In my life

Pat Rabbitte TD,Leader Labour Party

Where did you go to school?

St Colman's College, Claremorris, Co. Mayo.

What was your best subject?

English.

What was your worst subject?

Science.

If you could put a new subject on the Leaving Cert, what would it be?

Political science.

What was your earliest career ambition?

To be a university teacher.

Who was your favourite teacher and why?

My English teacher, who had a great love of literature and drama.

Who was your childhood idol?

Elvis.

Who was your best friend?

There were two or three of them.

What are they doing now?

All are more successful than me.

What TV programme/film most reminds you of your schooldays?

The Late Late, as was. The Riordans. I Love Lucy.

What song most reminds you of your schooldays?

Elvis Presley's Hound Dog

What food most reminds you of your schooldays?

Tomato sandwiches.

What was your most memorable holiday?

A working holiday in London after the Leaving Cert.

What's the last book you read?

Conrad and Lady Black: Dancing on the Edgeby Tom Bower.

Did you go to college and if so, what did you study?

I studied arts and law in University College Galway.

Would you send your own children to the same school that you went to?

Minus the corporate punishment - yes.

What was the best thing about your education?

The camaraderie, the fact it was not a boarding school and the focus on gaelic football.

What was the worst thing about your education?

The menacing presence of corporal punishment.