Members of the Board, invited guests, parents, staff and Rainey pupils. Good evening.
Thank you for the very kind introduction and to everyone here for the warm welcome. It’s really a privilege to be here and speak with you this evening. I met and was reacquainted with many great people this evening but I especially loved meeting all of you and had the pleasure of meeting the head boy and head girl earlier. I was so impressed with their speeches tonight. It’s brilliant to hear of all the successes in the school and all the different things that each one of you is pursuing.
It’s amazing to hear that the school is consistently in the top 10 in Northern Ireland and I understand that we have UK, Ulster and Irish champions in many different sports – that’s really wonderful to hear.
Of course as a former pupil of the Rainey I am a bit biased, but I really believe the Rainey is unique. I grew up in Magherafelt, in fact, I lived just up the road from here. Which was always great if I arrived in school and realised I had a hole in my tights, I could run home quickly and get sorted. That’s if I didn’t have a black pen to colour in the gap. Do you still do that?
People who ask what kind of school I went to, I tell them it’s 300 years old, it’s a famous red brick building in my hometown, Magherafelt (they can never pronounce it) and it was a wonderful place where I was looked after and my interests were encouraged.
The encouragement I received for the things I wanted to do is the thing that stands out. That was invaluable, for a teacher to say, yes, come join us. At school I was involved in so many things. Some very successfully, others less so, but I was always, always encouraged.
I was thinking of all the activities I was involved in, there were many. I was really into cross country and athletics and Mrs Francis used to take me to races every Saturday, and often during the week as well. She called me Rhoda Porscha because I used to win the races, and I called her Deborah zebra, because it rhymed.
The best race I got to go to was an international competition in Norway, I think I was in 3rd year. I represented Ulster in the 400m, and I came first. The best part though was the adventure to Oslo with all the other athletes, it was magical.
I was always up for a trip somewhere. Once I saw a notice on one of the boards asking for swimmers for a competition. I wasn’t really a swimmer, but I went to see Mr Frew and he let me enter. That was such a fun day at the competition! I came last in my race and Mr Frew told me I’d done really well, God bless you.
Another time there was an exchange offered to Italy and I persuaded my parents to let me go to Florence and then have an Italian back to our house, actually we got two Italians, that trip was magnificent.
I auditioned for a couple of the school plays, that was really fun. I went to SU and to Ichthus. In sixth form I was the Ichthus secretary which meant I had to book the speakers. One week I couldn’t get a speaker so I had to do it myself. I remember looking around as I was speaking and being totally amazed that everyone was listening to my little talk.
I was of course involved in the music in the school, singing in the choir with Mr Healy and playing in Mrs Mac’s and then Ms Kimber’s orchestra and Mr McDonnell’s trad group.
Then when I was in fourth year I played solo violin for the first time in the spring concert and I was hooked. I was like a little duck that found the water! This is where I’m happy. After that, I took out my violin at every opportunity and got to really love performing.
So I was good at getting involved in things in the school and going after opportunities. The great thing is how much I was encouraged to do so. And I’ve taken that with me from my days at the Rainey right up to today.
After school, it was my violin, and later singing, that took me to a lot of interesting places. I studied music at Queen’s and while I was there got to go on an orchestra tour to California. We played in all the major cities on the coast, finishing with a concert in a beautiful, huge cathedral in San Francisco.
Right after uni I went to Geneva in Switzerland to study violin. That came about when I met the teacher at a masterclass and asked if he might consider giving me some more lessons. He ended up inviting me to study with him in Geneva and I didn’t have to think twice about that. I said yes on the spot and never looked back.
After that I studied in Holland too, invited by a wonderful Polish teacher in a similar situation. I lived in Holland for the first year, then moved back to Geneva and used to commute to lessons every Wednesday. It meant flying to Brussels and taking the train across to Maastricht. It was a wonderful adventure.
During that time I was playing violin with Keith and Kristyn Getty, and recording on my own. And I was leading the strings department in a private boarding school in Geneva. I had one producer in London, then another in Dublin.
It was one of the producers who asked me whether I sang, he said it would be good to have some vocals on the tracks. Up to then, I hadn’t really sung, I was always shy to sing in public (by the way I still am but I do it anyway). But I said yes, of course I sing. That took me down an interesting path. In the next few years I released a couple of singles and an EP and had my music playing on the radio, then my singing took me to Nashville.
I looked around and understood that’s where I needed to go next. So I got in touch with the best person I could think of to help me – Dolly Parton’s producer – and sent him my songs and asked if he would record my album. He said he worked with a studio and didn’t work with those outside, but he could recommend a colleague who had recently gone out on his own, he thought we’d be a great fit. So I got in touch with this guy Erick and he was brilliant. We worked together over the next two years to record my album which was released just over a year ago and he’s been my producer and tour manager ever since, and now also a very good friend.
As well as being a musician, I’m an entrepreneur. It started with renting out violins in Geneva, that turned into selling all kinds of stringed instruments and before long I put the store online, to see who I could reach.
Then I started helping other people with their businesses. That combined with the performance experience sparked interest and I’ve recently started speaking at events too.
But I could never have predicted or planned this path. I had no idea when I was 12 or even at age 19 that I would end up singing and travelling and doing all the things I do. It came about because I pursue things that look interesting, even on some level too good to be true. I say yes to invitations, even if I don’t really feel ready, and I don’t dabble with things. When I get involved, I get involved as though I mean it, and have faith that something great will come out. It always does.
I started to put this together at uni. A chance meeting with a man I didn’t know taught me something I will never forget in my whole life.
I had always been hard working but he told me something that until then I hadn’t realised.
It was the idea of pursuing not just a good standard, or a good enough standard, but of pursuing excellence. The great news was that I already had everything I needed to do everything I wanted to do.
I decided that if what he said were true, that I could get the very best degree result. I could study with the best violin teachers. I could play my violin and record music with the best musicians in the world. And I didn’t have to wait until the right time to go after the things that were important to me.
It was this simple realisation that has enabled me to pursue things that I might otherwise have shied away from.
Now, if the idea of already having this ability intrigues you, then I’d like to pass on the same encouragement that this man gave to me. I’m telling you right now that this excellence is already in you, you can choose to recognise that, and to apply it to anything you do.
Teachers, a quick challenge. One of these names will someday be on your voting slip. Others will be teaching your children. One day you may have reason to visit the Royal [Victoria Hospital] and one of these adorable little faces will appear in front of you in a white coat and you’ll be so glad to see them.
The challenge is this: what example are you showing them now? Are you showing them compassion, are you asking them to always give their best? They’re all smart cookies sitting there, and they are our future leaders. They need to be encouraged, and they need to be pushed.
I’ll close with this.
Work well, say yes to opportunities and pursue with real vigour the things that light you up. And it’s ok if you don’t know what that thing is. Work at anything like you mean it. That’s how you find out what you’re good at, and how you find out what you love. Don’t wait to love something before you take it seriously. It’s the other way around. The opportunities that come up when you’re taking things seriously will be better than you can even imagine right now. It will fall into place.
You are here in prize night because you’ve done well in the last set of exams. I congratulate you all, and I really believe that it’s important to celebrate our successes. Now going forwards, I want to encourage you to pursue the things you really want.
Because those things aren’t for anybody else, they’re for you. So what would you love to do? Do you dare to pursue that? The details will work themselves out.
Say yes, work well, and pursue the things that make you happy.
If you want to write to me and tell me what you’re pursuing in your life, then I’d just love to hear from you. Thank you for listening so well. God bless you all.