Carl O'Brien: ‘Students buoyed by positive to start to State exams 2025'
So, it's day two and done. For many students, the first 48 hours of the Junior Cycle and Leaving Cert exams have been nerve-racking, energy-sapping and emotionally draining.
Yet, candidates have also been getting into their stride, honing their exam technique and learning to pace themselves.
The generally positive reaction to Leaving Cert English
papers one
and
paper two
has certainly helped, buoyed by the much-predicted appearance of Eavan Boland.
If your student is still struggling, our guidance counsellor Brian Mooney has
solid advice
on how to approach the papers: take time to review then initially and leaving time and space to review answers.
READ MORE
Anxiety
Exam anxiety can still be a factor for some students: bursts of panic, feeling sick, stomach turning to jelly, stage fright.
My colleague Peter McGuire has spoken to
experts in the field
. We were stuck by this comment.
'Testing is not a natural state – it is an artificial condition that we have created that has negative impacts on many people's mental health,' says Dr Jennifer Symonds, associate professor of education at UCD school of education.
His article has plenty of tips to help address exam anxiety such as 'diaphragmatic' breathing', keeping smartphones at bay and avoiding marathon study sessions.
Marathons
Speaking of which, my colleague Cian O'Connell has documented the rise of
'extreme study
' online, such as 5am starts and 12-hour sessions. It's fair to say that none of the expert we spoke to recommended it.
Friday, at least, gives students a chance to relax, breathe out and take stock.
As Brian Mooney says in his advice for parents, some young people taking the Leaving Cert can mistakenly believe their standing in their parents' eyes is dependent on their success in the exam.
'Ensure your son or daughter is clear that your love for them is in no way dependent on how they perform,' he says. 'This affirmation is one of the greatest gifts you can give them during the exams.'
Tomorrow
:
Leaving Cert: geography (9.30-12 midday), maths paper one (2-4.30pm)
Junior Cycle: history (9.30-11.30am), maths (1.30-3.30pm)
How are we doing?
If you are a parent/ guardian of a Leaving Cert student, we'd love to hear from you.
Maybe you have a personal story to share, have a burning question or want to comment on the exams, CAO and further education applications process.
Please click the link below to send us your questions or feedback:
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Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Ireland's plan to weaken legal protections for waterways will push many of them beyond recovery
If I went to my doctor with a cancerous tumour that was treatable and curable, and he shrugged it off and told me to accept it – knowing that without treatment, it would eventually kill me – I'd think he had lost his mind. Yet this is how the Irish State plans to treat some of our most treasured rivers, lakes and estuaries. According to a proposal from the Department of Housing , certain iconic stretches of waters on the likes of the Shannon, Boyne and Blackwater rivers will no longer be viewed as needing restoration. Instead, they will face a future as engineered channels. In the 1980s and '90s, Europeans began to recognise that their rivers were in severe decline due to decades of neglect. Naturally meandering waterways were straightened, drained and dammed; chemicals, pesticides and untreated sewage poured into them unchecked. The problem was cross-border: the Danube, which flows through 10 countries, became saturated with pollution. In 1986, a fire at a chemical warehouse near Basle, Switzerland, caused the Rhine river to turn red with mercury and dyes, as vast amounts of toxic waste flowed hundreds of kilometres downstream into Germany and the Netherlands. Drinking water supplies were shut off, and aquatic life, such as European eels, was decimated. What was clear was that Europe needed a unified, legally binding approach to water protection that set out common rules, clear responsibilities and shared goals. By 2000, a plan was in place that aimed to safeguard waterways not only for aquatic life but also as a source of drinking water, transport and leisure for humans. This law, known as the Water Framework Directive, has a clear objective: to ensure all waterbodies reach at least 'good status', meaning they are clean, healthy and safe for swimming and drinking. Built into the plan is a legal recognition that some waterbodies, especially in highly industrialised countries such as Germany, have been altered so extensively that returning them to their natural state would be impossible or potentially harmful to human interests and security. These are placed in a special category, called 'heavily modified water bodies', and are legally exempt from the requirement to achieve 'good' status. They include reservoirs supplying drinking water, canals designed