School's out for summer

TEEN TALK: Despite appearances, summer is here, so we took to the streets to find out how teenagers in the capital plan on spending…


TEEN TALK:Despite appearances, summer is here, so we took to the streets to find out how teenagers in
the capital plan on spending it. By TSEDEY ZEWDUand MARIAN JACOB

CATRIONA WHELAN, 19(pictured, on right)

Celbridge

What time do you get up?It depends on whether or not I was out the night before but it varies between nine and two.

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What will you be up to this summer?I work part-time waitressing in an Indian restaurant. And I'll be doing an internship as well in August in a publishing company.

What up coming movies are you excited about?I want to see Brave.

Will the Olympics inspire you to do any sports?Well, yeah actually, because we're training for a marathon this summer. We're going to try and do the 10K in October.

How many hours a day do you spend on Facebook?I'm on Tumblr, really. I'm on Tumblr all the time. But, yeah I'm on Facebook a lot, more for chat, really.

MICHELLE KEEVANS,19 (on left)

Celbridge

What time do you get up?It depends on whether or not I'm working. Either 10 or two.

What will you be getting up to this summer?Well, we're making lots of costumes for anime and manga conventions. We've got our materials as well for a hat contest on in about two weeks, so we're gonna win. We're going to Arcade-Con. We just got back from Q-Con in Belfast and we're going to Nom-con which is on in August. I'm working part-time in a sweet shop.

Will you be watching the Olympics?Probably, yeah. There's this American weightlifter I really want to see... She couldn't get any sponsorship or funding from companies because she didn't have the right image but everyone thinks that she's really gonna go for gold. So, I'm looking forward to seeing her.

How many hours a day do you spend on Facebook?Oh, God. All the time. I only got a new android and he was going through with me how it, like, sucks up your credit if you use the internet and I was like "I won't!" and then yeah, I've no credit. I got it, like, two days ago. I was on Facebook the whole time.

JOHN MORIARTY, 17

Clontarf

What time do you get up?One. Usually.

What's the first thing you do when you wake up?TV.

Do you have a part-time job? I've applied, like, everywhere in town, like, twice. But didn't get anywhere.

What's the first word you associate with summer?Drink!

How many hours a day do you spend on Facebook?I'm trying to go on it less but, I dunno, three. Depends, yeah.

RUTH BOURKE, 16

Terenure

What time do you get up?Well, I play tennis, so I get up in the morning, like 10 or nine. And I babysit in the mornings sometimes as well and then I play tennis so I have to get up kind of early.

What's the first thing you do when you wake up? Go downstairs and say good morning to my dog and then probably open up the laptop and go on to to Facebook or something.

Will you be watching the Olympics?Yeah, the show jumping. And I kinda like the running as well sometimes. Are you going anywhere on holiday? I think I'm going to Italy, I just don't know when.

Looking forward to any upcoming movies? Katy Perry's new movie will be good 'cause I like Katy Perry.

EOGHAN MacMAHON, 16

Baltinglass

What time do you get up?A lot of the time very late. So 12 o'clock. Ish. But when I'm working, I get up at half five, six.

Where do you work?For the Hanly Centre and what we do is we help people with alcohol problems. I was walking through Grafton Street and somebody asked me would I like to help them out and through that I got a phone calland they asked me to come in for an interview. We get paid commission, basically.

What do you spend your money on?My limited amount of money – I'd say McDonalds takes up a good bit of it. I try to save a good 50 per cent of it but then, you know, expenses of getting in and out of town, travel expenses. . . buses, they take up so much money. Unbelievable .

How many hours a day do you spend on Facebook?I'm trying to cut down. It's a serious concern because I'm going into the Leaving Cert. I'm actually thinking of just getting rid of Facebook . . . I would spend, on a good day, about an hour on Facebook. Every day. And if you think about it that's a lot, like.

MARTINA SMYTH, 17

Firhouse

What time do you get up?Nine-ish, 10-ish. I don't sleep in.

What will you be up to this summer?Well, I just came back from the Gaeltacht for three weeks. I loved it. I have a competition in August, an organ competition, so I'll be practising for that.

What's on your music playlist?I'm so bad for music. I'm more into classical music – I know that's like the opposite to what teenagers would do.

Will you be watching the Olympics?Yeah, I'll probably watch some of it. If Ireland is in it then I will watch it. I don't know/really care about anything else.

What would be your perfect summer day?Maybe just lounging around the garden. Listening to music. If there was a piano in the garden that would be good, a piano outside. I think I'd like that, a piano outside.

MARIA O’HANRAHAN, 14

Dun Laoghaire

What time do you get up?It depends. I'd say 11 or 12, maybe earlier.

First word you associate with summer? Friends.

Where do you hang out?Different places, like when the weather's nice, the Forty Foot in Sandycove for swimming and stuff, town for shopping and stuff. Sometimes weird places, like, we'd just be, like, oh, let's just go there. Depends on the weather.

How many hours a day do you spend on Facebook?An hour-and-a-half, probably.

Will you be watching the Olympics?Yeah, I'm excited for the Olympics. I'm interested in the sprints – like the 100 metres.

Would you be inspired to do any sport yourself? Well, I do athletics. I do a lot of sprinting and relay and 800 metres.