The Leaving Cert results – 'Whatever'
Regardless of the points you clocked up, live in the moment and enjoy it while looking after yourself and your friends.
A memorable day for hopefully all the right reasons is currently taking place in over 60,000 Irish homes with the announcement of the Leaving Cert results.
Points, courses, colleges, universities, mad dashes for transport and, of course, student accommodation shortages will all be hot topics and points of controversy over the coming weeks.
Guess what? I’ve good news, the hard bit is over, the rest will all work out!
Regardless of the points you clocked up, live in the moment and enjoy it while looking after yourself and your friends.
If you didn’t manage to get the direct flight to your course destination, there is always the option of the long and winding road. Well done to those who got the direct flight but for those who are staring down the long and winding road, I can honestly say that it leads to the same destination and can be serious adventure filled with incredible craic!
After receiving my results from Principal Mary Mullarkey in the summer of 2000 and walking down the many steps of Castlerea Community School with the points in the back pocket of the Wranglers, an overwhelming feeling of freedom passed through my body. Life was never going to be the same again and the words of the Oasis song “ Whatever” which played on repeat at home were now becoming a reality “I'm free to be whatever I, Whatever I choose, and I'll sing the blues if I want”.
The celebrations with friends were wild with visits to Hester’s Golden Eagle, An Tobar, The Horse, Hell’s Kitchen, The Stagger and Sissy’s for the Jukebox……. and a future wife in later years!
Some made it to the nightclub in Dunmore, others opted to keep it local with a late visit to Foley Bennett's in the Demesne followed by the Buzz Nightclub in Carrick-on-Shannon and River Island in subsequent nights. Thankfully, all of the class of 2000 made sure that we got each other home safe and sound on those fun nights.
The results day signals the beginning of adulthood, having more independence and finding your own way in life. Enjoy it, be careful and remember “You're free to be wherever you, Wherever you please, you can shoot the breeze if you want”. We define our own lives, the Leaving Cert results don’t write the script.
