 2019 to September 2023.

What was your favourite primary school memory?

Aw I have so many to choose from. The Sports Days stand out for me, as well as our school trips but most of all my fondest memories were a Friday afternoon when all the P4 to P7 children split up in groups and we had activities called Clubs. We did things like board games, Sports, arts and crafts, computer games, quizzes and had great fun.

How do you feel about teaching in the school you went to as a pupil?

It really is lovely, I have to say. When I was growing up, wishing to be a teacher, these probably were the classrooms that I visualised myself teaching in. The P5 classroom that I’m in at the minute was my Primary 6 and 7 classroom. I could even point to the exact spot where I sat in all classrooms. Back in those days there were only eight children in my class, so we had much fewer children in the playgrounds and in the classrooms. Often there were two classes in one classroom and there were only 3 mobiles when I was here. The Staffroom was our playroom and also our lunchroom too. So whilst this is a new job for me, it really has very quickly felt like home too.

Personal

Do you have any children? (names, ages)

Yes, I have two children. One boy called Iarlaith who is two and a half and a little girl called Siún who will be one now in a couple of weeks.

Do you have any pets?

No, I’ve never had any pets. I’m actually scared of dogs and probably most other animals too. However, I’m trying to be very brave round my children as I don’t want to pass my fear of dogs on to them too.

Do you like tea or coffee?

I love a hot cup of tea. I’ve always been a tea drinker but recently I’ve started to drink a little bit of coffee too. My favourite cup of tea in the day is in the evening times at home.

What is your favourite film?

My favourite film is the Parent Trap. I always wanted to go to the summer camp that the twins met at.

What is your favourite book?

My favourite book as a child was called Dogger by Shirley Hughes. I love to read it to my two children now. I also enjoyed reading The Famous Five books written by the famous children’s author Enid Blyton.

What is your favourite food?

I’m very fond of my food and not a fussy eater at all. My favourite dinner is potatoes, cabbage, bacon and beans.

What is your favourite place to eat out?

I love the steak sandwich from Crave Kitchen in Ballymena. I’ve also had lovely steaks in the Golf Club in Cushendall. I do like a steak if you haven’t already guessed.

What is your favourite treat?

My favourite treat is some sweet and salty popcorn mixed with Maltesers or caramel nibbles. You’ll have to try it.

Sporting Career

What is your favourite position on the camogie field?

My favourite position to play has always been wing half forward. This year, I’ve mostly played centre half back or else in goals when our goalies were injured. In both of these positions this year my role has been to communicate with all of the other defenders and also to deliver good passes into the forward line to try to set up scores.

Who was your hardest opponent?

We met Loughgiel in five championship finals in a row and were beaten every time until last year. So I would definitely say they’ve been our toughest opponents over the years. I’d say most clubs in Antrim would say the same.

What was your best score in a camogie game?

This is a tricky question I have to say because all scores are important in any match. I do remember one match when we had just moved up to Division 2 and we were in search of our first win at a higher level. We were nip and tuck with Dunloy the whole game and it was level right to the end. We were awarded a free inside our own half and I stepped up to take it. I’d been practising frees a lot and knew if I connected properly that this could still be within my range. Thankfully the ball went over the bar and we won by a point to seal our first win after a lot of hard work by the whole team.

What was your worst injury?

Thankfully, I’ve been relatively lucky on the injury front over the years. I do have two dodgy ankles that have given me bother and my team mates call them ‘chocolate ankles’. I’ve torn ligaments several times but thankfully nothing that has ruled me out for more than a few weeks.

What was your greatest sporting achievement?

Whilst I wasn’t on the starting team last year when we won the All Ireland, I have to say the All Ireland and the whole campaign was probably my fondest and greatest achievement. We had been trying to get over the line in the Antrim Intermediate Championship for five or six years at that stage and were defeated in five finals. So close but never could get over that line and I was so proud and relieved when we finally got over the line against Portglenone in the County Final. Then more and more success just seemed to follow. My little girl Siún was born the week before the final and so I was just on the line for that game. I’d been at every training session of the year until that week too. I made myself get back out training as part of the team in the run up to the Ulster semi-final and came on for the last ten mins in that game. I was just delighted to be back among my friends and being able to contribute to hard training sessions and matches that were going to benefit everyone when it came to the next game. Of course, then celebrating back in the club with all of our family, friends and all the children in the parish, really made it a day to remember.

What is your favourite pitch to play on?

Definitely my favourite pitch is Fr Maginn Park in Glenravel, closely followed by Cushendall’s pitch as it always has a good hard surface.

Which other team(s) do you support?

I support Tír na nÓg Randalstown as that’s my husband’s team. He plays both hurling and football too so I’m at every match. Next year, Glenravel will be playing in Division 1 Football too against Tír na nÓg so I’m not sure how that will go. I’ll have a happy household regardless of the result I suppose.

How did you combine being a teacher, a camogie player and a mammy?

It certainly is a juggling act and I am very lucky that all of my family are so supportive and help out any time we need. Thankfully, my schedule and my husband’s schedule don’t overlap too much but at least one of us is out of the house most nights with training and then I’ve also been coaching the under 6s this year as well as attending club meetings etc so it certainly is very busy. My little boy Iarlaith just loves coming to the matches to watch his mammy and daddy playing and hopefully Siún will love it too when she’s a little older. It’s been really busy now back to school, training and being a mammy. Often we are rushing dinner to get out to training and then doing some school work or housework when the children are bathed and in bed. Whilst I do love playing camogie, I must admit that my favourite nights are the nights that I can spend in the toy room playing with Iarlaith and Siún or going for a nice walk on the Greenway or to see the donkeys. They’re Iarlaith’s favourite. However, as I said, camogie has always been my passion but I do know that my playing days will soon have to come to an end so I’m making sure to enjoy them while they last. I did give up playing football this year as I certainly wouldn’t have had the time for both but I have to say I do really miss playing football. There’s always next year!!