Skibbereen students David Murphy and Deirdre Connolly exceeded a 600-point maximum with bonus marks in their Leaving Certificate this week.
BY JACKIE KEOGH AND
KIERAN O’MAHONY
SKIBBEREEN students David Murphy and Deirdre Connolly exceeded a 600-point maximum with bonus marks in their Leaving Certificate this week.
David Murphy of Gortnacloghy, Skibbereen was at St Fachtna’s De La Salle early on Wednesday morning and celebrated with other high achievers Ciarán O’Sullivan of Currabeg, Castlehaven, who wants to study architecture, and Cillian Lane of Coronea, Skibbereen, who has his heart set on studying pharmaceutical biotechnology at CIT.
Deirdre Connolly of Deelish, Skibbereen, joining thirteen other Mercy Heights students who got more than 500 points, celebrated her results, which will allow her to achieve her ambition of studying dietetics in DIT. Mercy Heights principal, Karen Sheane, said ‘All of the Mercy Heights girls have done themselves proud and we are very pleased that the school’s marks are above the national average.’
David Murphy, who intends to study chemical engineering in UCC, acknowledged the closure of St Facthna’s, Mercy Heights and Rossa College and the opening of the new Skibbereen Community School on Monday, August 29th next saying: ‘This is the end of an era.’
The principal at St Fachtna’s, David Barry, said the three ‘lads’ were merely representative of all the students who worked hard this year and achieved what they set out to do. He said he was including in that remark the school’s now world famous past pupils, Gary and Paul O’Donovan, whom he described as being ‘two good ambassadors for the school and for Skibbereen.’
Dr Kevin Healy, the principal of Colaiste Pobail Bheanntrai, confirmed that the results in Bantry, this year, were ‘excellent.’
He said: ‘We had 120 students sitting the Leaving Certificate, including two students who exceeded 600-points and twelve who exceeded 500 points. The staff and management at the school are very happy, but most importantly the student themselves are very happy because they can take up the courses of their choosing.’
In Castletownbere, 48 students sat the Leaving Certificate. Mary O’Sullivan, principal of Scoil Phobail Bhéara said. ‘We are very pleased with our results. The students did very, very well.’
Principal of Schull Community College, Brendan Drinan, said there were 76 students sitting the Leaving Certificate. One student, Cian Reeves of Schull got 610 points, and 16% of the students got over 500 points.
Ciara Judge from Kinsale Community School has lots to celebrate this week.
Ciara was voted into the Top 10 for the prestigious Ten Outstanding Young People (TOYP) awards, and now the 18-year-old has 615 points in her Leaving Cert results. Ciara told The Southern Star: ‘I’m really happy with the results and I got eight As, so I’m confident of getting my first college choice of Genetics in UCC. I’m equally thrilled to have made the Top 10 of the TOYP. There’s a voting component and a panel of judges so now I am waiting for the verdict of the judges.’
At Coláiste na Toirbirte in Bandon, vice-principal Carolyn O’Flaherty said they were delighted, and that the vast majority of the students got what they wanted.
‘Maths wasn’t a problem either, and we had a number of exceptional results with 25% of our students getting over 500 points. Also 95% of our Leaving Cert Applied class received distinctions, which was great news,’ said Carolyn.
At the Sacred Heart Secondary School in Clonakilty there was a double delight for identical twins Aideen and Meabhdh from Barryroe who both received excellent results. With one student receiving 625 points.
‘We are delighted for all our students and they all reached, if not exceeded, their potential with a number of the students getting over 500 points,’ Brendan told The Southern Star.
In Dunmanway, parents arriving with their children to collect their results was a nice touch, according to Fiona Nic Chárthaigh, principal of Maria Immaculate Community College.
‘We are delighted with the results and the news about the failure rates in Maths didn’t help the nerves of our students, but I was delighted to tell them that no one failed Maths,’ Fiona told The Southern Star.
‘They put a lot of work in over the past two years and it was nice too that the majority of the students came into the school to collect their results, as opposed to going online to receive them.’
