Seven students had a second surprise after receiving their Leaving Cert results last week; a letter arrived from Micheal Martin, Minister for Education and Science, informing them they had won one of the seven Easter Week Commemoration Scholarships.

An award is given to students who performed best in the Leaving Cert in a particular group of three subjects. Six of the seven scholarships include Irish in the combination.

The scholarships provide each student with a maintenance grant through college - for their undergraduate degree, which continues for postgraduate studies if they stay on.

Melissa Gibney and Thomas Arrigan, both from Meath, won the Thomas MacDonagh and Sean MacDiarmada scholarships, respectively.

Thomas's 590 points easily secure him a place to study engineering at TCD, where he plans to specialise in computer engineering. He also hopes to play soccer, having enjoyed his time playing left back for St Ciaran's Community School in Kells.

Melissa Gibney, from Eureka Secondary School, scored 585 points and is going to study medicine at Trinity. She already had a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Surgeons but is pleased that this award means she can go to Trinity, where she will be able to meet people doing a variety of subjects.

The Eamonn Ceannt Scholarship went to John Joseph Ryan from Ard Scoil na mBraithre in Clonmel, Co Tipperary. He's also Munster under-17 400-metre-hurdle champion and lead singer in a rock band. which has performed in the Slogadh music competition for schools - where they played Mustang Sally and Breakfast at Tiffany's with their own lyrics in Irish.

He plans to study medicine at UCC, so he was relieved and surprised to get seven A1s.

Also off to UCC is the winner of the James Connolly Scholarship, Riobard O Ronain from Scoil Muire, An Mhainistir Thuaidh, in Cork. Riobard got seven A1s and one A2 in his exams and plans to study electronic engineering..

Winner of the Joseph Plunkett award, David O'Brien from Ard Scoil Fhionntain in Sutton, Co Dublin, also scored seven A1s and an A2. He plans to study maths at Trinity in October. David was particularly pleased to do well in English and French, proving that he is as adept with words as he is with numbers.

Other winners were Mary McConalogue from Loreto Convent in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, who won the Tom Clarke Scholarship, and Brian Pol O Flanagain from Colaiste Eoin in Dublin, who won the Patrick Pearse award.