A Waterford city student made it a family double when he achieved a near-maximum 590 Leaving Cert points. James Flahavan (18), from Lismore Heights, matched the achievement of his sister, Claire, who received the same points total three years ago and is now studying medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin.
James, a student at Waterpark College, was aiming for the 540-odd points needed to study dentistry at Trinity College. Getting 50 more than that left him "in a state of shock", he said. "I wasn't really expecting it, to be honest."
He got his points by receiving A1s in Irish, mathematics, geography, chemistry and biology, and an A2 in French. He also received a B1 in English.
Such results might suggest that he breezed through the exams, but it wasn't so. "I found it nerve-wracking the whole time. They say it's the hardest exam you'll ever have to do." Had he failed to get the points required for dentistry, he had other courses in mind. The one thing he was sure about was that he wasn't going to repeat. "Once is enough to do it", he said.
Apart from his sister, Claire, who sat her Leaving Cert at the Ursuline Convent in Waterford, James does not know anybody else who has managed such a high points total. His schoolmates, however, were generally happy with their own results, he said.
The principal of Waterpark College, Mr Tom Beecher, said that the percentage of students receiving 450 points or more at the school was "comfortably above" last year's national average.
Other schools in Waterford, where more than 1,500 students sat the Leaving Cert in the city and county, also expressed satisfaction with the results.
