Education

Con O’Callaghan on the Leaving: ‘I did well. It was a very competitive school’

My Leaving: Dublin GAA star recalls

Dublin GAA All-Ireland winner Con O’Callaghan. Photograph: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Tue Jun 11 2019 - 01:00

Con O’Callaghan (23) is an All-Ireland winning footballer for Dublin and dual player in football and hurling for local Cuala. He sat his Leaving in Coláiste Eoin, Booterstown, Co Dublin, and went on to study commerce at UCD.

Most vivid exam memory?
I remember in between exams there were about 20-30 of us who went to the pitches in Coláiste Eoin. We probably should have been studying, but we went there to clear the head, play football or rugby, running around, tearing the head off each other. Only thing that could have gone wrong was a broken arm – luckily it never happened.

Your strongest subject?
I went to an all-Irish school and loved it as a subject. Economics as well.

Most inspiring teacher?
We had a great teacher, Ronan Murdoch. He had a very engaging teaching style. It's one of the reasons I liked economics so much as a subject.

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Weakest subject?
Probably English or French.

How many points did you get in the Leaving?
500-plus. I did well; it's a very competitive school. We were lucky to have supportive families with a great teachers and a great culture. I fell into that culture.

Is the Leaving Cert fair?
To a point. There is a lot of rote-learning, but I wouldn't radically change it. It does promote a deep engagement with subjects, which is good.

What subject would you add?
Coding or computers: it plays a big part in people's lives nowadays.

Colaiste EoinExamWatchCon O CallaghanEoin ColaisteRonan Murdoch