Youghal’s Deirdre McCarthy goes  ‘Off the Rails’  – but in a good way! She will be appearing on the first programme of the Autumn/Winter series of Off the Rails on September 30th next and she is confident that this is not the end but rather the beginning. Report Becky Grice

Off the Rails, the popular RTE show, is all about making someone look and feel their best. Deirdre McCarthy from Youghal decided to apply for the programme and she succeeded. Why? What is it about Deirdre that makes her special?

Deirdre McCarthy is the 27 year old daughter of Maurice and Mary McCarthy of Knockaverry, Youghal. Deirdre is the sister of Maurice, Stephen and Frances. She is the loving, single mother of her nine year old son, Robert. She is a neighbour, she is a colleague and she is a friend to many. In fact, Deirdre was something to everyone and nothing to herself.
Several months ago, Deirdre took a long, hard look at her life and found she had no time to devote to doing the things that other 27 year olds do. The pressures of her job did not allow her spend enough time with her son, doing the things moms and sons do together. . She was at a crossroads in her life. And so, she took a very drastic decision. Because she loved working in Tesco Youghal, enjoyed meeting with people, and got on well with her colleagues, she did not want to leave their employ. However, she met with her Supervisors and requested a shift from her Manager’s job, to a relatively easier, non pressure job with Tesco Youghal, working normal daily hours. She got it.

So started the beginning of the changes in Deirdre’s life.

One day shortly afterwards, an email arrived in her inbox giving all the information about Off the Rails and attaching an application form. Deirdre told the East Cork Journal that normally she would just delete it but, this was a new Deirdre, determined to make something of herself. She applied, filled the application form, pressed send, and then deleted the entire thing. Imagine her surprise a week later when she received a telephone call to come to RTE in Dublin for an interview, which she attended. A week later she was called again, this time to meet with the Presenters of the show – and was told she was successful. She was going to be on Off the Rails!

This started a whirlwind of activity in the life of Deirdre McCarthy. From hearing that her wardrobe was ‘an orphanage of clothes’ to being totally made over (they cut her long hair up into a short, smart, modern bob which looks stunning on her) to trips to various boutiques and shops in Dublin for a complete new wardrobe of clothes, body and wardrobe analysis, photo shoots, lunches, taxi trips – in fact, the entire shebang. And she loved every minute of it. Except, perhaps, the day the film crew arrived at her home in Youghal, took one look at the contents of her wardrobe, and swept the entire lot out!

On Friday last, August 21st the film crew arrived at Tesco Youghal and high was the excitement. Deirdre McCarthy looked a million dollars as she posed and enjoyed the attention, photo reveal and well wishes of her colleagues and friends. She cried when she was greeted by her family , closest friends and the television presenters and crew with whom she had grown quite close over the filming period. Her entire appearance was changed (but not her good looks), and the outfit she wore of red and purple together, was certainly one which she would never have even looked at before. She will be appearing on the first programme of the Autumn/Winter series of Off the Rails on September 30th next and she is confident that this is not the end but rather the beginning.

Deirdre McCarthy is on a personal journey, and wants time to reflect on her life to date. When most girls in their late teens, early twenties were clubbing, travelling abroad in groups, meeting boyfriends and generally living the life of young girls, Deirdre was loving and looking after her young son, Robert, whom she adores. She would love, now, to be able to do some of things she never had the opportunity to do, and one of her greatest ambitions is to return to education and, hopefully, concentrate on working with people with special needs. Six months ago, she confided, she would never have had the confidence in herself to do anything about it but now she is determined, she is anxious to move on, and she is looking forward to achieving it.
When asked the age old question “Where do you see yourself in five years time” she quickly and seriously replied “Supermodel and seven feet tall!! “(Deirdre is a petite 5‘2”, but the East Cork Journal has no doubt that, other than the 7ft tall business, she now has the courage, the confidence and the ability to achieve anything she wants to).

Deirdre McCarthy of Youghal has taken a giant step forward. She has most certainly come down “Off the Rails”.

Becky Grice
Editor
East Cork Journal

Tel. (021) 4638 022
Fax. (021) 4638 927
Email: editor@eastcorkjournal.ie