LEGACY….. The Intangible Threads of Legacy #24 #cong24 #legacy

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1. The concept of legacy has transformed over time and continues to evolve.

2. Legacy within literature and ideas.

3. Each of us has a role to play and a contribution to offer.

4. Never underestimate the impact or influence of your personal legacy.

With extensive experience in education and guidance counselling, I have served on management boards, contributed to educational policy development, and created career and well-being programs for youth. My work includes authoring articles on guidance and well-being, part-time lecturing, and motivational speaking. Additionally, I facilitate mediation to promote communication and conflict resolution. Currently, I am pursuing a PhD, in Applied Psychology, focusing on legacy.

You can connect with Deirdre on email.

By Deirdre O’Flynn

The concept of Legacy is often associated with the positive imprint one leaves behind in one’s personal or professional life. The word conjures up images of Universities wings, Buildings, Libraries, Bursaries, Scholarships, Achievements, Success, and even Respect earned.

In 1901, a wealthy businessman Andrew Carneige, a Scottish American industrialist, once said, ”that a man dies in disgrace, if he leaves millions of dollars, which he could have used to benefit mankind“. He donated millions to create 2,500 libraries in English- speaking countries, including Ireland. He gave his money away in a manner that mainly involved helping people to help themselves. In early 20th century, his libraries even reached lighthouse keepers who lived very isolated lives around the coast of Ireland.

As stated, Legacy, can often be seen in the physical, for instance, the naming of a University building. A most recent example of this in Ireland, is the naming, denaming and renaming of Trinity’s largest library, the Berkley /BLU now renamed Boland/BLU, after the poet Eavan Boland. However, I believe her poem” Our Future will become the Past of other Women”, commissioned in 2018 by the Irish Government and the RIA to commemorate the centenary of women’s suffrage in Ireland, is a far more impactful and transformative legacy.

 “Give me your hand, it has written our future.

Our future will become the past of other women”.

E Boland.  

* I recommend listening to Fiona Shaw’s narration of this poem.

Often, Poems, Books and Literature are timeless legacies, they transcend generations. They are limitless, in that, they can reach an infinite audience. They can cross borders and cultures. They can be translated, shared and passed on. They can inspire, instil values, share ideas and can even speak directly to us, no matter where we are….

Legacy when viewed through the lens of my roles as a daughter, a woman, a mother, an educator and an academic, each of these identities have shaped my understanding of what it means to leave a legacy, a lasting impact. Personally, I believe one of the greatest legacies, we can leave future generations, is one that equips them with the values, skills and opportunities to thrive in a complex and rapidly changing world. It’s about values, principles, resilience, fortitude, responsibility and ownership.

On a very personal level, it’s about inspiring women to believe in themselves, to challenge when something is known to be wrong, to stand up, to be counted.

“It’s better to die on our feet than live our knees”.

 Zapata  

However, legacies are not always shaped by our own actions, sometimes they are influenced by the actions of others. During a very difficult and challenging time in my life, I found myself entangled in a financial and legal nightmare, after finding out that my co director, completely unbeknown to me had accrued a substantial company and personal revenue debt and had forged my signature over 24 times on company accounts. Furthermore, he had forged my signature 22 times on legal documents over the course of 14 years. Adding to the gravity of this situation, the company solicitor falsely claimed to have witnessed all of these 22 signatures and on three occasions actually swore, that I was present at the signing of all these documents. All this was to have enormous implications for me both personally and professionally. Eventually, culminating in my attendances at High Court Hearings and Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunals, over a number of years

Outcome; I won this hearing and the Solicitor was found guilty on four counts of professional misconduct. The SDT was replaced by Legal Services Regulatory Services

“For those who find the rights they need

To be hard won, not guaranteed,

Not easily given, for each one a Talisman”

E Boland

During this time, a person once said to me on passing, that my children were my legacy….. I thought about this and smiled politely, but deep within, I didn’t totally agree with this. For me, legacy, my legacy was something very personal. My legacy belonged to me, it was about my good name, my values, my personal and professional reputation earned over years of hard work, commitment and dedication. To me, clearing my name was of paramount importance.  Even though, it necessitated me having to represent myself in the High Court and some of the other cases, I could not sit with not doing so .I knew it would haunt me until the day I passed…if I didn’t clear my name.  Furthermore, I owed it to my deceased parents too. I stood my ground,represented myself in the High Court and thankfully my voice was heard.  My legacy was about my values, my principles, my beliefs, ultimately it was about my relationship with myself.

To conclude, I believe, Legacy is not static, it’s a living, breathing inheritance of values, ideas, principles, even wisdom that passes as threads from one generation to the next, as they weave their own stories ….