Joseph McGrath

I was born in 1948 and lived in Rutherglen, just south of the Glasgow boundary. After a short career in engineering I graduated from Strathclyde University and became a physics teacher. I taught in Airdrie, Rutherglen and evenually Coatbridge.

I left teaching in 2000 and took a post in the almost ready, Glasgow Science Centre. I spent three years there before joining MISSIO Scotland as Development Secretary. This post took me to four continents and I managed to get food poisoning in two of them.

My MISSIO post set me writing a column in the Scottish Catholic Observer. I had a 'phone call from the editor, Harry Conroy. He told me he had been lunching with my boss, Father Pat McGuire and they had agreed to publish a MISSIO column each month. I was happy to hear that and asked who would be writing it. Harry told me that I would, of course be the writer.

That was news to me, but it was an opportunity to open up the work of the charity to a wide audience, so I agreed. That was my accidental induction into writing. I left MISSIO in early 2010 but I have continued my column ever since. My first three publication on Kindle have been made from my Observer series of articles.

I continue to write in between teaching IT courses at Glasgow University, DIY improvements at home and all sorts of other things people seem to find for me to do.