'My mother always told me...'
It's the advice that we treasure forever. Today, on Mother's Day, some personalities reveal to Jennifer Bray the words of wisdom given to them by the most important woman in their lives
Keith Duffy, Boyzone/ Coronation Street actor
Gary Cooke, Après Match/comedian/actor
Leigh Arnold, Actress
Claire Byrne, Newstalk presenter
Cian O' Connor
Charley Boorman, TV adventurer
Maura Derrane, The Afternoon Show
Alan Hughes Panto star and TV3 presenter
Keith Duffy, Boyzone/Coronation Street actor
I have a great mammy. She never had any girls, it was just me and my brothers, and sometimes I think she wished I was actually a girl. She was a hairdresser when I was younger and would always put blonde streaks in my hair and give me all sorts of different hairstyles. We were all the golden boys and she could never see any wrong in any of us.
One of the main things she taught me was to have a faith. She isn't a very religious person, but has a lot of faith. She'd take us to mass when we were kids and we couldn't understand back then why we had to go, but now when things go wrong or we're stressed we turn back to it and say a few prayers. I can now pass this down to my own kids.
Even when we were growing up and it was evident we were about to make a mistake, she would let us on with it knowing we would learn an important lesson from it. She is also very young-natured, so she is incredibly easy to get along with.
Gary Cooke, Après Match/ comedian/actor
"Be well mannered" is what mother always says to me. I don't always stick to it, but I try to. She also always drilled into me to be well presented. I occasionally follow this particular piece of advice. I began making a lot of effort with my appearance after my teens, but then you get to your 30s and when you are being woken at 4am by screaming kids it is hard to be bothered. We would have occasional rows, I had a rebellious side, but we have always got on well and she is always honest with me and is a very calming influence in my life.
Leigh Arnold, Actress
My mother always says to me "treat others as you would like to be treated". She is a firm believer in being respectful and believing in yourself.
My mam is my best friend in the world. Anytime something goes wrong, she is the first person I go to.
She never judges me, and if I could be half the woman she is I would be set for life.
Very often I would lose all confidence in myself and she is always there to pick me back up.
Even in my career, she has been my backbone and my strength especially in decisions. If I talk to her about work and the future, she always says to reach for my goals no matter how high they are or how hard it seems.
Claire Byrne, Newstalk presenter
My mother's motto and advice to me was always, "take your time". I have a tendency to rush and make snap decisions and always it comes back to her advice to think things over first. I end up thinking, 'Why didn't I listen to her words' and so I try to do that now.
My mother is the most calm and reasonable person in my life, and I have always envied that quality in her. She gives me balance when I get too hot-headed, as she is the most chilled-out person I know. She had six children, and I am still amazed that despite the stress that brought she still remains so unruffled. I can moan all I like to her about problems in life, but she always comes back with a response which lets me know that things could be a lot worse.
In terms of my career, she helped me to buy my first Fisher Price typewriter by making me save for it, and then giving me the final few pounds. It was the best gift I have ever had, and she was always teaching me these kinds of lessons – to go and get things myself.
Cian O'Connor, Showjumper
My mother's motto to me was, "Follow your dreams" and "Be nice to girls", both of which I try to do. I have always had a very close relationship with my mother. She comes to all my showjumping events, even sometimes when they are abroad. I went to Belvedere College and she wanted me to go on to university or do something along those lines. I told her I desperately wanted to take a year out and pursue showjumping and work with horses which wasn't really the done thing, and though she wasn't sure, she let me on with it. A mother's influence is one of the most important in anyone's life.
Charley Boorman, TV adventurer
My mother Christel was a massive advocate of property investment. She always said to me, "Put your money in property and be nice to people and you'll be fine, Charley." And I think she's been proved right. Over the last 30 years people have done very well, on the whole.
Maura Derrane, The Afternoon Show
"Do what makes you happy" was always my mother's advice to me. She is my inspiration and she put me where I am now. She never pushed me in any direction, and she always said to me as I grew up that I should work at what I enjoy and not to let people put me into a box and try to categorise me. She said that whatever I was good at and had flair for was something I should pursue. She always was and still is the person who I would talk to if I ever need clarity on anything. She is completely non-judgemental, and there was never anything I felt I had to hide from her. When I was in my teens, all my girlfriends would turn to her for advice as well; she is that kind of woman. I wish I was as calm as she is.
Alan Hughes Panto star and TV3 presenter
My mam died when I was 13, and my two sisters, Margaret and Doreen, took over the mothering role, and they gave me advice on all sorts of things as I got older. They always told me to just be myself, and whatever it is I wanted to do to just go and do it. They have both been very supportive of me and when I was doing the panto they were helping out behind the stage, so they are always around. It is sad, though, when Mother's Day comes around or when you achieve something and you wonder what she would think if she were here now. Nonetheless, my sisters have always pushed me on and kept me going.
March 14, 2010
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