They are not watching Big Brother, they don't want a McJob and if their homes were burning down the first thing they'd save is their mobile phones. With the exams almost out of the way, teenagers who have only ever known a booming economy talk to Róisín Ingleand Gráinne Faller
Barbara Feeney, 17, Dublin 6
"I'd like to be a journalist, but I'm not going to do an undergraduate in journalism. I have put down European studies in Trinity so I'd like to get that," says Barbara. In July she will head off to Kenya with her school to work in a centre for disabled children. She thinks it will be a good while before she leaves home, but her eldest brother is 25 and he left home last year so she thinks that's a good age. "He has an apartment, so I hope I can have one too when I'm in my mid-20s," she says. "I've a good social life. We go to someone's house first for a few drinks and then on to a nightclub in town. I do drama in my spare time too - I love acting but I had to give it up for studying. If I do get to Trinity I'd like to be in Trinity Players."
How much pocket money do you get?"€100 per month."
Favourite alcoholic drink?"Cider, with lots of ice."
Most played track on your iPod?"In My Place, by Coldplay."
Would you ever work in McDonalds?"Yes, if I had to."
Politicians you most/least admire?"Mary Hanafin is someone I admire and Mary Harney isn't because of the health system."
Last book you read?" Desert Flower, by Waris Dirie, about a girl from Somalia who becomes a model."
What do you think of Big Brother?"This year I really like it. I know it's rubbish, but I still watch."
How much is your first house going to cost?"€250,000."
Role model?"Miriam O'Callaghan or Rachel Allen."
Worst thing about Ireland?"I hate all that south Dublin snobbery, everyone wearing the same clothes and those Ugg boots."
James Boyle, 18, Newbridge, Co Galway
James is working in a video shop at the moment but come September he hopes to study at the University of Limerick. "I want to be a French teacher so I'll do that if I get the points," he says. If he gets the course, he'll move to Limerick, but will probably come home every weekend. "I doubt I'll properly move out, at least until the end of college. I don't know where I'll end up eventually. It'll probably depend on where I get a job," he says.When he's not working he likes to go to discos with friends.
How much will your first job pay?"Not sure. 30,000 maybe."
What is the most you would spend on a night out?"€50 to 60 tops."
What item would you save if your house was burning down?"Photos probably."
Most played track on your iPod?"Ruby, by Kaiser Chiefs"
Would you ever work in McDonalds?"If I had to. Not if I had another option."
Politician you most admire?"Enda Kenny probably. He seems like a good man."
What was the last book you read?"The last Harry Potter book is the one I remember."
Would you like to be famous?"No. I'm happy as I am."
Do you read newspapers?"The Mirror, if anything."
What's your burning issue when it comes to Ireland?"Probably the price of houses. It's just way too expensive.
Biggest global issue?"George W Bush. And the environment. I'm the one who bought the energy-efficient light bulbs for our house."
Aisling Bulger, 18, Co Cork
"I'd like to rule the world when I grow up but failing that I'd like to go off and lecture or get a job in the diplomatic corps," says Aisling. At the moment she is still trying to get a summer job but the search isn't going very well. She hopes to be out of home by the end of college, living in an apartment in Cork city. "I don't plan to still be living at home when I'm 35, definitely not, but I'll be in my late 20s before I can afford a mortgage," she says. "I'd like to move away, possibly to Scandinavia, but I'd come back." Holidays will be with the family for a week in Portugal at the end of June. As for socialising: "I just go to the pub or to friends' houses, nothing very adventurous. Clubbing doesn't really appeal to me."
How much pocket money to you get?"None."
How much will your first job pay?"€10,000 a year if even that."
Favourite alcoholic drink?"A certain brand of cider with loads of ice."
What item would you save if your house was burning down?"My mobile phone or my bag."
Most played track on your iPod?"Soldier Side, by System of a Down."
Would you ever work in McDonalds?"Only if I was very desperate."
Politician you most/least admire?"Liz McManus - if I look that good when I'm her age I'll be delighted/Michael McDowell, even though he's gone now."
Last book you read?" The Big Over Easy, by Jasper Fforde."
What do you think of Big Brother?"Awful, just so pointless."
Do you read newspapers?"The Examinerand The Irish Times."
How much is your first house going to cost?"€300,000, probably very optimistic."
Role model?"Angela Gossow, the lead singer of heavy metal band Arch Enemy."
Worst thing about Ireland?"The government situation isn't great, I don't want an unstable one. The health service isn't great either but at least they are trying to do something."
