Results just perfect for Galway girl

A Leaving Cert student from Moycullen was one of just 13 pupils nationwide to achieve the perfect eight H1 grades in the Leaving Cert.

Kate Duggan opened her results at Colaiste Iognaid to discover she had received the highest possible marks under the new system.

The Killagoola native is one of just 13 across the country who managed the feat – out of 59,000 to receive their results yesterday.

Schools across the county opened their doors at 9 this morning as 3,200 Galway students are set to get their results either at their schools or from noon online

Principals across the county expressed their delight with results – among them Anne Marie Carroll, whose Coláiste an Chreagáin in Mountbellew was facing closure earlier this year until a student-led lobby saved it.

With just five students sitting the exam, being part of a small class size paid dividends as they all did extremely well in Higher Level Maths and all took Higher Level Irish.

“It has been a difficult year, there is no doubt about that. But we owe a great debt of gratitude to the local community and now we can celebrate our 85th anniversary with a large degree of confidence,” she said.

Elsewhere, Mercy College Woodford was celebrating impressive results – not least those of John Tierney who achieved 613 points, according to school Principal Loreto Quinn-Canning.

Principal of Coláiste Chroí Mhuire in Spiddal, Tríona Uí Mhurchú, was very satisfied with how her students got on. “There were 39 students doing the Leaving Cert this year and we saw a big rise in students getting over the 500 point mark,” she said.

More than 50 students sat the Leaving Cert in Mercy Convent in Tuam where Principal Geroid Leen said that he was delighted with the results and added that it was a particularly “strong class” this year.

In Ballinasloe’s Garbally College, which has 534 students in total, 80 boys sat the Leaving Cert and one particular student achieved a very impressive 602 points out of a maximum 625 and understandably he is delighted with his achievement.

See full coverage and photographs in this week’s Connacht Tribune.