I grew up in Co. Meath, Ireland the oldest of five in my family.

My father (Frank O'Sullivan) was an electronic engineer who worked for Phillips for many years before founding his own weighing business in 1977. He would build weighbridges (large weighing platforms for weighing trucks and other vehicles). Originally it was actually run from the garage, before he moved to a small office next to the butcher's shop in the local village of Dunshaughlin. It grew in size and eventually it moved to a much larger facility in Trim, Co. Meath where the weighbridges could be built on the premises. Unfortunately he passed away at the tender age of 42 in 1987 due to a rare disease of the pancreas. I was 13.

My mother (Louise McElhinney) grew up in the same town of Athboy as my father but never really knew him until they were in their twenties. She worked in my grandmother's drapery business on the main street of Athboy growing up. As a teenager she was quite the athlete, playing on the county Camoige (women's hurling) team. She married my father at 25 and had only ever dated one other seriously before that. Ironically he died in his thirties in mining accident in Tara mines where he worked. So bear that in mind before asking her out.

My mother's string of good fortune didn't end there. When my father died in 1987, she was left with 5 kids aged from 18 months to 13yrs and a weighing business she know little about without the founder/director. Even worse in 1988 her mother (my last remaining grandparent) died leaving the now successful family clothes business behind, divided between her and two of her siblings. How this remarkable woman functions without the need of heavy medication is beyond me.

To cut a long story short. She went mad and the kids turned out perfect.

 We moved into my grandmother's house, my father's business was sold and she runs almost all of the day to day operations of the family clothes business McElhinney Fasions. Barry, John and I spent varying degrees of time at boarding school while my mother wrestled with the 2 businesses and the girls.

Currently 4 of the 5 kids are working/finished school and Amy (the youngest) will be ready for college (I presume) in 2003.

From left to right. My mother (Louise), Lucy, Amy and Barry. John's missing from this one as he likes to avoid soppy photo ops whenever he can.

I do have a picture of John, but as you can see he's none too happy about it :)