By TOM SHIEL

Without hesitation, 23 year old Joe says he probably would be in Mountjoy Jail instead of pulling pints now but for the Government's Youthreach Programme.

To say that Joe was a bit of horror in his schooldays is an understatement. He was rebellious and truculent in class, often mitched, wore earrings and once even punched a teacher so as he would not have to read in front of classmates.

Unknown to everybody, including himself, Joe was suffering from dyslexia. In other words, he had serious learning difficulties. Two weeks before his Junior Cert, the discovery which was to change Joe's life was made. As a last ditch resort, a man from the Department of Education came to Charlestown to try and figure out the "bothersome brat". From jigsaw and spelling tests, the official was able to identify Joe's problem immediately.

"I was never much good at reading or writing", Joe now recalls. "I would cause trouble hoping I would be thrown out of class. I just thought I was thick compared to the others. So I wore earrings and put on the hard man image. This went on for years".

Getting thrown out of the classroom or mitching brought Joe some temporary respite from school pressure. It was the only way he could cope and he did it again and again and again until teachers absolutely despaired of reforming him.

Joe was lucky not to have faced a charge of assault the day he punched a female teacher in the face in front of 32 horrified classmates. He wasn't expelled either and, luckily, one last effort was to find out exactly what was making Lowther so loathful.

A chance meeting with Youthreach official, Brendan Duffy in Murray's Bar where Joe helped out occasionally proved the big break. Joe left school and enrolled on a Cert Course in Galway, called Bar Service I. Before long, he was working in Ashford Castle as a cocktail barman. Joe spent six months there slaking the expensive thirsts of Castle guests, many of them wealthy US tourists.

Now, Joe is back again in the more down to earth environment of Murray's in Charlestown. In his free time, he slips off now and again to the old handball alley as was his wont in his schooldays when things got tough. It's not to purge any negative thoughts but rather give thanks for the lucky break which led to him being judged dyslexic and opened the doors to a full and happy life.