What south Dublin students get up to on a Leaving Cert holiday in Zakynthos

Irish Times reporter Niamh Browne on the week she spent shadowing students enjoying their post-Leaving Cert trip in Greece

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Young holiday-goers in a nightclub in Zakynthos, Greece. Photograph: Niamh Browne
Young holiday-goers in a nightclub in Zakynthos, Greece. Photograph: Niamh Browne

The 2025 Leaving Cert exams are finally a thing of the past and 18-year-olds have begun their annual pilgrimage to party hotspots across southern Europe to blow off steam after a year of study.

And while these trips are regarded as a rite of passage for some students, it can also be a worrying time for parents, with some tracking their children for the entire holiday.

Last week, Irish Times reporter Niamh Browne travelled to the Greek island of Zakynthos, or Zante as it’s also known, where she spent a week speaking to south Dublin students, local Greek residents and even the mayor of the island.

Why did these students choose to travel to Zante, how do they pay for these holidays and how bad is the drugs and drink scene on the party strip?

Also, are parents taking things too far by using online tracking and, in some cases, following their children to their holiday location?

Today, on In The News, What happens in Zante, stays in Zante. That is, until now . . .

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

Sorcha Pollak

Sorcha Pollak

Sorcha Pollak is an Irish Times reporter specialising in immigration issues and cohost of the In the News podcast

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