Paul Shovlin credits his pastoral upbringing in rural Donegal for much of what he has achieved in life. His dedicated and loving parents and the quiet rituals of country life were the twin supports that enabled him to forge his own path in the world. Paul has lived through a half century of rapid change, as Ireland metamorphosed from rural idyll to a bustling modern economy. In this honest and thought-provoking memoir, laced with a dry humour and intelligence, Paul looks back on his life, from his days as a student at the famous St Eunan's in Letterkenny, which has produced so many of Ireland's high achievers, to the fork in the road which led him to a successful career in banking, firstly at Ulster Bank and then as Chief Executive of Barclays Bank Ireland. During this time, he forged relationships with some of the country's top business figures, and lived through the daily realities of running a bank in a struggling economy.