Suzanne Kane is a woman on the go. Constantly.
When VIP Magazine catches up with her she has just done the school run and is en route to work in 98FM. She’s always on the go, honestly.
We chat about being a working mother, 4am starts and, of course, her favourite reality TV.
Hey, Suzanne, how are you keeping? You must be one of the busiest people on the planet!
I’ve just done the school run. My morning looks like, up at half seven, get myself dressed and then get the baby up. I get her organised before I get the other two. Then it’s the door, drop the two oldest at school and then I drop Sadie to creché then it’s into the car, into town and I get into Marconi House at around quarter to 10 and then I’m on the radio at 10.
Okay, Superwoman alert!
Not at all! [Laughs] I’m just the same as any other working parent. The juggle is real. Usually, on a Friday morning, I get up at half four to go into Ireland AM and then I race into town straight after for my 98FM show. So Fridays are a bit mental. But this Friday I have taken my radio show off, so I have an hour and a half to myself so I’m going to Penneys. To buy stuff for the kids. [Laughs] It is mental and we used to sit down on Sundays to look at the week ahead but now we just do it day by day. Let’s just hope for the best. Look, I can’t complain, things could be way worse.
Your two eldest, seven-year-old Oisín and five-year-old Hannah, are both in school now. What is that like?
Oisín is in second class and Hannah is in Senior Infants, Oisín is a proper COVID kid, he was in Senior Infants and he was just settling in when they were sent home. Hannah was still a baby, she was only three and still in creché. But watching them go back to school, it feels a lot calmer. They’re not in pods anymore. They’re able to mix in the yard. It was mental. But they can feel that it’s calmer. Children weren’t able to do anything normal. They hadn’t even gone to shopping centres. I just got their eyes tested for the first time. They missed out on such normal things in life, things you and I took for granted. Even going on a plane. Stuff like that is really nice seeing them navigate that.
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And, of course, one thing that they really missed is the cinema.
The very first movie Oisín went to see was in the cinema was in the ODEON and the last time they went to the cinema was to see Sonic. They really missed the cinema, so we would print out ODEON tickets and have screenings in our living room. Now, thanks to Vodafone Fantastic Days, every Wednesday customers can use the MyVodafone app to download up to four offer codes for any film being shown on the following Tuesday in any ODEON cinema nationwide.
So it must feel like you’re sending them to school for the first time this year, do you worry about them?
I worry about them terribly. When Oisín started school I was so sad, but I was so excited for him. When they start school, you are letting them go. It’s that invisible string. You have to trust everyone and they have amazing teachers. In September, seeing them go back was hard. None of us were ready for the routine of school again. I love them having little friends and every year they grow so much. Hannah went into Junior Infants a little girl and she came out of it as a little bit older version of that. They become a new version of themselves, which is exciting but it is a little bit sad. Oisín is not my baby boy anymore. I love the independence they get but it tugs at your heartstrings.
Apart from being a mother of three, you also have a radio show on 98FM and you present Ireland AM. How do you manage to keep your head above water?
It’s really busy. I’m on air every day and I have Ireland AM every second weekend. It is incredible. I get Saturday mornings and we’re heavily involved in our local GAA club, my husband manages the football team there. So I get to do a bit of that and bring them to parties and do the housework. And then on Fridays, I get to do my makeup and dress up and do all the lovely bits. It is a juggle, but I feel very, very lucky.
Do you feel lucky to be able to have your dream job and also spend time with your children?
There is sacrifice in it. Social media can be a purveyor of a picture that isn’t real. This all seems lovely on social media, but it’s not. Life is a juggle, sometimes I have to get friends to pick up Hannah, my mam has been a huge help but she has been unwell and that changes the dynamics of things. It is a juggle of who is doing what, and where is everyone. Sometimes when I’m creeping along the landing on Saturday morning, Hannah comes out and asks if I’m going to work and I have to tell her, yes, but I’ll be home at 12. The reality of that. But the other side of it is that there are people out there working every day. I love radio. And I am so lucky. I worked really hard and I was so happy when I was given a show. There are a lot of moving parts.
Before I let you go, Suzanne, I have to ask you about the love of your life – Love Island!
Joey, my husband, and I record Love Island every night. I know it sounds silly, but we make it our priority to watch it. It is something that we sit down every night, put our phones away and watch. I do feel like a total oul one watching it. I feel like their mam. [Laughs] I love it so much. I adore it. I don’t know what to do now. I’ll probably watch I’m A Celeb.
We have the Winter Series to look forward to!
Oh, the Winter Series. It’s never as good…but I’ll probably watch it.
Suzanne was speaking to VIP Magazine as she launched Vodafone Ireland’s free cinema ticket offer in partnership with ODEON as part of the Vodafone Fantastic Days reward programme. Vodafone Fantastic Days, every Wednesday customers can use the MyVodafone app to download up to FOUR offer codes (one ticket per code) to any film being shown on the following Tuesday in any ODEON cinema nationwide.
