MINISTER'S CONSTITUENCY:TENSE NERVES turned quickly to excitement at Ballincollig Community School in Cork, where squeals of excitement filled the schoolyard yesterday morning.
Top scorer Niamh Reidy (19) clenched her results in one hand, her buzzing mobile in the other, as photographers and friends vied for her attention. Her results sheet contained an impressive list of A1 grades, eight in total, and elation was evident.
“It’s totally unexpected. I’m thrilled. I was nervous about English and maths, so I took on the extra subject, just to make sure,” she trails off, as Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe grabs her for a photo.
Meanwhile, students at Boherbue Secondary School in Mallow, Co Cork, endured a tense morning as a postal mix-up delayed the delivery of their results by up to three hours.
The results should have been posted via priority mail, but instead were included in the regular delivery service, resulting in an agonising build-up for students, who eventually opened their envelopes at about 12.30pm.
Back in Ballincollig, at Coláiste Choilm, students had been queuing up for the distribution of envelopes, which began at 9.15am.
Joey Donovan (18) from Ballinhassig was another student in Mr O’Keeffe’s constituency to achieve an outstanding eight A1s, and follows in his sister Maria’s footsteps.
“She got 800 points two years ago and I got the exact same today. I worked hard for the two years and it all paid off in the end,” he said.
There will be no painful wait for the first round of CAO offers on Monday for Joey, whose results should secure him a place on his course of choice, dentistry at UCC.
Why dentistry? “I thought about medicine, but in the end I chose dentistry. I’ve done work experience in it. It came down to the hours and the lifestyle,” he said.
In a car full of excited young ladies, 18-year-old Elizabeth McEvoy is the only one whose results envelope remains sealed.
“I’m not opening them. I don’t want to see them. I just don’t want to look at them yet,” she said.
Shane Taylor (18) spent a sleepless night before coming to the school to receive his results. But having clocked up an impressive 475 points, he can look forward to studying commerce at UCC.
“I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t do anything really, I couldn’t even concentrate on anything, but I’m delighted it’s over, it’s such a relief,” he said.
A yelp a few yards away confirms that someone got an A in biology, followed by some excited screaming down a mobile phone from a girl who is so worked up she can’t read her results page properly. She hangs up to compose herself.
Victoria St Ledger (19) from Ballincollig looked pensive compared to her friends, having missed out on the points she needed by a margin of 15.
“I wanted psychology teaching in UL, but it’s 545 and I got 530. I’m not sure what I will go for now,” she said, lowering her eyelids.
Her friend Lisa O’Sullivan,provided support, as she herself contemplated a life-changing career choice. “I have four days to decide whether I want to be a teacher or a nurse,” she giggled.
All through the schoolyard, talk of parties and Santa Ponsa prevails.
Is the entire year going to Santa Ponsa? “Yeah, pretty much! It’s going to be some party,” says Lisa. But what about deciding whether to be a nurse or a teacher? “Ah sure, I’ll figure it out . . .”