for navigation or drainage, urban rivers confined within concrete channels or culverts, ports, harbours and rivers drained for agricultural use. READ MORE While they cannot be used as dumping grounds for pollutants, the law accepts that these waters will never be restored or naturalised. For that reason, the principle guiding 'heavily modified' designation should be balanced and factor in whether it serves the widest possible interest: their number should be kept to a minimum, and where ongoing engineering and management is necessary – for example, in a reservoir or port – they must deliver significant benefit to the public. Ireland has 33 heavily modified water bodies, including Poulaphouca reservoir, which provides drinking water to Dublin; Cork Harbour for industrial activity; and New Ross Port in Wexford, run by the council as a transport route. But under the department's proposal, released in March, this number will increase by 1,312 per cent. It includes 122 waterbodies that run through some of Ireland's unique natural areas. It includes stretches of the Nore, Brosna, Maigue, Liffey, Fergus, Mulkear and Carrowbeg rivers; lakes such as Lough Corrib and Lough Derg; and estuaries like Lower Suir. [ Pollution on the Liffey: Algal blooms at Blessington a threat to Dublin's drinking water Opens in new window ] Why does the State want to all but give up on these waters? The problem stems from a law dating back to 1945, the Arterial Drainage Act, which gives the State sweeping powers to carry out large-scale drainage works, such as deepening, widening, dredging and straightening. Eighty years ago – when we knew nothing about climate warming – the law was viewed as progressive; today it clashes with the Water Framework Directive because this extent of drainage causes severe damage, irreversibly stripping rivers of their natural life and course. Ireland cannot abide by one law with the other. As long as these waters are drained, they will never meet the standards set by EU water law. Reservoirs, ports, canals and harbours must be operational, and as such, designating them as 'heavily modified' is in the public interest, as their functional demands cannot be fulfilled while simultaneously attempting restoration. But in the future, who'll benefit from the continual dredging of the Clare river in Galway, once one of our most natural rivers and now, in many parts, a canalised channel? Or the river Brosna, whose waters followed a meandering course through Offaly before its curves were straightened and its channel deepened? And how is it justified in the public interest, given that drainage makes our towns and cities more – not less – vulnerable to flash flooding? Instead of reshaping drainage policy so that it's fit for the critical challenges we face – not least, the chaotic mix of water shortages and drought, extreme weather events and rapidly warming waters – what's proposed is simply remove these waters from any hope of being restored to full health. Never before have our waterways needed climate and nature-proofed policies more. Our waters are warming at levels never seen before – for example, in Lough Feeagh in Mayo, the heat in the water has been above the long-term average (recorded since 1960) since January. Sea temperatures have soared. This is the future for which we need to rapidly prepare. Under the Nature Restoration Law, we're required to restore at least 20 per cent of our land and sea areas by 2030, increasing to 90 per cent by 2050. That includes rewetting organic soils, like those at the headwaters of the river Boyne, which are currently drained. Instead of giving up on our waters and relegating them to a lower standard – all for the sake of an outdated, 80-year-old law – now is the time to put energy into nature-based solutions, which are proven to be effective and cheap as a way to reduce flood risk, improve soil health and meet climate, nature and water goals without abandoning the land. We can't ignore the facts: our waterways are facing immense pressure, and some are already critically ill. Even if our only concern was water security, the urgent need for restoration is clear. This proposal to weaken their legal protections will only speed up their deterioration. Across Ireland, communities are volunteering to revive the life in their local waters. If this legal loophole is allowed, their efforts will be in vain. In effect, the State would be like a doctor unfit to practice – turning its back on the patient instead of providing care. As a result, many of our most treasured rivers and lakes will, without question, slip beyond recovery.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
HSE was aware of report on allegations of toxic culture and waiting list irregularities, CHI tells Minister
