No Leaving Cert nerves as Gráinne returns to hero’s welcome

SILVER medallist swimmer Gráinne Murphy was showing no sign of Leaving Certificate results nerves as she returned home to a hero’s welcome.

The 17-year-old was greeted with tricolours and cheers after touching down in Dublin fresh from success at the European Swimming Championships.

And while thousands of students anxiously await exam grades tomorrow, a beaming Gráinne revealed her big result was already in the bag.

“I have two weeks of my summer break ahead of me. I’m going to relax as much as I can,” she said.

“It’s really just going in and seeing how I’ve done in my subjects – I’ve still got half of it to do next year.”

The swimming star scooped silver in the 1500m freestyle in Budapest on Saturday – just two days after narrowly missing out on bronze in the 800m freestyle final.

She was greeted at Dublin Airport yesterday by a large crowd of flag-waving cousins, aunts and uncles from her home village of Ballinaboola in County Wexford.

Gráinne, who was accompanied on her trip to Hungary by proud parents Brendan and Mary, is already being touted for success at the 2012 Olympics.

But the teenager insisted it was too early to discuss the London Games.

“Saturday was just amazing. Everybody was really supportive and to have the support of the whole crowd there was just something else,” she added. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet but everybody here’s delighted and I’m delighted as well.”

As well-wishers geared up for a huge celebration at the family’s Horse and Hound hotel in Ballinaboola, Gráinne’s father, Brendan, said he would never forget his daughter’s medal-winning moment.

“I’m on top of the world,” he said.

“It has to be one of the best experiences of my life.

“To see your daughter there tipping the wall after failing there two days beforehand, getting it on the second attempt was great.”

Mr Murphy said his daughter, who split her final year and sat just three subjects in June, had no worries ahead of tomorrow’s exam results.

“She said the other day she has her result, she’s not worried about it.

“What comes now comes – that was the big result.”