I grew up in Dundalk, a pretty normal childhood. I went to a Catholic girls’ school and was raised in a house with six boys and three girls.
When I was 16 I remember finding Lesbian Line’s number on the problem page of The Sunday World. I remember knowing that it was linked to me, but not knowing how. I tore out the piece of paper and one night I rang the line. When they said “Lesbian Line”, I hung up. That was the first time I’d heard that word said out loud.
We’d go to an over-16’s disco on a Friday night. I never really got why the heterosexuals in the group who fancied a fella would go, “I hope he’s there, I hope he’s there” and when he was there, there’d be a meltdown. And then I met somebody who I really liked that played on one of the football teams. And I started thinking to myself, “I hope she’s there”.