The Health Service Executive was made aware of a controversial report containing allegations about a toxic work culture and potential irregularities in the operation of schemes to tackle waiting lists, Children's Health Ireland (CHI) has told the Minister for Health . The Irish Times understands CHI, which runs children's hospitals in Dublin, said the contents of an internal report on issues in one of its hospitals had been 'discussed' with a senior HSE executive. CHI maintained in correspondence with Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill that the report had been raised as part of performance review meetings. The assertion was made last week as part of a submission to the Minister, who had asked questions about the background to the internal report. CHI did not reply to a series of questions submitted by The Irish Times about the internal report. READ MORE The report was drawn up by Children's Health Ireland in late 2021 and early 2022 but never published. The document caused consternation in Government after parts were first revealed by the Sunday Times a fortnight ago. HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster , who took up office in 2023, said he had never been told about the document. He described the allegations in the CHI report as 'absolutely shocking'. The HSE this week referred the report to gardaí. The report raised questions over whether a series of clinics run by a consultant at CHI on Saturdays for patients on waiting lists were necessary. It said the consultant had been paid an additional €35,800 under the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), which buys care for patients on long public waiting lists. [ CHI consultant at centre of review did not fulfil on-call hours for three years due to 'health issues' Opens in new window ] The Irish Times reported this week that the CHI document maintained that there were 'significant concerns relating to the prudent and beneficial management of NTPF funding and lack of oversight of access initiatives which are ultimately not in keeping with the memorandum of understanding between CHI and the NTPF'. The report also said Children's Health Ireland had a 'broken culture – created by dysfunctional relationships and challenging behaviours'. The National Treatment Purchase Fund said that on learning of the allegations a fortnight ago, it suspended, pending a review, arrangements at CHI – known as insourcing – that saw hospitals and staff receive additional payments for treating patients on waiting lists outside core working hours. The Department of Health said on Friday that it believed NTPF funding for waiting list initiatives at Children's Health Ireland would recommence imminently. The NTPF said it took the issues around insourcing raised by the Children's Health Ireland report very seriously and was working closely with the department and HSE on this matter. 'It is completely unacceptable that there would be any misuse of public money and that children would wait longer for surgery when the whole purpose of the National Treatment Purchase Fund is to ensure faster access to treatment for public patients. The NTPF will fully reserve its position in relation to any proven misuse of public money and explore all options for restitution while ensuring public patients get the treatment they deserve.' It said that following initial reports about the CHI internal report, it immediately placed a temporary pause on all insourcing work with the children's hospital group 'while it initiated a review of this work to gather the necessary assurances regarding compliance, value for money and appropriate use of funding mechanisms'. 'This work is ongoing at the highest level with CHI to obtain and review these assurances. The intention is that the temporary pause will be lifted as soon as the NTPF is satisfied with the assurances given by CHI in this review so as to minimise any disruption to children and their families.' It said media reports that claimed 'thousands' of children would face surgery delays due to this pause were inaccurate, ill-informed and very disappointing to read.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Rugs, tables and drinks cabinets for eclectic tastes on auction this week
Interior design – whether professional or amateur - is such a staple of 21st-century life that you would think it's been around for centuries. But New Yorker Elsie de Wolfe is considered to be one of the first interior decorators – a term used in the early 1900s to describe upper-class women with a penchant for furnishing and embellishing homes. Another New Yorker, Dorothy Draper was deemed to be one of the first interior designers, when she started a business designing the interiors of high-profile hotels. Others followed, such as Florence Knoll from the famous Knoll furniture company, and more recently Irish-born, New-York based Clodagh Phipps known simply as Clodagh. And, while interior design magazines prescribe new trends each year, experienced interior designers know that true taste isn't limited to fashions. READ MORE 'When specifying furniture, the goal is to connect the design concept and overall feeling of