On a global scale, what worries you?"War and climate change."
Orla Ryan, 17, Rathlee, Co Sligo
Orla would either like to be a photographer or a journalist but in the meantime she is getting a summer job in a local shop to save up for college. "I'm going to have to move away from home for college, I think with prices at the moment I'll be in my late 20s before I buy my own house," she says. "I used to think I'd move away from home when I got my own house but I think I'll probably stay where I am. I'd like somewhere by the sea. In terms of socialising I like to go and see live music, there's loads of it on around Sligo during the summer, and some of my friends are in bands as well."
How much will your first job pay?"Maybe 40,000."
Favourite alcoholic drink?"I haven't been drinking in ages, I'm too busy studying."
What item would you save if your house was burning down?"CDs or photographs."
Most played track on your iPod?"Chicago, by Sufjan Stevens."
Would you ever work in McDonalds?"No, I don't think so."
Politician you most admire?"Bertie Ahern - he can survive anything."
Last book you read?" The Rooms, by Declan Lynch."
Would you like to be famous?"If it was for having a talent like writing or photography."
What do you think of Big Brother?"It's a waste of time."
Role model?"The photographer Annie Leibovitz."
What's the worst thing about Ireland?"Road deaths."
What global issue do you care about most?"Climate change."
Miroslawa Gorecka, 16, Drogheda
Polish teenager Miroslawa has been in Ireland for 18 months and says it was a risk taking the Leaving Cert so soon. "But if I am not happy with the results I might repeat," she says. She won't attend school again, though.
"School is a waste of time. I went there to relax and enjoy time with friends. I learn more in one hour at home than in nine hours at school". During the summer Miroslawa would like to find work as a cleaner in a veterinary clinic or a hospital because eventually she'd like to be a nurse or a vet.
Another option is to study law in Poland. She also wants to do her driving test. "I'll start lessons after the exams are over," she says.
Worst thing about Ireland?"The weather."
Best thing about Ireland?"The people are very open and respect others."
How much will your first job pay?7 or €8 per hour."
What is your favourite drink?"Martini."
What item would you save if your house was burning down?"My laptop."
What is the most played track on your iPod?"Yes, Yes by Republika, a Polish band."
Would you ever work in McDonalds?"No, I wouldn't like to work in that environment."
Politician you most admire?"Lech Walesa."
What was the last book you read? " Little Womenby Louisa May Alcott."
Would you like to be famous?"Not really, but if I was a president or something I wouldn't mind the fame that came with it."
What do you think of Big Brother?"I don't like it."
How much is your first house going to cost?"I don't like houses. I will buy an apartment in Poland. It will cost 20,000."
Role model?"My mum and John Paul II."
When are you happiest?"When I can help other people and make them happy."
What makes you angry?"Racism and discrimination."
Serena Salmon, 17, Dublin 8
Serena has been dancing - everything from ballroom to salsa - since she was three and would like to be a primary school teacher. "If I could mix the twothat would be great," she says. She lives at home and reckons she'll stay at home even when she goes to college. "I'd like to have a family some
day and I'd like to own my own home close to where I am now," she says. "I'd be very close to my mam and she'd be very close to hers so I wouldn't want to move too far away."
What item would you save if your house was burning down?"My phone!"
Would you ever work in McDonalds?"No."
Would you like to be famous?"Yes, I'd love it."
Do you read newspapers?"Yeah, not often. The Evening Heraldsometimes or the tabloids for the celebrity gossip."
How many children would you like to have?"Three or four."
How much is your first house going to cost?"Probably 500,000."
Biggest role model?"In real life, probably my mam. Otherwise, Jennifer Lopez."
Worst thing about Ireland?"I suppose it'd be the hospitals and stuff. It's so hard and terrible to think of people waiting for beds."
Most serious global issue?"Probably poverty in Third World countries."
Jack O'Donovan, 17, Newbridge, Co Kildare
Jack's big dream is to be a drummer in a band. "If I don't succeed in that I would like to work with RTÉ on the sound desk or own my own recording studio," he says. "I plan to do a multimedia course at college and the summer plan is to work in the local shop up the road. I don't think I'll be able to buy my own house until I'm in my late 20s, but I don't want to be like those people in I'm An Adult, Get Me Out of Here." When he's not working in the shop this summer, he'll be playing music.
What item would you save if your house was burning down?"My MP3 player or my guitar. My drums are too bulky to move quickly."
