Writer and documentary maker Manchán Magan
Where did you go to school?
Mount Anville Montessori School. Gonzaga College, Ranelagh, Dublin and one year in Coláiste na Rinne, Port Láirge
Were you cool or were you one of the nerdy kids?
Neither, I was in my own happy universe.
Give us an extract of a school report . . .
"Manchán excels in things that interest him and fails miserably in things that don't." I always got B in everything, except in Coláiste na Rinne where I got A+.
Who was your favourite teacher in primary school? Marylyn Bimstein - a passionate, visionary American, who honoured and idolised children, making us feel supreme. She taught us Gospel singing and inspired us to read and read and read.
How about secondary school? Anyone who you liked/inspired you?
The teachers in Gonzaga were excellent. The single most influential event was the headmaster, Fr Barber, convincing me to have the courage to do art for the Leaving. Daily art classes under Dara O'Connell opened a shutter in my mind allowing light flood in.
Did you have a nickname?
No, never. Despite having an awkward name I was not the sort of person to be given one.
What was the first music album you bought?
Bob Dylan at Budokanbought with my first earnings from Sandford Stores, a Ranelagh newsagent.
What's on your iPod now?
Mark Geary, Josh Ritter and Eels.
What posters did you have on your bedroom wall?
Bowie and cat cartoons
Who was your first crush?
I know I was only five, but those Mount Anville girls left me reeling. I'm still picking up the pieces. I didn't see another girl until I got to Coláiste na Rinne aged 12 and I fell in love with them all.
Who would play you in a movie of your younger days?
Andy Kaufman, (Latka in Taxiand subject of Man in the Moon).
What did you study in college?
Irish and history
Regrets? Have you had a few?
My BA. My Batchelor in Cretinhood, as I call it. God, how I wish Irish universities could excel and inspire. Or just give up and send students out around the world instead to really learn about life. (UCD was an utter letdown after the rigorous honing of Jesuit education.)
Manchán Magans latest book is Manchán's Travels: a journey through India (Brandon 2007)
