Smiles all round as students collect results

There may have been 150 students due to receive their Leaving Cert results, but the courtyard of Belvedere College on Parnell Street was strangely quiet this morning.

"It's a bit eerie, isn't it?" one early arrival was heard to comment.

Paul, Phil and Jennifer McGuire: delighted with his performance

Gradually they filed into the school, the growing bubbly atmosphere of teenage bravado and nonchalance fooling nobody.

"Are you not nervous?" they were asked.

"Nah, sure what can we do about it, the exams are done now," one faux-stoical chap noted, his shaking hands betraying him.

Eventually, around 20 anxious souls shuffled in quietly to meet their fates. Minutes later, the first few trickled out, relief etched on most faces.

Paul McGuire was "very pleased" at his results, which he felt would easily secure him his coveted Engineering slot. His mother and sister, who had just graduated from University, were "delighted" with him.

Sean Connolly and Declan Rice: confident of securing places in UCD

"He's great, he even got a B1 in Irish, but that's because his father and sister drilled it into him," mother Phil said as sister Jennifer blushed.

Keith Lynch's father was also thrilled with his results, which mean his son could study accountancy. "I've no complaints, he couldn't have done any more."

John Rowman was "very happy" he was off to Trinity to study classics, Declan Rice, who modestly declared his results were "not too bad" is confident he will be studying sports science in UCD come October, where he will no doubt run into Sean Connolly, who exceeded his own expectations and got 505 points.

There were few less heartening stories. "I'm a bit disappointed, I found maths harder than I expected," said Peter Monahan. "I'll have a good night tonight anyway!"

The one burning question, however, was what they were up to tonight. This was a lot harder to garner from the cagey huddled lads than their results. Some simply said they were off back to work, having casually taken the morning off to get the most important piece of paper of their young lives.

"Err, I'm off to a friend's house," was all anyone would admit to. This hack has honed his eavesdropping skills, however, but what he heard is hardly fit for publication.