5 weeks in...

One eye and ear constantly open for a story. The deadlines. The early mornings. The satisfaction in seeing a person's story being told to people through the medium of a newspaper or the web.

You can learn these aspects of journalism in college and scribble notes in a lecture hall, but they really don't seem true until the working world comes whisking around, grabbing the luxurious college morning lie-ins and the lengthy six week deadlines away from you.

Nearly three months into this real grown-up life already and I am coming to realise all these aspects of journalism only make it more enjoyable for me. And there is something strangely satisfying about making the early bus on time.

A confident feature-writer, my lack of experience with news-writing was daunting at the beginning. But a few weeks hard work teaches someone a lot. 

Here are some of the best so far; 

In June I spoke to a lady in Cork who lives with HIV. Too small a city to be comfortable with discussing her story publicly, this lady was still eager to warn people to be sexually careful and to show people that living with HIV is not a death sentence.

Having HIV is not a death sentence, Irish Examiner

The June floods affected parts of Cork that had never experienced flash flooding before and forced hundreds of families from their homes. I wrote stories about the government refusing to provide direct funding to help these families, about the hiked insurance premiums and refusal for flood cover the families from the 2009 floods are now dealing with and about a small town in West Cork people seemed to have forgotten about...

Residents refused cover and forced to pay hiked up premiums since 2009 deluge


"Closure of the road has affected everything"


Flood-hit families to get no aid from government


Insurance will go through claims with a fine tooth comb

The abysmal summer we are suffering at the moment affected other pepole around the country too. Farmers have spent the past few months trying to cope with a massive decrease in crops produced and the even bigger financial cost of keeping their animals indoors.

Farmers will need "at least three years" to recover

Listening to people's stories and life struggles can test the emotions too. One woman told me about her daughter, who has autism, who is being refused her last three years of government funded education and care because of budget cuts. Her daughter, Antonia, is 18 years of age and waits at home every day for her bus to bring her to school.

Teens with autism refused school places due to cuts

Even ceremonies so central to the peoples' religions and traditions have been affected by the recession. The government is proposing to add a small fee to funerals to fund a funeral director watchman, something the industry does not have.

Funeral fee would fund regulator for directors

Nothing like a bit of inter-county rivalry. A few Excel spreadsheets later and it's clear Dublin hosts the country's "worst drivers".

Motorists in the capital top the penalty points league

West Cork stands tall with its reputation for arts and culture.

Wall of art captures imagination with creativity


Musical pupils play with pipes

Crosshaven also does its bit for Irish culture and heritage...

Restored tunnels in Fort Camden to open to the public

Find more online at www.irishexaminer.com.