Name: Anthony Mulligan

Age: 25

From: Leitrim

College course: Agricultural science, UCD

My name is Anthony Mulligan and I am from a beef and sheep farm in Bornacoola, Co Leitrim. From a young age, I had a keen interest in farming and the farming activities at home.

Going through school, I wanted to pursue a career in agriculture.

However, following my Leaving Cert I did not achieve the points required for agricultural science in UCD.

At the time, the thought of repeating was daunting, so I opted to go with the second option that was offered to me on the CAO. This was an engineering degree in Galway.

From the outset of my course in Galway, I knew that it wasn’t going to be something that I could see myself continuing as a career and I subsequently left the course after a couple of weeks.

Job offer

I was offered a job with a neighbour working as an industrial plumber. It was tough work but enjoyable.

However, it meant I was working away from home every week and living out of a hotel room Monday to Friday.

As well as this, I was playing with the Leitrim under 21s football team.

It was during that period when I was recovering from the knee injury that I took the opportunity to rethink my career options

I used to travel home for training on Tuesday and Thursday nights which meant getting up at five the next morning to travel back to work.

Unfortunately, I picked up a knee injury which required surgery. This left me out of work for a number of weeks.

It was during that period when I was recovering from the knee injury that I took the opportunity to rethink my career options as I knew my injury would have implications on the line of work I was in.

Less likely

I always wanted to do a bachelor of agriculture in UCD but it felt like the older I was getting, the less likely this option was going to be available to me.

After speaking to Iris Burke, the programme officer director in the school of agriculture in UCD, I was made aware of another option that would be available to me.

I completed my year in Dunboyne from which I attained my distinctions and through the CAO the following summer I was granted my place in agricultural science in UCD

This was a FETAC level 5 in pre-university science with a qualification of a minimum of five distinctions, one of which had to be mathematics and at least two science subjects.

I completed my year in Dunboyne from which I attained my distinctions and through the CAO the following summer I was granted my place in agricultural science in UCD.

I began the course in September 2015. I am currently completing my final year of the course, which finishes in May 2019.