Back in the early Eighties an extensive schools' building programme and tough opposition to a scheme to reduce teacher shortages stand out as the main memories. According to John Wilson, Minister for Education from 1977 to 1981, "I'd like to have got four more years at it but that's democracy. I was extremely happy in the portfolio."

Before his appointment, Wilson had taught in a variety of schools and in UCD. He had been president of the ASTI - "a dubious advantage", he explains given that there were three teacher unions to deal with as Minister. But "I made a good breakthrough on teachers' salaries," he adds.

"When I went in I discovered, in light of the changes brought about in the post-primary sector, that there was an awful lot of school building to be done. I am rather proud that I did oversee an extensive school building programme.

"I remember opening schools in the suburbs of Dublin which had an in-take of one class but, as we knew from demographic statistics etc, they would fill in a very short time. I was very pleased with that."

Wilson also made a decision about the sites of scoileanna lan-Ghaelacha, giving them full State money for the sites.

One of the rockier moments, he remembers, was the introduction of a controversial scheme aimed at reducing the short supply of teachers at the time. "I introduced a scheme to recruit good top graduates for the primary schools giving them a year in St Patrick's College of Education, to try and deal with the scarcity. It met with some opposition but some very good people were recruited at the time. Everyone got to live with it in the end."

He established adult education officers for the first time and he introduced school secretaries.

"I also successfully sponsored an amendment to the Constitution," he says. "The purpose of that was to enable the universities - Cork, Galway, Maynooth and UCD - to become independent. There was an adoption referendum held on the same day."