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Originally
from the south, Emer moved to Northern Ireland with her mother and
brother aged 11 when her parents separated. But despite integrating
well, she continued to identify with the south as lively and full of
opportunities while seeing the north as dull, restrictive and the place
she would need to leave to get on. Although proud of her working class
background she saw education as the way forward. She expected to work
hard and did so, at school and in a series of pt jobs and while her
family could offer little in terms of social capital she proved adept
at building her own. Stability and emotional support came from her
mother and from a 5 year relationship which provided the security and
stability she lost when her family split. While she got on with her
father and had regular contact, he was not seen as dependable. After A
levels and a trip to America, Emer headed south with her boyfriend,
studied media and experimented with ‘home making’. Despite experiencing
a string of losses including deaths of family and friends, she remained
strong and determined, attributing her early maturity to life events
and her response to them. A year later, after returning to the north
and working as a classroom assistant Emer was finally able to make the
break she had been working towards when she chose to leave behind her
family and boyfriend for an education degree in England.
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