My PhD graduation: Crossing the finish-line of academia's marathon

It’s been a long road, but on Friday I received my PhD from Dublin City University and became Dr Gillian Quinn!

At the ceremony, Daire Keogh called a PhD "the marathon of academia" - and that hit home. Over the last 7 years, life tried to get in the way so many times. I lost my mum, cared for my dad, faced health challenges, moved house, and saw my son emigrate and get engaged. I watched my daughter get married and become a mother herself. 

Through the grief and the celebrations, there were moments when the finish line felt out of reach. But with the support of my three incredible supervisors, I managed to put one foot in front of the other. Dr Gemma Kiernan, Dr Rita Glover and Gerard Moore, I am so lucky to have had your guidance and perseverance over the years. Your patience and expertise kept me on track through every distraction, good and bad. I couldn't have achieved this milestone without your support.

My research, "An Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Elite Professional Footballers and Their Intimate Partners During the Sports Career Transition - A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study,” was inspired by the challenges Niall and I faced when he retired in 2002. 

We will celebrate 34 years of marriage this June, but there was a time we nearly lost it all. Like so many football families, we weren't prepared for what came after the final whistle. I decided to return to education with the explicit aim of finding ways to ease the suffering of families in football and to prevent the psychological distress of retirement.

I am forever indebted to my participants for helping me achieve this aim. This research exists because they selflessly shared their raw, often difficult experiences of life during their sports career transitions. Their voices are the heart of this study, and I hope this work helps bridge the gap for those following in their footsteps.

The 40 years between leaving school at 14 and receiving this PhD at 54 taught me one key thing: passion doesn't have an expiry date. If the cause is important enough to you, you will always find the strength for one more mile.