I was born in Adelaide, Australia, and I lived there until I was 10. My parents were from Ireland. They had emigrated to Australia in the 1960s, and we moved back to Ireland in the 1980s. When we came back, what I found was amazing people. I loved the fun, the ruaille buaille, for want of a better word, the craic.
My dancing career began aged four. I started out doing Latin American and ballroom. All through my junior ages I danced in Australia. I was very passionate. Once we were back in Ireland, I was able to do the courses, immerse myself in the passion of dance. I would run from school and university to dance classes. I started dancing professionally at age 15, which was quite young. I did TV commercials, film, TV series. I auditioned for a lot, and I managed to keep going, as they say.
Tá Gaeilge agam. I arrived from Australia with an Aussie accent, bleached blond hair and a scarf and blazer. I hadn’t a word of Irish, but I went into an all-Irish school – Coláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square [in Dublin]. I did my Leaving Certificate through Irish. From there I decided I wanted to go to UCD to get a degree alongside performing arts. Bhain mé céim amach i síceolaíocht, Béarla agus i nGaeilge. It surprises most people when I start speaking Irish. They go: “Sorry? You speak Irish? You’re fluent?” I say: “Yeah! Don’t ever judge a book by a cover.”
Every Irish person who lives in Ireland should have cúpla focail. It’s our heritage, it’s our culture.
All my life I’ve been driven. I’ve never let cystic fibrosis define me. Many years ago, my mum said to me: “You need to show the cystic fibrosis community what you’re doing – give them some inspiration.” It was unheard of for someone like me to be a professional dancer with a lung condition. So, I said, “Mum, if ever, in my life, I have a chance to do something that can make a meaningful, tangible difference for the CF community, I will.”
Over the years when I was in and out of hospital, I would see people not having any visitors and I would wonder: why? Basically, visitors couldn’t afford to travel to Dublin, because they had nowhere to stay. Five years ago, I went on The Late Late Show and I made a promise that I was going to set up a charity that would provide a home away from home for families while their loved ones were in hospital. I’ve been fundraising ever since, with the Julian Benson Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. We’re just about to cut the ribbon and open the door of Tranquility House, a home away from home for children, teenagers, adults and their families living with cystic fibrosis.
When it came to buying the house, we were blessed. We went to auction – we only had a small amount of money at the time, but we were up against a lot of big American bidders. We lost the auction, and I was gutted because I just felt there was something about this house and I knew it was supposed to be for us. Then, two weeks later, we got a call from the estate agent who said: the deal has fallen through. If you’d like it, we’d be happy for the charity to have it.
We didn’t have funds to renovate, but we needed to renovate. So, I reached out to Dermot Bannon and asked if he might come on board and do the architecture. For the past 2½ years, we’ve been filming for an episode of Room to Improve on RTÉ. More than 150 companies responded to our call to action. The donations we’ve received in labour and product from companies all over Ireland is incredible.
It’s a beautifully tranquil place. As soon as you walk right up the street, you breathe and you relax. There are four individual, self-contained units. The location is key. It’s on a bus route to St Vincent’s, The Mater, Beaumont. It’s beside shops and amenities and facilities. It’s been a journey, but it’s been the thing I’m most proud of in my life to date.
I have diabetes, and a kidney condition, and all of the above, but it never stopped me. For the past two years I was on dialysis. Then, in October, I got a call out of the blue to say there was a kidney for me. We were in the middle of doing up the house. It was the best Christmas present I could have asked for. I was overwhelmed. I went through the operation. I feel a million times better. Six weeks later I stood at the Winter Wonderland charity ball and made a speech to the audience. People were shocked at how fast I was able to recover and get back on my feet. If you’re given a gift, a precious gift ... somebody else lost their loved one to give me that gift of life, so that is so precious. Not everyone is lucky enough to get that. Life is too short. Having a kidney disease has made me more ambitious than ever to work on our project, and to help people. I don’t take anything for granted. If I wake up in the morning and I’m breathing, I’m walking, I’m talking, I’m living. And that’s the most important thing.
[ More from the series Me, Myself and IrelandOpens in new window ]
In conversation with Niamh Donnelly. This interview, part of a series, was edited for clarity and length. Room to Improve, featuring Tranquility House, broadcasts on RTÉ on January 26th. Tranquility will welcome its first visitors in March
