Our Centre Manager at Castleknock is Grainne Gill from near Portarlington in County Laois. Grainne lives in Spain but we managed to lure her back home to spend the summer with us in Dublin. We sat down with Grainne earlier in the summer and found out more about her.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up on a farm. I’m the oldest of three. I’m twenty-three. I played a lot sports like Gaelic Football. I’m very typically Irish, which is what most people say when they look at me but yes I did a lot of Irish Dancing and played Irish music so it was great growing up in the countryside in that respect.
What did you study at University?
I did Irish and Spanish in University of Limerick and so I graduated last year and went to live in Spain which is where I am now.
Where do you live in Spain?
Madrid. It’s a great place.
What do you do there?
I teach English. I’m a language assistant in a school over there and I love it. The teachers are fabulous and the children are really nice as well.
And when you are not working, what do you like to do in your free time?
I actually play a lot of Gaelic Football.
In Spain!?
Yes. There are a few teams over there and we even have a national league that we play in. I play for Madrid Harps. We have tournaments in Seville, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Valencia and then up in Galicia for the finals. So it’s good and there are enough us there for it. I haven’t left Ireland really. I still go to traditional Irish music sessions and Irish pubs over there.
What do you like about working at Oscars summer camps?
Well, I’ve worked a lot in what we call Irish colleges over here and they’re great. But what I like about this job is making sure everything is organised and that everyone is happy and is going to the right place. There’s a lot of work that we have to do in the background.
What’s your typical day?
I’m usually up at 7am and have breakfast and then come over here and make sure everyone is here. They are all staying with host families so they have to make their own way in.
Then I really have to make sure everything is ready to go on the excursions later on in the afternoon if we are going out or get the sports sorted out for the afternoon if they are having an activity. We try to go out then in the evenings and go into town for cultural activities or sometimes we’d join up with the guys over in DCU and have discos or nighttime activities over there. So there’s plenty to keep me busy for the hours I’m working.