Boys boys boys
Years ago my father told me that it was a sign you were getting old when the policemen looked like school boys! Alas, the police have looked like schoolboys and schoolgirls to me for many a year now.
Sigh!
When I began this blogging lark most of my early contacts were Elly’s age group, yes I saw them as children. Well they were for the most part half my age. Over time the age groups widened. There were 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and a few 60s and now they go way up to the 80s.
It was the ageing downward that took me by surprise….
At Podcamp Ireland in Kilkenny 2007, I met Ian Healy a fine young school going lad who was very interested in all that went on. Alas, computer access with Dial-up internet prevents him from blogging and joining in the fun as much as he would like. He was back with us once more for Podcamp Kilkenny 2008. As soon as he saw me he shook hands and we picked up the conversation from the previous year.
Again at Podcamp this year, I met and spoke to Cian MacMahon a fifth year student who podcasts as a hobby and so far has succeeded in finding two sponsors to cover his hosting expenses. Cian is a handsome young man with a crystal clear voice and excellent diction and I predict he will go places in the not to distant future.
I first became aware of him at a talk led by Darragh Doyle, and like Darragh he is not afraid to approach and engage with people. Our paths crossed again later in the day when he attended my conversation about blogging and podcasting for the elderly. He stayed chatting long after the talk ended and kindly asked if I would consent to being interviewed for one of his podcasts. Email addresses were exchanged arrangements made and the recording took place some weeks ago via Skype, with Cian in Dublin and me with my feet up in Co Antrim! I think that episode will be available this weekend and there are plenty more examples of Cian’s work at View from the Quad.
The third young man I want to bring to your attention is Tommy Collison, a 14 year old student from Castletroy College in Limerick. His blogging home is to be found at Trust Tommy.com and once homework is out of the road Tommy joins the conversation on Twitter, where his short bio of 160 characters describes him as “Irish drummer, blogger, student, mischief-maker and maker of killer pancakes”.
So this keen drummer, and his work can be found on YouTube. Among his favourite bands are Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Dresden Dolls, Coldplay, Muse and Jamie Cullum. An avid reader he enjoys the words of Authors like Philip Pullman, Ian Fleming, Robert Muchamore and Stephen King.
Now I wonder what I have to do to get one of Tommy’s pancakes?
Cian Mac Mahon said,
November 28, 2008 at 7:22 am
Hi there! Thanks for the mention and the kind words!
Indeed, the interview will be online on Sunday, if all goes well. It should have been online last week, but there was a bit of a hiccup in the “smooth” process.
Thanks for drawing attention to the other Irish teens! We need all the help we can, and Tommy’s site looks real interesting!
Cian.
Tommy said,
November 28, 2008 at 7:30 am
Whoa! Thank you so much for those extraordinarily kind words!
~Tommy
Darragh said,
November 28, 2008 at 9:36 am
Never mind these young bucks. Your more ~mature~ toyboys have just as much to offer… once we have a coffee and a rest and then get off this chair. Can someone give me a hand up please? i think my back is gone.
GM thanks for introducing me to Cian’s blog - it’s very impressive and I love the range of people he’s interviewed already. I’m a fan of Tommy’s since I met him at the Irish Web Awards - a great guy who writes well and has a great head on his shoulders.
Now, where did I leave my hearing aid?
steph said,
November 28, 2008 at 10:02 am
Grannymar
You always had a good eye for spotting a bit of talent
I can see the headlines in years to come…
“It all started on Grannymar’s blog”
It’s great to see these lads making the most of the technology available to them.
“We never had that in our day”
Oh, I nearly forgot… Om Nom Nom
That’s for one of Tommy’s pancakes!
And now I’m looking forward to hearing Cian’s podcast with you!
I Trust Tommy Too | Joe Scanlon said,
November 28, 2008 at 12:53 pm
[...] Collision is a 14 year old student from Limerick. A lot of people seem to be posting about him [...]
I trust him, you should too! | Whats not to trust about Tommy Collison | Verba @ McAWilliams.com said,
November 28, 2008 at 1:19 pm
[...] Grannymar [...]
Grannymar said,
November 28, 2008 at 2:11 pm
@Cian - You are welcome. Now all you have to do is get out there and wow the world and show them that I was right!
@Tommy - In years to come I hope to be saying: ” I remember when….!”
@Huggy Darragh - Calm down there. Do you need a lend of a loan of my walking stick?
@Steph - When I started with all things bloggy, help was never far away. Now it is payback time by giving encouragement to the many talented young people out there.
TheChrisD said,
November 28, 2008 at 3:39 pm
All this talk of young’uns and secondary schools is starting to make me feel old…
Grannymar said,
November 28, 2008 at 4:26 pm
ChrisD
You feel old!!!! How do you think I feel. Oh I forgot I was coming round the clock for about the third time!
Baino said,
November 28, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Young Tommy’s hot property today isn’t he? I had a look, quite a bright spark he is but then I’ve always had a soft spot for a drummer! Somehow blogging to me seems a little ‘healthier’ than Myspace and Facebook. You get to know a bit more about the person who owns the blog. Good on you for supporting them GM. My youngest commenter is 17! Bless his Hungarian Pelotas!
Grannymar said,
November 28, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Baino
Tommy is enjoying his day!
I have often said that through blogging you discover a person from the inside long before you meet them in the flesh! To date I have not been disappointed with the bloggers that I have met in person.
steph said,
November 28, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Phew!
Grannymar » I promised you said,
November 30, 2008 at 11:09 pm
[...] Friday I introduced you to three fine young men that I know of from the world of blogging and podcasting. [...]