Three-month wait for exam results ends at long last

JUNIOR CERT:TEARS, HUGS and cries of, "Oh my God," greeted the Junior Certificate results in St Mary's Holy Faith Convent in Glasnevin on Dublin's northside yesterday.

The 110 girls who got their results there lined up in the choir hall just before 11am as the principal, Margaret Lennon, informed them they had all passed and all had done well. Within minutes all spilled out into the sunshine, poring over each other's results.

"Oh my God, oh my God. I don't want to look," said Nicole Hughes (15) from Ballymun, thrusting her paper into the hands of friend Rachel Byrne (15), also from Ballymun. "I think I got two passes. I think I got a C in Irish and a B in maths," Ms Byrne said. In the end she had eight honours as well as the two passes. Ms Hughes got seven honours and two passes.

Carly O'Reilly (15), also from Ballymun, was "in shock". "I thought I'd fail maths and history and I didn't fail anything. I'm not sure how to count the honours," she said looking quickly down at the results in her hand. "One, two , three . . . I got six honours. Oh, I'm in shock."

Twins Laura and Rachel Farrell (15) from Glasnevin both want to be primary school teachers. Laura was "speechless" at her 11 honours. "I can't believe it. Later? There are about 11 or 12 of us going to TGI Fridays and then to the cinema."

More than several girls wiped away tears as three months of waiting came to an end. Pamela Jubinal (15), from Finglas, said: "I am surprised, very happy. I thought I'd fail a subject. My mother is a nurse in the Mater hospital and she will be very happy."

Rhinette Carana (15), also from the Philippines and here since 2004, got three As, seven Bs and a C. "I'm so happy. I never thought I'd do so good in this test."

"What an achievement," commented Ms Lennon to her. "You've only been here three and a half years and to have become used to a new system and to have done so well. Well done."

She pointed to others who she said brought great joy to their teachers. "We do not screen or cherry-pick here at all. We have students from every walk of society." Some are from highly disadvantaged areas where there may not be a strong tradition of education at home, "to the leafy roads of Glasnevin". All in the special education stream had passed, many with honours, she said.

On the southside, in the co-educational High School in Rathgar, students gathered in the Reynolds Hall to collect results at 1pm.

Principal Brian Duffy said the important thing for pupils was to decide whether they had achieved what they wanted, and not to compare their results to anyone else's.

Josh Kennedy (15), from Ranelagh, had done "really well". He had two As, four Bs and two Ds. "I'm really happy, going out in Dundrum tonight."

"I did alright," said Cian McDonagh (15), from Templeogue, with five honours. "It wasn't really worth all that effort. People said it would be hard. I'll just go home now and chill I guess."