Alecia keeps up a family tradition in results

Two in a row for the Barry sisters, Alecia and Natalie, of Mallow, Co Cork.

Two in a row for the Barry sisters, Alecia and Natalie, of Mallow, Co Cork.

Last year, Natalie got eight A1s in the Leaving Cert. This year, Alecia did just as well, making her one of the most successful students in the State.

Alecia, who attended St Mary's Convent, Mallow, didn't expect to outdo her sister who achieved the best results in Ireland in last year's Leaving Cert.

The school principal, Sister Brid, was delighted with the result. She said while Alecia seemed to be a little perplexed at how well she had done, her teachers were not. "She has always been a brilliant student, just like her sister. In first year, she became a member of Mensa. The teachers and everyone in the school are absolutely thrilled."

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Her parents, Mr Don Barry and Ms Marian Barry, and the two boys in the family are delighted, said Sister Brid, adding that two other students in the all-girls school, Patricia Glavin and Catriona Lucey, each scored five A1s and two A2s. In general, the school's results were very pleasing.

Caroline Ward's achievement was also outstanding. The 21-yearold student of Bruce College, Cork, originally sat the Leaving Cert in 1994. She went to UCC and was awarded a degree in applied psychology but always wanted to be a veterinary surgeon.

Last year she retook the Leaving Cert course at Bruce College. Yesterday, she took a bus from Kenmare to Cork with her parents to see how she had fared. Three A1s and four A2s was the result. Last year, the points needed for a veterinary course were 575. This year, Caroline has got 570 and must wait until early next week to see if she has made it.

"I'm very hopeful that I'll be successful and, naturally, I couldn't be any happier at the result," she said from a Cork hotel where she was having a meal.

Most of the schools in Cork said the results were as expected. One school principal, Dr Frank Steele, of St Adrian's Community School, Ballincollig, said although students were under extreme pressure during study and exam time, the wait for the publication of the points count was the worst. While two students at the school achieved six As in higher level subjects, Dr Steele said his mission was to emphasise the worth of each student who had performed to his or her capabilities.

Mr Mike Hogan, principal of Bruce College, Cork, said the results were still being analysed, although an initial study suggested that the 220 students who sat the exam had performed extremely well. However, in an age of high-technology, when lottery results can be computed within hours, he wondered why students had to endure an agonising wait to know their marks.

At the North Monastery, the principal, Mr Tony O'Loughlin, said most of the 136 students had turned in good performances, some excelling themselves. In almost all cases, students realised their potential.