Plucky Patricia thrives in face of adversity

Education Correspondent

While almost 60,000 youngsters and more than 1,000 adults celebrated their grades last night, the 17-year-old Down's syndrome student was settling into pizza at her favourite Italian restaurant.

She was over the moon when Mary Whyte, principal at her school, St Joseph's of Cluny in Killiney, handed over her results' slip yesterday afternoon.