After putting down the phone at the end of our interview, Laura Durack (18), a student from Scariff Community College in Co Clare, would be putting on her sports gear for a camogie match she was due to play later that evening.

Well, that’s one way to distract yourself from tomorrow’s impending Leaving Cert results. But Laura, from speaking to her, doesn’t sound too phased.

“I have been getting a bit nervous over the last few days,” she admitted. “But now I just want to have them and sort of get it over with.”

Overall, Laura felt the exams were kind to students this year, including the agricultural science exam which she says was “less biology-based” than previous years. “I don’t think there were any nasty surprises in this year’s paper,” she said. “Overall it was pretty fair for students.”

Laura doesn’t want to wait any longer than necessary, and is heading into Scariff tomorrow as soon as the results are out. “I’m going in early in the morning with my mum, and I think I’ll look at my results in the car away from all the other students as I’d like a bit of privacy.”

Although she comes from a dairy farm and was originally considering studying agricultural science in college, Laura says her younger brother is the real farmer in the family. Laura, on the other hand, is now considering psychology as a future career option.

“My brother loves the farm,” she said. “He’s very hands-on with it, and very practical. I’d more enjoy the theory side of it, so we balance each other out well,” she laughed.

And how will she be celebrating? Well, only by having the entire year over to her house for drinks, as you do.

“I don’t know how I got roped into that one,” she said. “But no one else would have it, so it fell to me. That’s also been a good distraction though – for me and my mum!”

Keeping busy

Diarmaid McNamara (18) is also keeping busy while waiting for his results. For the last two years he has been working a six-day week during holidays on a dairy farm in Scariff, Co Clare, and he’s there this evening, trying not to think too much about the results tomorrow.

Diarmaid, also a student of Scariff Community College, comes from a pure-bred beef Shorthorn farm and is on a high already after winning two first prizes for his 2015 bull calf and 2015 heifer calf at Tullamore Show last Sunday.

Hearing the enthusiasm in his voice when speaking about Tullamore, I’m almost reluctant to put a downer on the conversation by asking about the results. But that’s sort of what I rang him to talk about.

“Well I am nervous,” he said. “But I’m glad it’s finally coming around. Although you do start worrying then, you know, thinking – ‘did I mess that up?’ But then I just remember that I felt fine coming out of the exam, so I just try and think about that instead.”

Compared with his other subjects, the agricultural science exam was the one Diarmaid was most comfortable with, something he attributes to his background.

“Obviously my experience on the farms helped me a lot with that. Subjects like Irish and that I wouldn’t have been so comfortable with.”

Although he earns an extra bit of money on the dairy farm, Diarmaid much prefers the beef and hopes to one day get into the business of pure-breeding.

“My older brother was interested in it for a while, but then he went travelling with his job so I don’t think he’s as pushed as before. Neither is my sister. So it looks like it might be left to me, which I’m fairly happy about.”