Tears of joy as Ballyheane twins scoop over 1100 points in Leaving Certificate

TWO Ballyheane twins shed tears of joy after they scooped a combined 1,191 points in their Leaving Certificate exams. 

Ella Fallon and her sister Nora were both thrilled from the moment they learned that they had passed their exams with flying colours this afternoon.

The St Joseph’s Secondary School students are both optimistic that they have obtained enough points for their top chosen college courses. 

Ella, who got 625 points, is hoping to study pharmacy in the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin. Nora, who is hoping to study primary school teaching in Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, obtained 566 points. 

Their friend, Aisling Flanagan, also secured the highest possible mark of 625. 

_{Twins Nora and Ella Fallon with their friend, Aisling Flanagan (centre), with their Leaving Certificate results} 

Many St Joseph’s students went in to the Castlebar school to get a physical copy of their results even after obtaining them online.

A total of 1,545 Mayo students, including 109 Leaving Certificate Applied students, sat the Leaving Certificate in June.

“Our friend rang us at half-nine to say they were actually out. We were waiting until ten,” Nora Fallon told The Mayo News. 

“We were downstairs. Ella had her computer upstairs and mine was in my room upstairs, Ella kind of opened them up halfway up the stairs and next thing it was screams, excitement, tears, everything. I was like ‘I had better open mine now’ and then when I clicked it I was just shocked. I didn’t expect to do as well.”

Ella and Nora’s mother, Rosie, told The Mayo News that she was ‘delighted’ to see her daughters being rewarded for their hard work. 

“They are all-rounders. They are sporty, they are fun, but they are good girls, they do their best at everything. I’m just delighted that they are reaping the rewards,” she said. 

“We are super happy that we both did well. It’s hard when you have twins in the house, you’re just hoping that they’ll both be smiling. They were both tears of joy. We’re thrilled. We’re very proud of them.”

_{Students from St Joseph's Secondary School in Castlebar with their Leaving Certificate results} 

Elsewhere, Our Lady’s Secondary School in Belmullet expressed their delight after their students obtained impressive results in their Leaving Certificate exams. 

One student received 602 points, with 14 per cent obtaining over 550 points and 22 per cent achieving over 500 points.

Mr Edmund Holmes, Principal of Our Lady’s Secondary School said: “We must acknowledge that  It hasn’t been easy for this group as this was their first experience of sitting state exams. 

“We are very proud of how they met each challenge along the way and we wanted to mark their contribution to Our Lady’s over the last six years in a meaningful way. We are delighted that all of our students were happy with their results having done excellently across the board.  

“They are all leaving here with an immense sense of achievement, which makes us very proud of each of them,” he added before wishing them well in their futures. He also thanked their parents for their support and acknowledged the work of the ‘excellent team of teachers’ in the school.