WoW! was promoting inclusion from the very start and I feel very proud to be part of it all

I AM a woman who loves a good milestone. I remember dates far beyond birthdays.

I like to remember little details. I enjoy recalling what I was doing a decade ago and beyond. For example, I’ll always remember my night on stage in the school musical on December 6, 2001, our debs was September 10, 2004, I left for my adventures in Galway on September 7, 2009. I met David on March 18, 2012, all of our official anniversaries and dates are common knowledge but I’ll always remember the day he looked me straight in the eyes.

There are countless other examples but I would only send you to sleep!

The one thing that all the dates I mention have in common is that all of them featured in my column in WoW!

Last week when I saw the cover with a cake celebrating 20 years of the publication so close to my heart, I couldn’t help but smile. I didn’t know I had started so close to the beginning of WoW. I will be writing my column 20 years at the end 2023. It has been such a constant for all of my adult life. The supplement sheds light on important issues impacting on the women of Cork but also tells us the stories of women making waves in business and in life and contributing to our city. The human interest stories are the best of all.

I started writing my column before I did any qualification in journalism. One of the first things we were taught was that we had to be hard-nosed and tough. Thanks to years of readers speaking to me and writing to me with such kindness, I knew this to be untrue. I knew emotion and connection and interesting stories could mesh beautifully together.

That first week, I remember thinking, if all I ever do is continue to write in WoW! at home in Cork, that’s totally fine, it’s where I belong and in these lines I can be true to myself as a disabled woman. 

WoW! was promoting inclusion from the very start and I feel very proud to be part of it all.

I have always sent my column in by email and rarely interact with the team behind the scenes in person. I know, however, that they are working hard to bring the paper together every day and every week and the dedication pays off. Features editor John Dolan has worked with me from the very beginning and I have always felt supported, included and most importantly understood. I’ve worked with a few deputy editors over the years and love the friendship I now have with Deputy Features Editor Elaine Duggan. People are behind the print and 20 years of ups and downs is a great achievement. I am just a tiny link in a chain of very talented people who I have worked with through the years, all of us journalists with hearts.

For me, it all started when Maurice Gubbins put his business card in my palm, just like something out of a film, and told me to give him a call about possible work. My teenage brain didn’t know what to think but I bit the bullet and I’m so delighted I did and so grateful for all that had happened since.

I wish Maurice a happy retirement and will always feel so fortunate that he took a chance on me 20 years ago. Thank you for getting this far and for reading WoW!, because without readers we wouldn’t have a reason to tell any story. I love this story!