History has been made in St Fergal’s College in Rathdowney today as the school recorded its first ever 625 points result.
Darragh Hogan, who hails from Ballacolla, achieved the stunning result this morning as the Leaving Cert results were revealed.
Speaking to LaoisToday, Principal Gerry Quinn hailed Darragh for being an amazing student throughout his time with St Fergal’s.
Gerry said: “Darragh’s dedication, ability, sense of organisation and focus meant for me that he was always in the hunt for 625 regardless of factors like the Covid-19 pandemic.
“He is just an incredible fella with a brilliant attitude. He is exemplary and we are so proud of what he has achieved.
“He is the first person to achieve 625 in St Fergal’s College so he has made some history in the process.
“I also want to pay tribute to all of the teachers here in St Fergal’s who are highly professional and capable.”
Darragh now hopes to study Engineering in University College Cork and said receiving the results was a ‘big surprise’.
He paid tribute to all of the teachers in the school and, as a fine young hurler currently on the Clough-Ballacolla team, he also spoke about the importance of sport alongside academic life in order to gain a balance.
He said: “I wasn’t expecting to see it (625) and I’d just like to thank the teachers and all the staff here in St Fergal’s who have helped me.
“It is great now to have achieved this result and hopefully not have to worry about grade inflation and college course points.
“I continued playing sport and training away throughout the Leaving Cert year.
“I think it is good to be able to break away from the books and clear your head for a few hours.
“You can go overboard at the books and it can be counterproductive so it is very proactive to have something else to focus on.
“It doesn’t have to be a mainstream serious sport either – even if it is casual, it will not do you any harm.”
Darragh’s success is the latest in a string of good news LEaving Cert stories that have appeared throughout the day.
Finn Culleton of Mountrath CS is a happy man this morning as he achieved the maximum score of 625 – seven H1s.
For a school to have one student get maximum points in the Leaving Cert is a big deal – but Scoil Chríost Rí in Portlaoise are celebrating four 625-pointers today.
Sinead Buggy (Timahoe), Katherine Finnegan (Killenard), Kate Westlake (Portlaoise) and Hannah Biju (Portlaoise) all achieved top marks in the Portlaoise school.
While eight Portlaoise CBS boys received greater than 600 points in their Leaving Certs.
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