the space with functionality, comfort and durability,' write Stephanie Travis and Catherine Anderson in their intriguing book, Interior Design is Not Decoration and Other Ideas (Laurence King Publishing). Adam's At Home online auction , which ends on Wednesday, June 11th, has a diverse range of furnishing from book cases, to tables, chairs, lamps and rugs, which should catch the eye of contemporary interior designers with an eclectic taste. Two walnut bedside chests (€300-€400), a set of eight oak and elmwood Windsor-style kitchen chairs (€1,500-€2,000), a late 19th-century Victorian walnut centre table (€500-€800), and a mahogany and brass mounted pedestal drinks cabinet (€200-€300) are some of the interesting lots. Two walnut bedside chests (€300-€400) from Adam's Late 19th-century Victorian walnut centre table (€500-€800), at Adam's A mahogany and brass mounted pedestal drinks cabinet (€200-€300), from Adam's The At Home auction – which will be on view from Saturday, June 7th until Tuesday, June 10th, in Adam's St Stephen's Green showrooms - also has a good selection of rugs, runners, prayer mats and wall hangings. These include a modern kilim rug from Turkey (€500-€700); an embroidered wall hanging from Uzbekistan (€300-€500); and a Gabbeh wool rug from Iran (€400-€600). Gabbeh rugs are traditional deep-pile Persian rugs often made from hand-knotted wool. a modern kilim rug from Turkey (€500-€700),Adam's Two watercolours from the prominent botanical artist, Wendy Walsh (1915-2014), are also included in the auction. Walsh was born in Cumbria, England, but spent many years in Ireland with her husband John Walsh and their three children. There is a permanent exhibition of her work in Burtown House, Athy, Co Kildare as her daughter, the artist Lesley Fennell lives there. Wendy and John retired to the stable yard house at Burtown. Bianchi 1928 car (€20,000-€40,000) RJ Keighery The sale of classic cars, traps, carriages, motor memorabilia and signage at R J Keighery in Waterford city on Monday, June 16th will no doubt draw interest from classic and vintage car enthusiasts. 'These cars were left to a woman in her father's will and have been sitting in a shed in east Waterford for many years,' says Thomas Keighery. Keighery selects a rare Ford Model A Touring from 1912 (€20,000-€40,000), and a Bianchi 1928 car (€20,000-€40,000) imported into Ireland years ago, among the pièces de résistance. He tells me that the Model T Ford Touring cars were supplied with fore doors as standard, while the earlier models were open-front models without doors to enclose the front-seat passengers. Ford Model A Touring from 1912 (€20,000-€40,000), at RJ Keighery He adds that the Bianchi vintage car model S5 with timber spokes is reputed to be the only one of its kind in Ireland. Finally, the summer months are ideal for taking on furniture restoration projects. The warmer days and long evenings make it easier to work out of doors or if inside, paint, varnish and glue smells can be reduced by opening windows and doors. Pepie O'Sullivan and Nigel Barnes run beginners upholstery courses over two days from their home at Clooneenagh House in west Clare. Over a weekend, a novice restorer will learn how to dismantle and rebuild a uncomplicated chair frame and complete the upholstery. 'We can't turn you into a skilled craftsman in one weekend, but we aim to give you enough building blocks and confidence to tackle your own antique restoration projects,' says O'Sullivan. Participants can bring along their own piece of furniture to work on. 'Good shabby and wobbly dining type chairs with upholstered seats or backs or open armchairs are good beginner projects,' says Barnes. Tools will be supplied as will all other materials and lunch. Cost €215 for two days. See for upcoming dates. Antique furniture restorer George Williams at work Antique furniture restorer, George Williams runs one-day courses in antique furniture care and restoration and staining and French polishing from his home in Kells, Co Meath. A former antiques dealer, Williams has a wealth of knowledge about furniture from different eras and how best to maintain and repair them. He also runs courses in restoring and maintaining 18th- and 19th-century sash windows. See ; ; ; What did it sell for? Summer Inscape, Callan, Tony O'Malley Summer Inscape, Callan by Tony O'Malley (€15,000-€20,000) at Devere's Irish Art and Sculpture auction Estimate €15,000-€20,000 Hammer price €16,000 Auction house deVere's Head of artist, Tony O'Malley, Brian Bourke Head of artist, Tony O'Malley by Brian Bourke (€2,000-€3,000) was one of several pieces of sculpture in the DeVeres auction Estimate €2,000-€3,000 Hammer price €2,000 Auction house deVere's Little Girls Wonder, Gerard Dillon Little Girls Wonder by Gerard Dillon Estimate €50,000-€80,000 Hammer price €55,000 Auction house deVere's Waiting, Daniel O'Neill Daniel O'Neill's Waiting Estimate €10,000-€15,000 Hammer price €10,500 Auction house deVere's
