On the evening on the results of the Leaving Certificate, my mind strays to thoughts of Denis Doherty; one of the best teachers I ever had. With Denis, you either loved him or you hated him, either you got him, or you didn't. Quite like me, I suppose.
He was a small, beardy, bug-eyed man from Donegal. He wore odd-socks, he was a Joycean scholar and a rather subversive homosexual. He thought us about Fraud (sorry Mam) and a great many other things besides. And then he was gone; he vanished off to that place where wonderful substitute teachers go.
I'd quite like to seem him again. I would be nice to catch up and see what he would make of me and how I have done so far in this thing I call life. I suppose going back to study English would probably bring a certain wry smile to his lips. Wry smiles - they were something that he dispensed regularly.
In the meantime, I'll leave you with memorable line of his and a song which he so often quoted.
"That's what you'll find about UCD. Everyone there is either called Fiona, or Dave - and that's just the men."
- Denis Doherty,
Fifth Year English, Rang Sláine, Coláiste Cois Life, 2004.
Denis Doherty, this is for you.
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