Peadar taught harsh lesson by points increase
The graduate of Meánscoil San Nioclás in An Rinn, Co Waterford, recounted his daily trials and tribulations during the exams in his Exam Diary for the Irish Examiner in June.
Having listed as his first choice Trinity College Dublin’s Philosophy and Irish degree course which had a 430-points entry level this time last year, he was thrilled with his 480 points tally when he collected his results last Wednesday.
He was so understandably confident of having secured a place that he was not up at 6am yesterday to check the cut-off points, like most of the 60,000-plus people hoping for good news probably were.
“I took a lift with my dad and it was only when I looked at the points tables in the newspaper I realised that my course went up by 55 points to 485,” said Peadar.
“I wouldn’t have minded if it was touch and go and I was just a few points over last year’s score, at least then I wouldn’t have been so sure of myself,” he said.
It was not all doom and gloom, however, as the Glemore, Co Kilkenny, native has been offered a place and already accepted it yesterday on his second choice degree programme.
He will now go to study arts at University College Dublin, for which he was well clear of the 340 points needed, unless his luck turns.
His excruciating five-point shortfall for the Trinity course means he must wait until the next round of offers is issued by the CAO on Friday week, August 31 to see if enough offers on his favoured course go unaccepted for him to be offered a place.
