A passion for reading has helped Fiona Long find a career that, in her own words, she ‘absolutely loves’ – helping to teach adults to read and write

A PASSIONATE LOVE of reading helped Fiona Long to escape from the harsh reality of life in care as a young girl and, many years later, she has made a career for herself helping to teach adults to read and write.

Fiona left school before her Leaving Cert and spent 10 years rearing her children and working full-time in the home. But she felt discontented with her life and realised she wanted something different.

The first thing she did was learn how to drive a car. That successfully completed, she joined a writing course that led her down a completely different pathway of self-discovery, further education and, ultimately, to a job she adores.

She explains: “As a child, I had a hard home life as well as a school life. We were aware that we were the poor kids in the village and were treated accordingly. My saving grace was my love of reading. I would read anything even if I didn’t understand it. My mother worked as a cleaner just to put food on the table and one of her jobs was at the local school. While she was working, I used to read the books in the headmaster’s office.”

Tragedy struck for Fiona at the age of 11 when her mother had a nervous breakdown and suffered a stroke brought on by stress and financial worries. After this, Fiona and her sisters were sent to live in a convent in Cork city while their mother spent years in hospital.

"I loved reading The Four Marys in the Buntycomics, they were in boarding school and that's what I thought we were being sent to. Up until that point I had never seen a nun and I thought they were very holy women, but I was quickly dissuaded of that view.

“I would be a fairly articulate and well-read person, but I still can’t come up with the words to describe how we were treated in that convent, it was totally illogical. There was no sexual abuse that I was aware of but there was physical, mental and emotional abuse. We lived in a constant state of fear.”

Fiona was so unhappy in her life that she left school in fifth year, despite having done a good Inter Cert, and started a chef course at the then Cork RTC. She met her husband-to-be while on work experience at the Silver Springs Hotel and was signed out of the convent in September 1979 at the age of 17 when she became pregnant with her first child.

“During the first 10 years of my marriage, I had four children – two girls and two boys – and looking back now, I was unhappy. I loved my children, of course but I didn’t want to be with them 24 hours a day. I think I did absolutely the best I could do as a parent, given that I had no role models myself, and I have raised four very good functioning members of society who I brought up to care about others, because I think that’s important,” she says proudly.

Fiona decided to enrol in a 10-week writing course at Cork College of Commerce and from there she became involved in the Northside Writer’s Group which was to change her life.

“Being a part of the writers’ group gave me confidence. As well as writing short stories and poetry, the social aspect was so important. I got to know people from all different backgrounds and parts of the city and I was one of them. My need to feel I belonged was very much fulfilled in the group. I was accepted, my opinion was valued and I made some lasting friendships out of it.”

One member of the group, Labour TD Ciarán Lynch, asked Fiona if she would consider training as a voluntary literacy officer for a new adult literacy programme he was starting in the Glen in Cork.

She laughs as she recalls that day: “I had no idea what it involved but I said I’d give it a try and from the first day, I absolutely loved it. I realised how lucky I was that I had always loved reading because there are a huge amount of people out there who have no literary skills and can just about sign their name. Imagine not being able to read a road sign or even your child’s school report, never mind help them with their homework, it’s hugely embarrassing for people.”

Having worked as an adult literacy officer for a number of years, Fiona now trains other tutors to teach reading and writing skills to others. On Thursdays, she teaches one special needs group, which she says she loves.

It’s a job that provides her with the sense of fulfilment and achievement that she admits she never found as a full-time mum and housewife.

In the meantime, Fiona decided to go back to further education and her CV now features a degree in adult education and three diplomas in womens studies.

She enthuses: “There’s no describing the confidence and sense of fulfilment I have now. My only regret is that I did not think of doing it 20 years ago. When I walked out of that convent pregnant, I had a suitcase of not particularly good clothing and that was it, no knowledge that I had a right to social welfare or a medical card, no social skills.

“To this day, I don’t like injustice at any human level because in the convent we were constantly blamed for things we didn’t do and horrendous little injustices happened on a daily basis. These days, I will stand up against injustice and I have raised my children to do the same.”