Today my sister Andrea finished her final exams and thus her 4-year degree in the University of Limerick. I don’t normally dwell on milestones such as these in terms of how much time has flown by but I’m genuinely shocked at how fast the past 4 years have gone by.

Andrea is the sibling next in line to me, followed by 2 more – Tomas & Niamh, in that order. While those 3 are very close in age, there’s nearly a 3 year gap between myself and Andrea so I guess that’s what is further compounding my surprise. 

I don’t think she would mind me saying she was a very competitive younger sister & while it dismayed me at the time I look back now & think “fair play to you – start as you mean to go on lady!”. If I said black, she would say white. No different to many other siblings. I was the level-headed & practical brain while she was the flighty & unpredictable one. She was often victim to the “why can’t you have more sense like your sister” line either face to face or behind her back & I’m so glad she never heeded it.

For someone of 21 years, she has achieved far more than I could ever imagine in terms of academia, travel, reading, work, meeting people from many walks of life & corners of the world and more in possibly every other aspect of life & living. It’s been an amazing few years watching her “grow up” – from the difficult teenager into the challenging & bright young woman. I just wish I’d been around for more of it. But sure, they grow up so fast…