Anxious, untested, hopeful: Meet the Leaving Cert class of 2023

Covid-19 has a long shadow. Most of us remember the stress, or trauma, of the Leaving Cert but at least we’d had a trial run: the Junior Cert (or, for many readers approaching, into or beyond their fifth decade, the Inter Cert).

But for the class of 2023, there is no such consolation. In 2020 and 2021, the pandemic led to the cancellation of the Junior Cert exams and so, for many about to sit the Leaving Cert, there’s an added apprehension.

Clogher Road Community College is in Crumlin, a few miles from Dublin city centre and it’s hard to miss. On arrival, students, staff and visitors see a brightly coloured mural on the main school building.

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“The mural has been there for two years,” says principal Lesley Byrne.

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“Before that, the building was stark and grey. It didn’t look like a place where you’d want to spend your day, or a place where you’d be creative. So we worked with the students around what is important to us, and the mural captures some of the school’s story and quirks.”

Flowers and vegetables on the mural are a nod to the school’s wildflower and vegetable garden, while a fish references its “aquaponics system”. Water in the fish tank by the main entrance is recycled on to the plants, while the plants filter the water to go back into the fish tank.

“This is part of our commitment to sustainability,” says Byrne. “There are overlapping colours on the mural because we are a diverse community and have students from different backgrounds who enrich our school, with families who are traditionally from this area alongside people who may have moved here because house prices are more affordable or they are new to the country. We are hugely passionate about engaging positively with difference, whatever form that may take.”

The mural also reflects the school ethos, with Clogher Road being one of just a handful of schools under the patronage of an Education and Training Board (ETB) in partnership with Educate Together.

[ Joe Duffy on his Leaving Cert: ‘Nobody mentioned third level. It was never discussed’ ]

“There was huge demand for an Educate Together secondary school in the area, so this partnership brings together the ETB’s great tradition of education, with the support structures and resources that help us to thrive, alongside the strong values of equality-based education that are championed by Educate Together.”

There’s no uniform in the school, students address teachers by their first name and there’s an ethical education curriculum.

Talking to the students, there’s a real sense that they own and belong to their school, and they all have different ambitions: some want to go to college, others will go for post-Leaving Cert courses and some have already lined up apprenticeships.

“We try to make all pathways as open as possible,” says Byrne. “We’re one of a small number of non-fee paying schools with a library — a busy library. We have a brass band, strengths in debating and we recently won the senior schools Dublin City soccer league.”

This year, The Irish Times will feature daily exam diary contributions from students at Clogher Road Community College as they share news of the exam ups and downs and hopes for the future.

‘I want to be an engineer ... and help my parents retire’: Hamsa Ashaguur (19)

A ligament injury has put Hamsa’s love of football on hold, but he is hoping to get back into the game after surgery.

In the meantime, he has his sights set on the exam. He is studying English, biology, physics & chemistry, computer science, metalwork and business. Maths is his favourite subject.

“I want to be an engineer and a nice life means being financially free and able to help my parents retire,” he says.

Hamsa’s parents are from Somalia, although he was born in Norway and has lived in the UK — his accent has unmistakable Birmingham notes — and Kenya, as well as spending time in Turkey. He moved to Ireland in 2021 because, he says, it is a place that offers opportunity and a chance for him to build a life and make a contribution.

‘I am looking forward to the end of the Leaving Cert stress’: Caithlin Balfe (18)

Caithlin travels from her home in Tallaght to attend school every day.

“When I started here, I lived in Crumlin but, when we moved, I wanted to stay in this school,” she says.

“I’m hoping to become a primary school teacher. I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was five. But because the points are quite high, I am hoping to get in through a programme run by Maynooth University called Turn To Teaching, which opens routes to the profession for backgrounds that are poorly represented in teaching.”

Caithlin plays trumpet in the school band and says she would love to pursue this as an extracurricular interest in college, ideally as part of an orchestra.

“I’ve been playing it for five years and I really love it — it’s a good time!”

She says she doesn’t feel particularly engaged by politics.

“I like school, although I am looking forward to the end of the Leaving Cert stress,” she says.

‘I like learning about the world’: Georgia Farrelly (17)

Seventeen is relatively young to sit the Leaving Cert, but Georgia is excited about what lies beyond.

She’s studying maths, English, Irish, French, biology, business and geography, and geography is her favourite subject.

She helped put together the school yearbook and is on the student advisory council.

“I like learning about the world, and I’ve applied to the post-Leaving Cert media and journalism PLC (Post-Leaving Cert) at Ballyfermot College of Further Education, before I decide whether to commit to a four-year journalism degree,” she says

Georgia hosts the school podcast, C’mere and I Tell Ya, which has covered homelessness, refugees and asylum seekers, and the history of Crumlin, with guests including Senator Lynn Ruane and Fr Peter McVerry. Her voice is authentic, fresh, curious and informed, and she’s already done work experience at Newstalk. She’s politically informed — but her guilty pleasure when she needs to switch off is the TV show Friends.

‘There is a pressure that comes from not having sat a State exam’: Iustina Loghin (18)

In 2018, Iustina and her family moved to Ireland from Romania.

“I had no English, beyond being able to introduce myself and say my name,” she says. “But I think I’m doing okay now.”

Iustina is sitting the English, maths, French, computer science, biology, geography, business and Romanian exams. She doesn’t have to study Irish.

“Maths is my favourite subject and I hope to study accounting and finance in the National College of Ireland. There is a pressure that comes from not having sat a State exam.”

Outside of studying, Iustina loves to bake and, when she gets a chance, to read.

What does she think works well in Ireland?

“Everyone smiles and is friendly, and Irish people are quite positive. Not mad about the weather.”

‘I love animals ... this is what I want to do’: Cathal Moloney (18)

Cathal has his sights set on a science degree in UCD, where he hopes to focus on zoology — although he hasn’t ruled out being a vet.

These are high-point courses, so he feels the pressure.

“Even my backups are ambitious,” he jokes. “But I love animals — I have had a lot of pets, and currently have turtles — and this is what I want to do.”

Cathal studies maths, biology, physics & chemistry, business, computer science and English. He has an exemption from Irish because he is dyslexic and dyspraxic.

Away from studying, he enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons — a hobby that has enabled him to line up a job this summer in a gaming centre.