A miserably sodden day could not douse the sense of achievement - and in many cases relief - felt by students at Belvedere College today as they collected their results.
School headmaster, Mr Gerry Foley, said he was very pleased with the results overall, saying a number of students had achieved 600 points. The atmosphere at the school was generally positive bar a few glum faces.
A happy Ronan Kennedy from Portmarnock, holding freshly opened results, told ireland.com he could now study what he set his heart on - Business and Japanese at DCU. Ronan was particularly pleased at having scored a C in French.
Stephen Murphy from Stoneybatter is on his way to study Classics at Trinity College having achieved 490 points.
And it looks that Psychology at UCD now awaits William Peat from Sutton. He said he had done better than he expected, achieving 380 points.
Strong results mean Gavin Coughlan from Drumcondra is bound for Glasgow where he will study architecture. He said he had taken the exams "subject by subject" and had tried not to focus on the points aspect.
A number of parents accompanying their children this morning praised teachers at the school for their dedication, noting that many had been at the school each day throughout the exams.
However, it wasn't all positive and a number of students in this school and in schools around the State were disappointed. These students were urged to discuss their options with their parents and school guidance counsellor.