Aengus McLoughlin (29) attended Franciscan College Gormanston, Co Meath

I hated boarding school. I attended Gormanston for fifth and sixth year, so I had been used to day school up until that point.

The worst thing about it for me, and a good few other people I knew there, was that if you were going out with someone, it became impossible. We were only allowed home for the day on Sunday and then at holidays and mid-term. So you were never home at weekends unless it was a special occasion, which was very hard. After I finished school, I started going out with the girl I met before I went into boarding school and we were together for seven years.

I definitely don't think I did better in my Leaving Cert because I went to boarding school. If people are dossers, they're dossers and nothing and nobody can make them study.

I was into sports and played hurling, tennis and swam a lot at school. If you weren't into sports, you were finished. I did form some lasting friendships too.

There were a lot more fights at boarding school than at the two secondary schools I'd gone to beforehand. I would never send my kids to boarding school.

Mark Timmins (22) attended Glenstal Abbey in Limerick

At the start, I was apprehensive about going. But after three or four months, I got into it. It made a big difference that I liked sport and played a lot of rugby. But if you weren't into sports, it might not have been as enjoyable an experience. You could go home whenever you want, and you were encouraged to do so once a month. My parents came to visit usually in the middle of the month too. I made some really good mates at boarding school, so I didn't mind staying at weekends. There were about 30 people in my year, so I got to know everyone really well. Because it was small, it added to the experience.

I definitely did better academically because I had to study after class. At home, I would have been watching DVDs or off out with my mates.