From My Left Foot to Robbie's right foot in a wild week

LEAVING CERTIFICATE: Two down, four to go. The black cloud of the Leaving Cert has passed, and next week's forecast is looking decidedly better.

After all the anticipation, apprehension and the fact that the Leaving is something of a Chinese puzzle to us all, I'm pleased to have the English and Irish exams behind me. I am now enjoying a well-deserved weekend break, punctuated with doses of laborious study. Looking back on the week that was, I am cautiously optimistic regarding the two-and- a-half exams I have completed.

English is the one that stands out. Before the paper, I pinpointed it as the subject in which I was looking to pick up most points. However, I will remember this exam for goals, not points.

When, in five years' time, somebody asks me where I was when Robbie Keane scored that goal, I shall smile politely and tell them that I was cooped up in an exam hall while the rest of the country rejoiced. There was a small earthquake, at precisely 2:21 p.m., as every soccer fan up and down the country landed simultaneously after jumping some six feet in the air following the late, great, dramatic injury-time equaliser.

As for the exam itself, it was somewhat of an anti-climax to events outside the hall. "The Family," was the theme of paper 1, and when I opened the booklet I found, to my surprise, that there were just three texts instead of the four that have been on every sample, past and mock paper. I felt I answered the three questions accurately, though.

Paper 2 was disappointing. When I read the paper, I discovered that neither Seamus Heaney nor Emily Dickinson were in the poetry section - the two poets that I, like many others, felt sure would come up. I answered the question on the poetry of Eavan Boland, a poet whom I admire, but hadn't prepared in as much detail.

Hamlet was the play studied by my class. The questions were all character-based, on Ophelia, Gertrude and Hamlet himself. I had been well-drilled for such a scenario by my teacher, and answered the question on Hamlet's complex character. For the comparative study, my three texts were An Evil Cradling by Brian Keenan, Jennifer Johnston's How Many Miles to Babylon and the film My Left Foot, directed by Jim Sheridan. I wrote some 14 or 15 pages in total, and left the exam hall early (I had to find out the match result!).

Irish ordinary-level paper 1, on Thursday afternoon, was elementary: two hours and 20 minutes to write two short passages and answer some basic questions on two reading comprehensions. I wrote a scéal and a comhra. The second reading comprehension passage was about September 11th and was particularly easy. Most of the ordinary-level contingent had vacated the exam hall before the two-hour mark.

Paper 2, yesterday, is more learning-based than paper 1 and was much tougher. I was left scratching my head after looking at some of the questions. Clann Lir and An Lasair Choille were the two stories that came up, while the poems Treall, Chlaon Mé Mo Cheann and Faoilean also came up. However, this paper counts for less than 20 per cent of the overall grade, so I'm not too worried.

Maths paper 1 (also ordinary-level) was on Thursday morning. Generally the feeling was that the paper was a tough one; some unexpected questions came up. In comparison to recent past papers this maths paper 1 was unquestionably more tricky. Let's hope for a more merciful second paper on Monday.

So I look towards next week with renewed optimism, to my second maths paper and the higher-level papers in geography, French and business. Geography is the exam I am focusing most of my attention on - it's a real student-versus-the-clock-exam, right down to the wire. Well, if Robbie Keane can do it, so can we!

On that note, Tuesday's French exam will carry yet another distraction from the Far East. While I am sitting the aural part of the French exam, Ireland will kick off against Saudi Arabia with their World Cup destiny in their own hands. At least this time we'll get to see the crucial second half. Wednesday afternoon is when I will finally shake off the shackles of the Leaving Cert once and for all. I am tempted to make a small bonfire with all my books, copies and notes, but my mother would vociferously object.

Looking past the exams, the summer shall bring a lot of relaxing. I'm off to Marbella in July with my Leaving Cert squad - plenty of sun, sea and San Miguel all around.

So until Wednesday, when I shall stand up and revel in post-Leaving Cert celebrations, no doubt to be heard uttering the words, "Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, I'm free at last!"

Patrick O'Brien is a student at Stratford College, Rathgar, Dublin.

Robbie Keane tees up Ireland's equaliser against Germany