I HAVE always been interested in hearing other people’s opinions on topics and events. Often I'd interview my friends and family on their opinions on random things, e.g. football or hurling.
Mainly the first time I knew I enjoyed asking other people their views was a long time ago when I was interviewed during a school protest for Irish language rights outside Stormont. I remember having the thought that I could do that when I'm older.
I grew up in West Belfast listening to stories about the Troubles and the difficulties that Irish speakers had trying to maintain their culture and their identity.
I am currently studying in Coláiste Feirste. I chose Coláiste Feirste as I am fluent in Irish and I am passionate about the future of Irish education. I chose my A-Levels to help with this career path. Currently I am studying Moving Image Arts, English Literature, and Irish Language. I chose Moving Image Arts as I have a passion for film and I think it would be a great tool for creating documentaries on the key stories and misfortunes in Belfast and Ireland.
I personally believe that everyone has their own story to tell and that a lot more should be heard. I feel as if I can make those stories heard through documentaries and interviews with the people of our communities. I chose English Literature as I wanted to be surrounded by the great literary works of the past and write about how they impacted their generation and the future. I believe that writing can be one of the biggest tools for change. Finally, I chose Irish as I believe it is important to know the language to be closer to the culture. I think that the history of the Irish language is really interesting and that it holds some of the most interesting stories about how life was back in time.
Recently my friends and I have been doing interviews around our school and asking pupils about their thoughts before and after tests, and compiled them into a collection of interviews. Through the mixed answers I saw the positives and negatives of people studying for a test. People who over-studied tended to feel as though they failed whereas people who did not study felt overconfident.
I chose to come to the Andytown News for my work experience as I believe that working with professionals can help hone my skills. I believe the Andytown News is the most influential newspaper in West Belfast. Andytown News will be able to help me see life inside the newspaper. I wanted to see how the newspaper is made from the start and steps needed to bring a story from words to the front page. I wanted to learn how stories are brought to light and how they adapt to breaking news rapidly. Watching these professionals has showed me the difficulties you don't realise regarding meeting deadlines and checking every piece of work.
Coláiste Feirste pupil Eoin Martin was on work experience with the Andytown News this week.
