Emily Logan, Ombudswoman for Children
Where did you go to school?Manor House, Raheny. A great school right on Dollymount strand and full of sport.
What was your best subject?Biology. I always had a great appetite for blood and guts.
What was your worst subject?I wasn't any good at maths. The nuns were unsympathetic.
If you could put a new subject on the Leaving Cert, what would it be?Human rights education. The Civil, Social and Political Education (CSPE) programme could go further.
What was your earliest career ambition? To be the Queen of Sheba.
Who was your favourite teacher and why?Miss Moore. She was my primary school teacher in fifth and sixth class and she was really kind and gentle. She had quite an influence on me.
Who was your childhood idol?Leslie from the Bay City Rollers.
Who was your best friend?Katherine Donnelly.
What is he/she doing now?Living in Cork - we've lost contact.
What TV programme/film most reminds you of your schooldays?We were reared on radio but I do remember Wanderly Wagonand The Waltons. I came from a family of seven with a John and an Ellen.
What song most reminds you of your schooldays? At 17by Janis Ian. It's terribly poignant when you first get dumped.
What food most reminds you of your schooldays?Pasta. My mother's family are of Italian extraction and we had cannelloni long before anyone else in Ireland was eating it.
What's the boldest thing you ever did in school?Threw a geometry set.
Who did you bring to your debs?That's too embarrassing to answer.
What was your most memorable holiday? Camping out in the back garden of our house. We didn't get away much.
What's the last book you read? Suite Françaiseby Irène Némirovsky. It's about the German occupation of France in the second World War. Highly recommended.
Did you go to college and if so, what did you study?Nursing at first. Then later I did an MS in Psychology and an MBA. I also did a diploma in mediation.
What was the best thing about your education?When the central heating broke and we all got a day off school.
What was the worst thing about your education?It's a shame that we weren't encouraged to think more critically.
