ALMA MATER

BEFORE I went to High School when I was eleven I had a chequered career at school. I started off at Miss Savage's in Sandycove and then spent five or six years at Kingstown School (Dun Laoghaire), but I had no affection for these schools.

High School, though, was a really interesting place and I thought it was great. We were right in the centre of town, in Harcourt Street, and boys - primarily Protestants - came from all over Dublin to the school. Even though we were in the heart of the city our caretaker used to keep a pig on the premises.

The teachers were excellent and had a long history of achieving good academic results. They were also extremely good at dealing with people who weren't academically bright.

I was a good student but I also took part in a lot of extra-curricular activities. Rugby and boxing were my favourite sports. Although the masters were highly academic, most of them were also interested in and fully participated in school sport. As a result, the students enjoyed closer relationships with the teachers than they did in many other schools.

A great old man called Pip Graham taught maths to me and generations of High School boys. He was a very good teacher who gave me a great understanding of the subject. It's due to him that I've always been very good at mental arithmetic. He took a great interest in the students and continued to do so even after he retired.

High School taught you to be straightforward, truthful and honest with people. Telling lies was frowned upon. This has stood me in good stead in later life.

The year I was studying for the Trinity entrance exam I was taught English on my own by Jack Cornish. This involved reading a lot of English literature and I learned that there are an awful lot of books in this world that I didn't want to spend too much time rending.

At Trinity I studied law. The only reason I opted for law was because my father said he wouldn't support me at college to read English. He didn't think that reading was good for me. I decided on law only because at the time the fees were about £5 per year more than the other courses I might have opted for. It was as simple as that.

After Trinity I went to King's Inns and qualified as a barrister. I was the Brook scholar of my year. I couldn't afford to practise so I went into banking. I love it. At the outset I didn't have any career plans - it's all been entirely luck.