Most played track on your iPod?"The Illusionist by Scar Symmetry."
Would you ever work in McDonalds?"If I was utterly forced to because otherwise I wouldn't eat, then yes."
Politician you most admire?"Bertie, because despite everything he is more popular than ever before. That's Ireland for you."
The last book you read?"The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe."
Would you like to be famous?"That's a hard one. Yes, I probably would for my music."
What do you think of Big Brother?"I hate it. Never watched it. Why is it so popular?"
How much is your first house going to cost?"I'd say just under 250,000."
Biggest role model?"Dave Mustaine, lead guitarist of Megadeth."
Worst thing about Ireland?"The health issue is a joke. I fractured my wrist and it was six hours before I was seen."
What annoys you?"Pollution and world hunger, but most of all pure arrogance. Just look at George Bush."
Conor Sheils, 18, Ardee, Co Louth
Journalism is Conor's ideal job but he needs a summer one first so he's been sending out lots of CVs. "I'll be living at home for the next two and a half months. Then I'll be moving out for college. I won't stay away too long though. I'm a mammy's boy," he confesses. He says his family were very supportive this past year. "I wasn't one of those people who were stressed out and crying before the exams. My family were just like,
'It's up to you.' " Having family is a long-term goal but he wants to get some travelling done first.
What kind of salary are you expecting for your first job?"It'll have to be above 8 per hour, won't it?"
Most you would spend on a night out?"€40 to 50."
What item would you save if your house was burning down?"Probably my mobile phone. Apart from the obvious benefit of ringing the fire brigade, all my friends' numbers are in it."
Most played track on your iPod?"Umbrella, by Rhianna."
Would you ever work in McDonalds?"Yeah, they're paying great money. Why, have people said they wouldn't?"
Politician you most admire?"Pat Rabbitte. I thought he was probably the wittiest politician of the election, so probably him after Ahern."
Last book you read?"Fr Brian D'Arcy's autobiography."
Do you read newspapers?"I do. The Irish Timesand the Media Guardian."
Would you like to have children?"Yes. Two, I suppose."
How much is your first house going to cost?"The guts of a million the way things are going."
Role model?"From journalism, Kevin Myers probably."
Worst thing about Ireland?"The cliche would be the health service wouldn't it? I don't have too much experience of that. I suppose the one thing I'd change would be the cost of everything."
Eoin Cashman, 18, Galway
"I'm not sure what I'll end up doing," says Eoin. "I applied for medicine but that's not for me and I am thinking of changing it to philosophy in TCD. Really, I'd like to be involved in music as a career but it's tough to break into." Eoin won't be getting a summer job, but may try his hand at busking. "As long as I'm happy and fairly wealthy in the future, I don't mind," he says.
Worst job in the world?"Solicitor."
Item you'd save if your house was burning down?"My guitar."
Most played track on your iPod?"Somewhere Over the Rainbow, by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole."
Would you ever work in McDonalds?"No, because of the smell."
Politician you most/least admire? "Joe Higgins, Gerry Adams."
What annoys you?"Materialism."
When are you at your happiest?"On a beach on a summer's evening, playing guitar."
Last book you read?" Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder."
Would you like to be famous?"Yes. I don't know why, it just would be good."
What do you think of Big Brother?"The bane of my existence."
How many children would you like to have?"Four."
How much is your first house going to cost?"€400,000."
What's the best thing about the youth of today? "They are open-minded."
Philip McCarron, 16, Buncrana, Donegal
"I don't have a clue what I want to do with my life so I thought a general degree such as law would be good," says Philip. He's just handed in his application to his local supermarket so will be stacking shelves for the summer. "If I get into college I'll have to move out of home. Hopefully some day I'll have a family and own a house but that's way in the future. I live in a really rural location and there's not much you can do socially but I'm in the Youth Parliament so that takes up a lot of my time."
How much will your first job pay?"As long as I have enough to be financially independent, I don't mind."
What's the most you would spend on a night out?"Very little."
What item would you save if your house was burning down?"My PlayStation."
Most played track on your iPod?"The Blower's Daughter, by Damien Rice."
Would you ever work in McDonalds?"Sure, if they offered me a job."
Would you like to be famous?"No."
Do you read newspapers?"Yes, the Mirror."
How much is your first house going to cost?"I dunno - €300,000?"
Will you get enough points for the course you need?"I don't think so, to be honest - the points are very high."
Biggest global concern?"Poverty."