I CARED little about school when I was at Villierstown National School, Co Waterford -- it was a necessary evil - until I reached sixth class. It was then that we had a new teacher, Mr Ford, who inspired and challenged me to work. It was a turning point in my life.

Secondary school at St Anne's, Cappoquin, which was run by the Mercy nuns, was fantastic. I loved every minute of it. Although it was co educational, girls were in the majority and in a class of 25, there were only five boys.

There was a great balance between work and play - we worked hard but enjoyed ourselves as well. The teachers were brilliant. There wasn't one of them I didn't like - they were extremely dedicated people but a bit of fun as well.

I was always keen on sports and started running at St Anne's. My sister and I were the only ones who ran at school. I've always believed that sport and study go hand in hand and that a good balance between the two is important.

I managed to keep up my running during my Leaving Certificate by running home every evening while my sister took my books on the bus. It was only a five mile journey and I used to go a roundabout way and do eight or nine miles, but I always arrived home before the bus!

IN 1974 I won a sports scholarship to Providence College, Rhode Island, where I did business studies. I had no difficulty settling in - it's a frame of mind - you just get on with it. But initially I found it hard to combine my studies and my training.

I found the education system different and it took me three months to figure out the way it worked. Continuous assessment keeps you on your toes and I did well in college. I spent six years there and gained a BSc in accounting and an MBA.

I'm competitive and wanted to do well both in class and on the field, but I also wanted to prove wrong those professors who were suspicious of people on sports scholarships - "jocks" have a bad image in US colleges.

Although I didn't have the life of the average college student - my social life was almost non-existent - I trained for three hours every day and I spent weekends away at track meetings - I did enjoy my time at Providence to the full.

Along with business studies I studied a range of liberal arts subjects including history, English and geography. The broad liberal arts education I received at Providence has, I believe, stood me in good stead in later life.