A new driving school business is now open in Gorey, County Wexford…
The new business is a driving school which will be operating out of Gorey. The business, namely Colin Browne Driving School, will be a welcomed addition to the town.
Over the last number of years, Gorey’s population has continued to increase. There’s more demand for school places, more demand for doctors and GPs, and more demand for services overall. With a growing population in the town, and with 12 mandatory lessons now needed to be reached, Colin seen a gap in the market when his youngest daughter was doing her own driving lessons.
For Colin, however, it is not only about preparing for the driving test. Instead, he sees it as a further opportunity to highlight the importance of road safety:
“I had thought about it a few years back, but I put it on the back burner until last year. I was Caoimhe my youngest daughters sponsor as she was going through her EDT lessons. Talking with her instructor one day, Danny Whitty, got me thinking about becoming an instructor. I also felt that I have something to offer with regard to road safety. We can all see the tragedy on our roads. If I can persuade my students to act safely and responsibly, it will be a life lesson – not just 12 EDT lessons to pass the test,” Colin told Wexford Weekly.
As mentioned, Colin started the process back in last November, and he had to go through several stages to qualify as a driving instructor. It’s not just as simple as hopping in a car, putting a sign on the top and away you go. It’s an advanced process that intends to further educate the instructor.
“I started back last November. After doing my research, I learned to qualify, it was a three test process. Stage 1 was a more advanced theory test to in the same format for a learner driver, but just a bit longer. Stage 2 was the actual driving test which took place in Dublin. This is where the hours and hours of practice came in getting your driving skills to a very professional standard. Stage 3 is your final exam again in Dublin where you are tested on your instructional ability. This is where I had to call on all my family to help as guinea pigs. I trained for all my exams through Irish School of Motoring, which is a dedicated training school for potential instructors. Thankfully, I passed all with flying colours and here we are now,” he said.
Colin, more commonly known as ‘Skinner’, is a familiar face across the community already. For many years, he has been involved with underage hurling and football clubs with Naomh Eanna GAA Club. The traits needed to be a coach are highly transferrable too. Working with young adults, having patience, and providing valuable feedback all come with both roles.
“Absolutely. Having trained many underage teams over the years, you learn a lot about young people and their ways. Coaching people to play sport is really enjoyable. Coaching people to drive should be no different. Both areas you are trying to impart your experience and knowledge to someone who hasn’t quite had those life experiences just yet. Understanding that people learn at different paces and with different approaches is something I have learned over the years and how to adjust to get the best out of people. No negativity. All positivity,” he told us.
For more information, check out Colin Browne Driving School on Facebook, on Instagram, or contact him now on 087-227-1023 to book your manual car lessons.
Jason Redmond
From Gorey, Jason is the owner of Wexford Weekly. He is also a post-primary English and History teacher.