It starts innocently enough. The child mutters something about heading away after the exams: “Just me and the gang – nothing mad.” Albufeira seemed like an innocent cultural excursion when first floated back January. Now, as they head off to the airport, it seems to be a hellscape of supersized nightclubs, foam parties and all-inclusive sambuca shots.
Yes, the Leaving Cert holiday is almost here – a time honoured rite of passage for students; a slow motion heart attack for mother and fathers.
My colleague Kate Byrne has spoken to parents and students about where everyone’s heading this year. The party hotspots are Mallorca, Greece, the Algarve and, yes, Albufeira. Fret not: some students are embarking on cultural tours or trips around Berlin or Barcelona – or so they say.
Meanwhile, for the first time in an age, a strange peace will descend on exam households. The silence may seem unnerving at first. No doors slamming, no mysterious thumps upstairs. But then something shifts. The fridge remains strangely stocked. The laundry basket is no longer overflowing. And slowly, the panic gives way to a quiet pride.
Because deep down, parents know this holiday marks something more than just dodgy tattoo; it’s the start of independence, adventure and figuring things out (possibly with the help of Google Translate). The kids are beginning the messy, brilliant next chapter of their lives. For all the worry, that’s something worth celebrating – preferably with a glass of wine.
Exams:
You’d be forgiven for thinking the exams are over. For the unfortunate few, the Leaving Cert trundles on: today it was Classical Studies and Italian; the latter pushed students for time and posed challenges with some complex questions on philosophy.
Up tomorrow:
It’s – finally – the last day of the exams
Politics and Society (9.30-12)
Applied mathematics (2-4.30pm)
Later this week:
We’ll be asking you for your exam highs and lows, what you’d change and what you’d keep about the Leaving Cert.
And in the run-up to the CAO July 1st deadline, guidance counsellor Brian Mooney will be sharing his last-minute checklist for course selection.
