THE mood among students in Ballyhaunis Community School in Co Mayo yesterday was one of nervous expectation as 3.45 p.m. approached the time set for the distribution of their Junior Certificate results.
It can be difficult to focus on the present when the product of two years effort is burning a hole through an envelope in the principal's office and you can smell the smoke.
"I was very nervous coming in" said one student, Micheal Walsh. "I wasn't sure what I had got."
He had little cause to worry. Four Bs and five Cs exceeded even his expectations. "I'd have been happy with seven, let alone nine," he said. "I didn't think I'd get an honour in French, although I thought I might have done a bit better in science. I got a C but I thought it might have been.
As 68,000 Junior Certificate students around the land swallowed their fears and tore open their envelopes, teachers generally agreed that this year's results were good, despite a fall in the number of higher grades awarded in high profile subjects such as maths, English and science.
"Overall, we're very pleased in our school," said Ms Blaithin Ni Liathain, a teacher in Kylemore College, Ballyfermot, Dublin. "The students are delighted and some weaker students did excellently."
"In general terms, we were very pleased with the results," said Mr Brendan O'Brien, principal of Bishop McEgan College, Macroom, Co Cork. He spoke of "the tremendous results received by some of the weaker students".
∙ Dublin city centre remained quiet last night as students celebrated their results, with gardai and publicans reporting a quiet night.
At Ormond Quay, one girl collapsed as a crowd of young people, some of whom were drinking, pressed against crowd control barriers outside the venue where a no alcohol party was being held for Junior and Group students.
St James Hospital admitted two young males who had drunk excessively, while the Mater Hospital reported eight to nine similar cases.
Many of the venues favoured by students opened mineral only bars, including McGrath's on O'Connell Street, which also put on buses to various parts of the city to take students home.
"We had no problems whatsoever," said manager Adrian O'Halloran. "We couldn't have asked for a better night."