There must be some kind of academic viagra in schools in Cork. All four of the country's top achievers in this year's Leaving Cert exams come from Cork city.
And two of the four come from the same school - Colaiste an Spiraid Naoimh.
Donagh Healy (18), of Colaiste an Spiraid Naoimh, was "amazed" to get 600 points and eight A1s because he was only hoping for 565 points. He said that his perfect score was "just luck" - although he did admit to studying four hours a day, seven days a week.
Mr Healy "didn't bother" with grinds because Colaiste an Spiraid Naoimh is "a good school with good teachers, a good atmosphere and we have a bit of fun as well". Another student from Colaiste an Spiraid Naoimh also got eight A1s but he doesn't know it yet because he is off trekking in Peru. He's certainly due a surprise on his return.
Donagh, whose parents Denis and Nora are both primary teachers at St Joseph's in Cobh, plans to study medicine at UCC.
High marks run in the family. Donagh's older brother Neilus got 570 points last year and is studying maths in UCC.
The third Cork city student to earn eight A1s was Barry O'Mahony (18), a student with the Presentation Brothers and the youngest of five children.
He was nursing jet lag yesterday evening, having just returned from 10 days in Taiwan yesterday morning to discover that he had got eight A1s.
"I'm shocked and amazed. I wasn't expecting this at all. I expected to get in the 500s - but nowhere near 600. I don't think it's hit me yet," Barry said.
Barry was eager to mention that he was also delighted for his classmate, James Bredin, also from Presentation Brothers, who got seven A1s and one A2, no mean achievement. Only 29 students in the country were awarded seven A1s.
Barry's first choice is to study actuary at UCD, which he says has something to do with insurance and calculating premiums. "It's basically maths, which is my favourite subject," Barry said.
He got A1s in both higher maths and applied maths as well as accounting, German and four other subjects. Barry's father, Pat, is a civil engineer and his mother, Betty, is a GP in Cork.
The fourth student to earn eight A1s was Aisling Sheehan, a student at St Angela's College in Cork. She also got a B1 for good measure.
This year's Leaving Cert performance by Cork students is clearly exceptional. Last year, only one student in the country achieved 8 A1s - Emer McGrath from Ballinrobe, Co Mayo.
Only six A1s are required to achieve a score of 600 - the maximum number of points. Additional A1s don't add to the score - but they are probably worth having anyway. This year, 59 candidates achieved six A1s. A total of 5,627 - about 10 per cent of Leaving Cert candidates - achieved one A1 or more.