Susan was born in Dublin in 1969. In her interview she talks about her childhood as an identical twin. She discusses her school years and how she left school to take up a job just before the Leaving Certificate. She was proud when her mother intervened and she was allowed to return to take the exam after her mother’s intervention.

Her successful career in floristry began in a flower shop in Bray and she progressed swiftly to an advanced level in the industry.

Susan also talks about her social life of parties and her love life in 1980s Dublin. She recalls going on holiday to the Aran Islands with her first ‘real’ boyfriend and
going on holiday with him to the Aran Islands where a stay in a bed and breakfast involved moving the single beds together. She relates the difficulty of obtaining contraception and advice even from women’s clinics at the time.

She discusses other holidays and travels, including a period in the United States. 

During the recession in Ireland, she returned to education and achieved a degree, an MA and a PhD as a mature student. Her interest in art and design has continued across the years including a project on visual culture street trading in Dublin.