It has all begun and the end is near. This week signifies the start of the official Leaving Cert exams… scary. With my Irish oral behind me and my music practical yesterday, I say to the Leaving cert – “Bring it on!” You’d never expect that you wouldn’t be nervous during these exams but it’s a simple fact of – over preparation. Except for that one girl I know of who puked up before her exam. Looking back on my Irish oral I really could have contributed more:

“What would you do if you were Mary Hannifan”

“Oh, I really don’t know what I would do to be honest, she’s the one in the olympics, yeah?”

It seems that what she was trying to make an opener for the conditional tense, she only had to say!

Music went relatively well too, I am not the most musical of students. It went as well as expected, examiners make great liars “good lad that was very enjoyable” – oh yes, I was only playing something completely different from what I was looking at. Thank you Dan!

My study method is working out great, cramming of course. No professional endorses the idea but it really does work! What’s left? 8 weeks? I’ll give it seven weeks before I study to make sure it all sticks.

What’s next in life for Colin Lowry? Let us see… my very late history research study has to be handed in, French orals in one week and my practical art exam in a few weeks. I feel like getting sick…

Ta me go hiontach. Why? I have finally finished the first step towards completing the leaving cert. I had been awaiting this day for weeks now. I’m not exactly one for preparing for exams but I think I am finally getting geared up and motivated. I didn’t realize it was possible to drink 18 cups of tea and 12 cups of coffee in the space of 3 days. And one heck of a caffeine fuelled study session it was.

Cramming. I didn’t think it would was effective until I was proven wrong. Some might argue that’s because its the first time I have tried to prove myself wrong.

11 hours sleep, excessive amounts of caffeine and a session at the local and I was ready. Although I certainly did not feel prepared, I felt a little more at ease knowing I had put in some effort. Sitting outside a in the sun, i sipped my tea. Before I could put the cup down my phone began to ring. I answered and was greeted with : “Kevin.. where the hell are you? You’re up next”. So I began to panic a little and headed towards the school.

I arrived shortly after, out of breath and frozen. Signing in late wasn’t an option at this stage so I made my way towards the prefabs where I was greeted by my teacher and the other students. So I grabbed a chair and joined my friends. I have never felt time going so slow in my life. We were practically counting down the seconds. A combination of bitter cold and my nerves caused the blood flow in my hands to divert and head elsewhere.

You could hear every footstep in the prefab. And then it began.. The examiner entered the room and called me in. I said goodbye to my friends as if I were going to war. Why was I so nervous? And so the fifteen minutes began. Sliocht a dó! And suddenly, the nerves disappeared. I was confident in what I was doing and so I began.

Walking out of there gave me a boost of motivation and satisfactory reward that I haven’t felt in a long time. Having spent the past few days cramming for this day, I was now a happy to know the bit I had learned. I enjoyed it and was proud of it. Irish. Our native language.