IT WAS A case of seeing double yesterday as twin sisters from Wicklow, Jane and Rose Fagan, scored identical grades in the Junior Cert. The sisters, students at the Dominican College in Wicklow town, each achieved nine As and two Bs in the exam, clocking up 22 honours in higher-level subjects and identical grades.
Scoring exactly the same grades in each subject, the only difference between the duo was Jane’s choice to study music and Rose’s to take Spanish.
The girls, who turned 15 in June, paid tribute yesterday to their family and teachers.
“This is such a big shock,” Jane said. “I never expected to get nine As, never mind get the same results as Rose.”
Rose said: “I’m the same, I’m just absolutely shocked. I had always thought that Jane would do better.”
Carla Celada (16) from Bray, Co Wicklow, said she was “thrilled” with her 12 As. A pupil at Loreto Abbey in Dalkey, Carla said she was shocked but happy to have done so well.
“I really didn’t expect to achieve such great results,” she said. “I found maths in particular to be very hard and didn’t get to finish the second paper so I was surprised to get that. Irish and English were also tough but I found history relatively easy.”
School principal Robert Dunne said he was delighted with Carla’s results and those of his other students, all of whom had put in an “exceptional” performance.
Jasmin Huysmans (15) from Ranelagh, Dublin, said she was very excited after getting 11 As. A student at Muckross Park in Donnybrook, she said she was still in shock after opening her results.
“None of the papers were easy for me except perhaps Spanish. My mum is half-Spanish and so I’ve spoken it at home since I was young and am fluent in it.”
While Jasmin is hoping to go on to study medicine when she finishes school, her immediate focus was on celebrating with friends at the Wesley disco.
In Limerick, there was triple the worry for one father who had the task of handing his three children their results. Triplets Noel, Róisín and Gráinne Malone were among the 140 students to receive results at Coláiste Chiaráin in Croom where their father Noel Malone is principal.
“It was a big day in the Malone household. The fact that I was going to see their results before anyone else made it even more unique,” Mr Malone said.
“I must admit when I opened the results, I did go straight to my own kids’ results but I had to keep it quiet and they got their results with everyone else at 11.30am. I did text my wife after I opened them just to say everything was okay and to stop her worrying.”
Noel got nine honours, Róisín got seven and Gráinne five. At the moment the triplets are considering following in their father’s footsteps with careers in teaching.
In Cork, Christ the King school students Tara O’Sullivan (16), Aisling McDonald (15) and Kelly Dwyer (15) proclaimed shock and delight having scored 32 As between them.
Kelly, from Castletreasure in Douglas, managed 11 As. “When I got the results this morning,” she said, “I was thinking oh God no, these aren’t my results. It’s given me more confidence in myself, to know what I am capable of. I suppose I have a brighter outlook now, on everything.”
Tara, from Frankfield, who got 10 As, said she was looking forward to transition year before settling back into the books to pursue medicine, law or pharmaceutics. Ashling, from Rochestown, said football training helped ease her nerves but did not prepare her for the shock of 11 As.
The three friends planned to celebrate with family meals, bowling and an underage disco at the Cork’s Savoy theatre.
In Tipperary, at Cistercian College, Roscrea, Kilkenny native Matthew Kavanagh (15) led the pack to achieve 12 As. He heard the good news while abseiling on a class outing. “I had hoped to do well enough, but I couldn’t believe my results,” he said.
Sarah McNabb (16), a student at Salerno College, Salthill, Galway, who did her exams through Braille, was celebrating two As, three Bs and two Cs. Born with a condition that has resulted in her eyesight deteriorating, she said: “It was pretty difficult time-wise to get everything completed, but thankfully I managed to get it all done.
“I couldn’t have done it without the help of my special needs assistant,” she said of Nicola Lenihan, who learned Braille to help her with the exams. “Hopefully I can get to college now. I would love to study psychology, teaching or journalism, but I have a bit of time before I need to decide.”