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Supporting Success: Lindsay McCabe on Her Role at UCC Academy
Lindsay moved to Cork from Georgia, USA in 2021 and four years later, she is a confirmed Rebel. She loves Irish trad music and enjoys contributing to our working culture at the Academy. Learn more about the Lindsay and her role as Business Operations Officer.
Your family moved from Georgia, USA to Ireland — what led to that decision?
"My husband Kevin has Irish citizenship through his grandmother, and although we’d never visited Ireland, we were drawn to the idea of living here. In 2021, after some restructuring at Kevin’s workplace, we took the leap. With travel restrictions in place, we chose Cork without ever seeing it — it was a bit like throwing a dart at a map! Thankfully, it’s been a great fit. The kids are happy, we’ve embraced the local pride, and like true Corkonians, we believe Cork is the real capital of Ireland."
What do you miss about Georgia?
"The people in Cork and Ireland are very warm, but I must admit that I miss ‘our people’ in that I miss family and friends in Georgia and the wider USA. I miss a couple of foods you can’t get here like Chick-Fil-A and buttermilk biscuits (much different from the ‘biscuits’ I find here!) but it’s really mainly the people that I miss."
The career path that led you to UCC Academy has been quite varied — can you tell us more?
"It certainly has! I’ve always wanted to be a teacher and earned both a Bachelor’s and a master’s in education — my master’s focused on math education. I spent ten wonderful years teaching elementary school in the U.S. But after having children, the demands of teaching and the cost of daycare made it difficult to continue. I transitioned to working part time for a social media marketing agency. One of our clients was the British Consulate in Atlanta and I also worked with them as Executive Director. I was fortunate to continue working remotely for both organisations when we moved to Ireland, before joining the Academy."
Do you have a typical workday at UCC Academy?
"Each day is very different, and I enjoy the variety my job brings. My day can be a combination of meetings, answering requests from across the organization, assisting the Academy Executive Team or Employee Liaison Group, and looking after contracting. I look after Academy Accolades where members of staff call out colleagues for assistance or support and reward them with a coffee voucher."
Setting up Academy Accolades was your idea — do you enjoy being involved in the cultural aspects of working at the Academy?
"Yes, I do. I’m part of the Academy Employee Experience Taskforce, and we work together to come up with ideas for our colleagues to enjoy outside of mainstream work.
From wellbeing activities like Tai Chi classes or the Marchathon to summer get-togethers, we encourage colleagues to connect and share experiences beyond the workplace.
This year, the (Employee Experience) taskforce introduced a book box in the office where colleagues can leave or take a book, and it’s proving to be a big success. Working with the taskforce and looking after Academy Accolades is my favourite kind of work — contributing to a happy and engaging work environment for everyone.
Lindsay, you have spoken of your love for Irish trad music. How did you discover it?
"We were on a family trip to Blarney Castle one Sunday and popped into Sin É on the way home as it said McCabe over the door. The was an Irish trad music session on and I had never heard anything like it before. It seemed unplanned, like the musicians were jamming and I was absolutely fascinated by it, especially the uilleann pipes. Irish trad music captures joy and togetherness in such a uniquely Irish way. It’s so happy and lovely."
Final question. Who is your favourite Irish celebrity?
"Siobhan McSweeney! I loved her in Derry Girls, and she is just great presenting The Traitors: Ireland on TV. She has a great sense of humour, and I recently found out that she is a UCC almun too."